Are Moxy hotels good for business travelers? We investigate and after a recent stay at the Moxy Louisville Downtown, we conclude that the Moxy isn’t really designed for business travelers. Plus, they can’t clean their hotel rooms…gross.
On a recent business trip to Louisville, I found myself unable to book my company’s preferred conference hotel (because I’d booked my trip too late). I am also in the middle of trying to grind through my Marriott status – having re-upped my Hilton Diamond status by February (which, btw, makes it meaningless…).
As a long-time Hilton guy, I’ve been cheating on them with Marriott, experimenting with various properties as I chase status with them for the first time. One property I’ve had my eye on was the Moxy. A hip, cool, modern hotel for an affordable price. Sounds great, right? Wrong.
It turns out that the Moxy is not for business travelers. Plus, this particular hotel seems to be having trouble cleaning its rooms. Here’s my experience.
Moxy – it’s not for business travelers
The business traveler is a different type of traveler than the leisure traveler. We have different needs and wants. We expect (although maybe don’t realize it always) a certain set of amenities when we travel. This includes the hotel where we’ve come to expect certain things that make our life easier.
As it turns out, the business traveler is NOT the target demographic of the Moxy Hotel Brand. Or, if he/she is, they forgot to actually ask them what they want / need.
From the moment I stepped into my room, it was clear this room did not have the business traveler in mind. After getting past the “cool” factor of how the room was decorated, I quickly surveyed the room and started unpacking. And that’s where my list of gripes began.
- Rooms are so freaking tiny – it was a shoebox. No dresser. No closet. The sink was in the room. Very tiny. Ok..fine.
- No iron (just a steamer) – Turns out steamers kinda suck. Not that they don’t work. They work fine. They just take FOREVER. I could have gotten my two shirts ironed in about 4 minutes with a regular iron. Instead? 30 minutes.
- 3 hangars – there was no closet, but there were 6 hooks on the wall and 3 hangars on them. Just 3. Not nearly enough for the 2 jackets, 2 dress shirts, and 2 nice t-shirts I need to hang up. Ugh
- No closet – see above. Sigh…
- No storage – no dresser to unpack anything in, and no place to put your suitcase because the room was so small. Ironically, as I was packing up to leave I realized there were small cubbies underneath the bed. However, they were hard to access and darkly lit. It would be inconvenient to store anything other than maybe a small carryon suitcase there.
- No desk (well, a Murphy desk) – I am a business traveler and need to fire up the laptop every once in a while. There was no desk. Instead a Murphy desk, meaning a 2 foot by 1 foot thingie that unlatched and swung down for you to, I guess…work? Sketch.
- No chair for the “desk” – There was a chair in the room, an orange cloth-covered chair and after the next section where you see my cleaning issues, I was loathe to sit on it. When I did need to use the “desk” I lugged the chair over to the desk and attempted to work without catching Herpes or something…
Ok…fine. The room ain’t for business travelers. I am not the demographic. Fine. I can live with that. But, at least it’s clean, right?
Wrong.
Plus…they can’t seem to clean the rooms
As I was exiting the bathroom, sans shoes, having just completed a…shall we say…longer bathroom visit…I glanced back and noticed what can only have been pee-spray all over the floor. And I know it didn’t come from me.
So gross. I wiped it up with a towel, and moved on. Gross.
Later that night. Morning, really (1:00AM), I finally turn in for the night after an evening with customers where booze may or may not have been involved.
I peel back the bedcover and notice a stain on the bed (below).
SIGH.
Now…I have a choice to make. I am unpacked. In boxers. Slightly boozy. Tired af. Do I call down and make a stink, and repack, and change rooms? Do I make them change the sheets?
Well, since I am a Marine, I sucked it up and slept on it. I’ve slept in worse places. I simply slept on TOP of the bed instead of IN the bed. Done it before. It’s not ideal, but I was too “done” for the day to deal with drama.
I dealt with it the next day.
What did I like?
Lest you think I am a total debbie downer, incapable of seeing the good, there were a few things I actually did like about the hotel. First off, the decor was darn cool. Super hip, industrial, dark-lit, open, and fun. It felt like a hipster loft. And I liked it. It was kinda fun when the bartender checked me in.
I also really enjoyed the bartenders and bar. It’s smack dab in the middle of the lobby and the bartenders also check guests into the hotel (that was weird but cool, I guess). They were friendly, fun and inviting.
The rooms were also pretty cool. Not nearly as cool as the lobby but I still liked it…even if it wasn’t cleaned apparently. Not a fan of the bulk soaps, but that’s a thing now in the hotel industry, so whatever. It was an eclectic and fun design. Too small, of course.
Yup, that’s it. I guess I like the name Moxy? Does that count?
Final thoughts on the Moxy Louisville and the brand in general
To be honest, I didn’t like much and probably won’t stay at another Moxy property again. Not because it wasn’t cleaned. All hotels have this problem from time to time and it’s a tough time in the service industry so while unclean rooms are gross, it doesn’t surprise me.
The real issue is that Moxy is not a brand for business travelers. Hard pass for me. I need my damn iron.
How about you? Have you stayed at a Moxy? What’s your experience been like?
4 comments
I stayed in the one in Lausanne Switzerland recently, and the room was surprisingly bigger than this. And Wi-Fi was fast and the room decent. I can’t say I had much to complain about. I think it depends on which Moxy you go to. I’m about to stay at the Moxy Manchester City soon, so I will report back.
Most is the absolute worst Marriott brand. It’s virtue signaling to millennials and millennials actually hate it more than anyone. My husband who is a millennial laughed when we tried one out ( I am a Gen X). It tries so hard to be cool that it’s laughable
I used to stay at the Moxy in LOU all the time. Nice change for the dull Marriott and about $100 less. But after the fifteenth visit and still greeted with “have you been here before?”, no early check in, and no room cleaning for a week I bailed for airbnbs.
I stayed at the Moxy last month in Lisbon. It was as the writer mention, cool decor. But too cool for me. Too much of everything. My room was very uncomfortable and hard to use. The lobby was strange without spaces to sit if you were over 40 if you wanted to ever get back up. Breakfast was good. Would I stay in a Moxy again? Never. Far too out there, my college days are gone. I can afford comfort.