One of the biggest announcements from the Berlin International Hotel Investment Forum this year was that Marriott International will debut MOXY Hotels (yes, spelled with all upper-case letters), its first entry into the economy tier, three-star hospitality segment in Europe.
Marriott President and CEO Arne Sorenson told Travel Agent's sister publication Hotel Management that the company had been watching the economy space in Europe for years, but has not had a brand playing in that space. "You don't make that much money on a single, individual hotel," he noted. "We think not only will [MOXY] be new and supported by the Marriott engines, but will combine value and style."
Inter Hospitality, a subsidiary of Inter IKEA, will be the initial developer and owner of the first MOXY hotels. Nordic Hospitality will be the first franchisee to operate the brand. (Nordic Hospitality currently manages several Marriott brand hotels in Scandinavia.)
Marriott plans to add 150 franchised MOXY hotels in Europe over the next 10 years, aiming for locations in Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Italy, The Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The new brand will fuel Marriott’s companywide growth in the region, which is expected to reach 80,000 rooms by 2015.
The hotels are expected to have between 150 and 300 rooms, and are being designed with the goal of attaining LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. According to Hotel Management, guestrooms will have high-tech touches like built-in USB ports within each wall socket. In addition, hotels will have two "Plug and Meet" meeting spaces on the lobby level, large writing walls and 56-inch TVs for presentation projection. The lobby will have computers and a 24/7 market with snacks and drinks. All hotels will have free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, and guests will be able to check in using their mobile devices.
The brand will debut in Italy, with the first MOXY hotel expected to open in Milan in early 2014.