The Moxy Times Square, the 15th outpost in the brand’s portfolio, has celebrated its grand opening in the former Mills Hotel in Manhattan. Originally constructed in 1907, the hotel from Lightstone was transformed by a star team of collaborators: locally based architectural firm Stonehill & Taylor; design firms Yabu Pushelberg and Rockwell Group; and TAO Group, the creator and operator of the property’s F&B outlets.
Along with the the 612 cozy guestrooms, Yabu Pushelberg designed the entrance lobby as well as the second floor lobby and public spaces. The latter serves as the social hub of the hotel with a central, copper-wrapped bar and a triple-height atrium skylight; a lounge complete with a DJ booth and wired seating; three multifunctional studios just beyond copper-framed glass doors; and grab-and-go space the Pickup. Ranging from 150 to 350 square feet, the rooms feature brand signatures such as an honest material palette and basic, exposed construction techniques. Flexibility and functionality also characterize the guestrooms, which include foldaway furniture hung on open pegboard closets, large walk-in rain showers, and wood-frame beds with built-in storage.
Rockwell Group spearheaded the design of the 185-seat seafood brasserie Legasea, the all-day breakfast concept Egghead, as well as the hotel’s crowning rooftop, Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge, three new concepts for the prolific TAO Group. Guests enter through a dark, gallery-style entrance hall clad with funhouse mirrors and whimsical topiary animals, reaching an industrial, indoor-outdoor space comprised of multiple distinct environments: an inside lounge, outfitted with wire mesh panels riveted to ceilings and walls; two separate outdoor areas that frame heady views—one features elegant garden-party fixtures, while the other is more carnival-esque (complete with a seating area housed in a carousel); and Foreplay, a mini golf course designed by TAO Group (the company’s in-house team also handled the topiary garden), which foregoes windmills for massive statues of animals in compromising poses.
“Moxy pushes the envelope, so we tossed out the rulebook,” says Toni Stoeckl, global brand leader and vice president, Marriott International’s Distinctive Select Brands.“The result has been a hotel experience like no other—fun, edgy, playful, and all at a killer price.”
