The expansion of Marriott International’s hotel brand Moxy is coming in thick and fast. In New York, the group recently opened a Chelsea location, right in the heart of Manhattan’s flower district. Unassumingly located on 28th Street, just outside of the shadow of Herald Square, Moxy Chelsea stands out like a green oasis, with its purpose-built concrete and steel building designed by Stonehill Taylor.
Lead by its developer-partner Lightstone, who opened Moxy Times Square last year, Moxy Chelsea is packed with playful touches. For one, the hotel brings the flower district into its premises with a flower shop by accomplished florists Putnam & Putnam (its first outpost), located on the ground floor. Once up the Brutalist concrete staircase, designed by Yabu Pushelberg, visitors arrive at the cosy lobby lounge, designed by Rockwell Group, where a succession of hang-out spaces, including a glass-enclosed conservatory with a three-storey high living green wall, provides ample room to work, relax or enjoy a cocktail or two. Further behind, an all-season backyard terrace, Bar Ferroce’s Backyard serves Roman-style pizzas made in a terracotta brick oven and other comforts.
Back on the ground floor, the hotel restaurant Ferroce Ristorante, again created by Rockwell Group, mixes terrazzo floors and racing stripe leather banquettes with plaster and gold leaf-flecked walls. Classic Roman fare and a grappa cart, which roves around the dining room, bring together feelings of familiarity and originality. For those looking for a quicker food option, guests can still enjoy the atmosphere in the restaurant’s café arm, which serves Italian pastries, doughnuts and coffee, and offers bar seating.
While the hotel certainly has an array of amenities on offer (a lively bar and club with panoramic views of the city sits on the building’s top floor), the guest rooms at Moxy Chelsea have been designed as a moment of reprieve from the hubbub of the hotel and beyond. Yabu Pushelberg has overseen the interiors, again using peg hooks and foldable furniture to maximise space in the rooms, just like in Times Square. Wall-to-wall windows, high ceilings and a neutral colour palette add to each room’s airy feel, while clever solutions like underbed storage and multi-purpose furniture emphasises their efficiency. Expertly executed in both concept and quality, Moxy Chelsea comes close to having the whole package. §
