By the Caribbean Journal staff
The world’s biggest hotel company is plotting another entry into the Caribbean.
Marriott International has just announced plans to bring its newest hotel brand, Moxy Hotels, into the Caribbean and Latin America.
The company has already approved four hotel deals in the region, with the first Caribbean-Latin America debut for Moxy pegged for 2020.
The four approved deals are in the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Colombia and Peru, a Marriott spokesperson confirmed to Caribbean Journal.
Last week, Marriott signed a deal for a 165-room Moxy in Medellin, Colombia.
Marriott says Moxy is a “playful and vibrant hotel brand for the next generation of travelers.”
The boutique brand first debuted in Europe in 2014, with a current portfolio of 30 Moxy-branded hotels worldwide.
Each hotel has “vibrant” lobby spaces, 24-7 self-service grab and go food and beverage options, copious plug-ins for personal devices in the guestrooms and free-Wifi.
It’s a brand clearly targeting millennials, with small rooms, lower prices and a focus on shared public spaces.
A Moxy hotel in London.
“Who said that affordable hotels must be cheap-looking and dull? Who said that lifestyle hotels cannot have the same, or better, investor returns than the traditional select-service brand? You just need to know what the new customer really wants and be smart on the design and execution,” said Laurent de Kousemaeker, Chief Development Officer, Marriott International Caribbean and Latin America. “This brand is a great fit for our region – both from an economic model and consumer appeal perspective.”
It’s part of a wider drive by Marriott to increase its presence in the Caribbean and Latin America, where the company has 240 properties open, with another 110 set to be added by the end of 2023, according to the company.
— CJ