A couple of weeks ago, I stayed in a Moxy hotel for the first time (at Paris Charles de Gaulle). Moxy is a limited-service hotel brand that is fully part of Marriott, and was created to be “stylish and playful”. The marketing is generally slightly over-the-top cheesy, though it does cater to young 20-30s, and rates are generally reasonable.
I was expecting to come in thinking that Moxy was style over substance, and was even expecting to “get the ick”, given that the branding can be on the obnoxious side. Well, I left fairly impressed, and think I’d probably seek out the chain again. The branding as such is fine, though I was more appreciative of the public spaces, and the casual dining and drinks concept you get at the front desk.
Moxy hotels have beautiful public spaces
I can’t stress how great the Moxy lobby public spaces are. There’s a huge variety of seating, almost akin to a top-notch airport lounge. At the Paris CDG property, there were even seats styled like a fuselage, which (while less comfortable to sit on) were very cool.
Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle Lobby
I love the fact that I could come down for a drink and a chat (there’s a bar, though it isn’t free), and sit next to the fireplace. There were comfortable leather sofa seats with cushions as well.
Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle Lobby
Perhaps I’m easily impressed, though I absolutely love the size of these tables, and I also like the privacy partitions and easy access to power ports. I would take working here over working in my room any day, given that I don’t like working right next to my bed, and I love large tables. The chairs are a bit grim (you could easily install desk chairs here), though you can easily pinch one from a nearby table if you wanted to get some proper work done.
Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle Lobby
There even was table football, as well as a nice and well-maintained outdoor space.
Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle Lobby
I’d happily spend some time here during the early evening if I was waiting for a flight the next day, and would even invite a friend to come and hang out if possible. It’s my understanding that Moxy generally invests in public areas, and I can’t fault that. I’d love to bring my laptop down to one of these spaces and spend an afternoon here.
Moxy rooms aren’t too bad
I’ve heard people grumble about rooms at Moxy hotels, saying that they’re small, very basic, and have an insufficient work setup. My room did come with a small desk, and while it certainly was nothing to write home about, I didn’t have much of an issue with my room – the room and bathroom were both absolutely fine, the bed was comfortable, and there was once again easy access to power ports. If I had to take a call, I could easily do so comfortably from the desk in my room (albeit the chair not being great).
Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle rooms
The one thing is that the rooms don’t have ironing boards – these are situated in common areas throughout the hotel. I didn’t mind this too much.
I like the hybrid dining, bar and reception concept
I know that some are slightly annoyed at Moxy’s portrayal of millenials, and find the general product offering to be style over substance. In this case, it did appeal to me that I could check-in at the hotel bar and grab a drink, and easily grab food at the lobby which I could have anywhere. This essentially functioned as a coffee shop during the day, and a (mediocre) cocktail bar at night, which I think works well for me. After all, if I had more time (I got in to the hotel at 1 AM, and left at 8:15 AM), I would’ve happily had a drink and spoken to any fellow guests here, particularly due to the fact that this was an airport hotel.
Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle Lobby
I can’t imagine that any of the food is that appealing, though I also don’t think any of it was that expensive.
Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle Food
This Moxy had a 24/7 gym and free breakfast
My stay at the Moxy Charles de Gaulle was the cheapest rate I could find, and it came with free breakfast. Now, the downside was that even at 8 AM, nothing was really left there to eat apart from cereal and coffee (which I’ll take, though is a little disappointing), as all of the hot options had run out.
I wouldn’t call the below breakfast a highlight of my stay at the Moxy, though even then I still appreciated the casual range of options.
Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle Breakfast (…?)
Also, as an airport hotel, I appreciated that the small gym was 24/7.
Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle Gym
Conclusion: My impression of Moxy hotels
It’s possible that Moxy hotels might be overpriced early-20s bait, and that many of the cheap gimmicks will quickly wear out for me over time. However, this early-20 was successfully baited at the Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle. I really appreciated the ability to work and socialise in the hotel’s beautiful public spaces, and appreciated the other amenities that the hotel had to offer. I’m looking forward to my next Moxy stay.
What do you think about Moxy hotels?
I’m of a completely different demographic but I’m not at all a fan. I think that the “fun” public areas are just an excuse to give people tiny rooms with no desk and little-to-no seating area. That way people are effectively forced into the lobby to spend money on things. I don’t mind a eclectic bar area – although I thing it gets a bit synthetic when you’re quite so over the top – to socialize in but I work best in undisturbed quiet and these “Lifestyle” hotels are the opposite of that. For me the net effect is that of a high end European hostel but likely with much worse drink prices. On the other hand if you like it and since you personally are the target market, then good for everyone. People should have a hotel chain they’re comfortable with visiting.