Moxy Lower East Side debuts in New York

Posted in News, Projects on 11 November, 2022

An eclectic and stylish pleasure garden in the neighbourhood that defines New York cool.

Designed by Rockwell Group and Michaelis Boyd, the Hotel Features 303 Bedrooms and Five Dining and Drinking Concepts by Tao Group Hospitality.

Inspired by the neighbourhood’s history as a crossroads of entertainment and culture, and its present-day role as an incubator of innovation, the new 303-bedroom Moxy Lower East Side entices with endless amusements enlivened with the spirit of the absurd. Among them are Sake No Hana, a Japanese restaurant; Silver Lining, a piano lounge; The Highlight Room, a rooftop bar; The Fix, an all-day café and lobby bar; and Loosie’s, a subterranean club. Moxy Lower East Side is for adventure seekers who crave a multitude of New York experiences — and want affordability without sacrificing style or substance.

Moxy Lower East Side, New York, USA. Top: Lobby Check In. All images credit: Michael Kleinberg

Located where the Lower East Side meets SoHo, Moxy Lower East Side is the fourth Moxy hotel in New York City developed by Lightstone and is part of Marriott International’s experiential Moxy Hotels brand. Guests will discover a melting pot of the city’s cosmopolitanism on every floor, from the catwalk entrance on the corner of Bowery and Broome Street to five new dining and drinking venues by Tao Group Hospitality.

With interiors by Michaelis Boyd and Rockwell Group and architecture by Stonehill Taylor, the hotel’s design feeds the curiosity and dazzles the eye, layering references to the Lower East Side’s eclectic social history with the vibrancy of today. Cleverly designed bedrooms with tech-savvy amenities provide playful havens, while co-working spaces and flexible meeting studios that seamlessly transition from business to pleasure meet the needs of today’s plugged-in travellers.

“The Lower East Side has always been iconically cool. We saw it as the next logical frontier for Moxy,” says Mitchell Hochberg, President of Lightstone. “By providing a stunning variety of venues and concepts under a single roof, the hotel really embodies the diversity of the Lower East Side. People come to the neighbourhood to indulge their thirst for discovery, and they’ll get that at the Moxy too — and we’ve made it accessible rather than exclusive.”

Hightlight Room Bar

INTERIOR DESIGN

The architecture and design of Moxy Lower East Side embody the neighbourhood’s devotion to the pursuit of pleasure and innovation. Michaelis Boyd and Rockwell Group took inspiration from the Bowery’s history as a hub of entertainment — from the eye-dazzling Vauxhall Gardens and German Winter Garden of the 1800s to the vaudeville theatres and burlesque houses of last century — while channelling the neighbourhood’s present-day DNA and maintaining Moxy’s trademark whimsy. Layer upon layer of cultural references reflect the melting-pot cosmopolitanism of New York City and create a funhouse vibe for guests who won’t know what to expect next. The flow of the building, from the catwalk entrance to venues tucked away on the roof and below ground, prods further exploration — catnip for adventure seekers.

Guestroom Courtyard King Hero

Inspired by the circuses and old-time menageries that once lined the Bowery, the 303 bold, playful bedrooms at Moxy Lower East Side are spirited havens designed by Michaelis Boyd, with symmetrical shapes, bright hues, and clever space-saving solutions. Rooms range from 165-195 square-feet, including Kings, Executive Kings, Double Doubles, and Quads. Bathrooms feature rain showers with coloured glass doors, lava stone sinks, and a mirror lined with Hollywood-style lighting — the perfect spot to get ready for action. In the hotel’s interior courtyard hangs a large, provocative work by English urban artist D*Face, acclaimed for his vivid, subversive murals inspired by the Pop Art movement.

Bathroom

The Factory Loft, a hospitality suite, is the ultimate spot for parties, events, meetings, and social gatherings. Named for Andy Warhol’s legendary Factory studio, the suite features double-height windows and a huge outdoor terrace.

Michaelis Boyd designed the first-floor lobby as a multipurpose work and amusement space with a relaxed ambience. The lobby area is centred around The Fix, a bar and all-day café where a variety of seating arrangements — sofas and armchairs, high-tops and café tables — foster socializing, co-working, and everything in between. In one corner, a hanging birdcage seat invites playful poses. In the café area, marble-topped tables have brass tic tac toe inserts, so guests can play a game while they sip cappuccinos. Anthropomorphic tables feature sculptures of hipster animals, like a rock & roll sloth in a leather vest, while nearby a seven-foot bear holds a hula hoop. An adjacent table-height shuffleboard game uses pucks shaped like illicit pills. Overhead, 3D-printed pinup girls dangle from the chandeliers in cheeky, burlesque-inspired poses. Contactless check-in is available at self-service kiosks, while a staffed reception desk accommodates travellers who prefer more assistance.

Silver Lining piano lounge

DRINKING + DINING

Inspired by the pleasure gardens and entertainment palaces that populated the Bowery in centuries past, Moxy Lower East Side’s five drinking and dining establishments were developed by Tao Group Hospitality, New York’s leading dining and nightlife operator, in partnership with Lightstone. “New York City is experiencing a huge renaissance right now, with locals and visitors coming to experience the city in waves,” says Noah Tepperberg, Co-CEO of Tao Group Hospitality. “With a sophisticated but approachable piano lounge, a pulsating subterranean club, a modern Japanese restaurant with a festive atmosphere, and a rooftop bar with a big glam factor, Moxy Lower East Side will be ready to rock.”

The lobby-adjacent, Silver Lining is a subdued and sultry piano lounge whose sensuous décor invites chance encounters. The intimate and dreamlike space designed by Michaelis Boyd, features blue velvet banquettes, creative cocktails, and live performances by a rotating mix of piano players and vocalists. A shimmering wallcovering depicts objects associated with the history of the Bowery and specifically with Warhol’s life and career — the banana from the Velvet Underground & Nico album cover, the face of one of his muses, and lines from a poem he wrote.

One flight down, beneath the dramatic entry catwalk, guests enter modern Japanese restaurant Sake No Hana via two dramatically curved staircases of metal, glass, and leather flanked by large kimono-inspired tapestries. Rockwell Group took inspiration from New York’s 1980s punk scene and Japanese street culture for the design, invigorating traditional izakaya comfort dishes with a New York attitude. With a shareable menu of grilled teppanyaki dishes, yakitori skewers, Wagyu beef, and creative sushi rolls, paired with a curated list of sakes, beers, and cocktails highlighting Japanese spirits, the space buzzes with alluring energy.

Studio Night

Subterranean in both location and spirit, Rockwell Group-designed Loosie’s is an edgy club beneath Moxy Lower East Side with a killer sound system and no-attitude dance floor. Guests reach Loosie’s by heading down a mysterious alley behind the hotel, lined with graffiti by the late New York street artist Lance de los Reyes (aka Rambo), then descending several flights on a staircase. Inside, tufted banquettes, an “exploded” disco ball chandelier, and a cage-like bar cast a decadent spell. Tepperberg partnered with Dylan Hales and Ronnie Flynn, the co-founders of Lower East Side hot spot The Flower Shop, as creative directors for both Loosie’s and Silver Lining. “The Flower Shop has become a neighbourhood fixture, and Dylan and Ronnie are really plugged into the local nightlife culture. At both venues, they’ll help curate the music and the atmosphere to appeal to the downtown crowd.”

Up on the 16th floor and a world away, The Highlight Room, designed by Michaelis Boyd, is a glamorous rooftop bar that evokes a 19th-century pleasure garden with foliage swaying from the ceiling and a majestic palm tree spreading its branches across the room. The real showstopper is the spectacular view of the city through a glass wall that spans the entire width of the room and folds back to allow access to the planted, Eden-like, outdoor terrace. From there, guests can lift a cocktail to the expansive views — north to the Empire State Building, south to the Freedom Tower.

Moxy Lower East Side features over 13,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, becoming one of downtown’s most coveted destinations for events, social gatherings, and meetings. The hotel’s three flexible Meeting Studios feature versatile and modular furniture that can be easily reconfigured to transform the space into a lounge by night. The large studio offers a big communal table that can be used for co-working or closed off as a meeting room. Then at night, as the DJ spins and the lights dim, it becomes a place for socializing, with lounge seating and a fun duelling Ms. Pac-Man game table.

PROGRAMMING 

Thoughtfully curated cultural and wellness programming integrates Moxy Lower East Side into the broader community, introducing guests and locals to the neighbourhood’s creators, tastemakers, and independent businesses. A stand curated by LES institution Economy Candy sells treats for just 5¢ per piece — just like the old days! — while a custom vending machine offers toys from Babeland, a local erotic toy store. Programming includes DJ and live music performances, art installations, pop-ups, and more. The #SweatatMoxy series taps fitness and wellness experts from the area to create custom classes for guests and locals.

“People flock to the Lower East Side to discover what’s new and interesting,” says Hochberg. “We’ve not only created a base camp for visitors to explore the Lower East Side, but we’ve brought the neighbourhood, and all its dazzling moments of discovery, into the hotel.”

Located at 145 Bowery at the corner of Bowery and Broome, Moxy Lower East Side is offering introductory rates starting at $199 per night. For more information or to make reservations, please visit www.moxylowereastside.com.

ABOUT MOXY LOWER EAST SIDE

The 303-room Moxy Lower East Side hotel is an eclectic and stylish pleasure garden in the neighbourhood that defines New York cool. Inspired by the Lower East Side’s history as a crossroads of entertainment and culture and its present-day role as an incubator of innovation, the downtown New York hotel, located where the Lower East Side meets SoHo, entices with endless amusements enlivened with the spirit of the absurd. Five new drinking and dining establishments created in collaboration with Tao Group Hospitality bring the area’s dynamic restaurant and nightlife scenes under one roof. The options include modern Japanese restaurant Sake No Hana; piano lounge Silver Lining; subterranean nightclub Loosie’s; rooftop bar The Highlight Room; and The Fix, a day-into-night café and bar in the lobby. Interior design by Michaelis Boyd and Rockwell Group and architecture by Stonehill Taylor feed the curiosity and dazzle the eye, layering references to the Lower East Side’s eclectic social history with the vibrancy of today. Cleverly designed bedrooms provide playful havens, while tech-savvy amenities, co-working spaces, and flexible meeting studios meet the needs of the plugged-in modern traveller. Moxy Lower East Side is for adventure seekers who crave a multitude of New York experiences — and want affordability without sacrificing style or substance. Moxy Lower East Side is Lightstone’s fourth Moxy hotel opening in New York City, following the successful launches of Moxy Times Square, Moxy Chelsea, and Moxy East Village — all three of which are consistently included in Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice list of the Top 25 Hotels in NYC. Lightstone opened Moxy South Beach in Miami in 2021; Moxy Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York, and Moxy Downtown Los Angeles and AC Hotel Downtown Los Angeles are opening in the coming months.

ABOUT MOXY HOTELS

Moxy offers a playful hotel experience for the young at heart. With more than 110 properties open across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, Moxy boldly breaks the rules of a conventional hotel stay across the globe. The nontraditional experience starts with check-in at Bar Moxy and comes to life throughout its social public spaces, like the Lounge and Library, and the small but smart bedrooms. Moxy provides stylish, industrial design and sociable service at an attractive price point, so that guests can splurge on the experiences that matter most to them during their travels. Moxy celebrates nonconformity, open-mindedness, and originality above all – forever giving its guests permission to Play On #atthemoxy. For more information, visit www.moxyhotels.com and join the fun #atthemoxy on Instagram. Moxy is proud to participate in Marriott Bonvoy®, the global travel program from Marriott International. The program offers members an extraordinary portfolio of global brands, exclusive experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments, and unparalleled benefits including free nights and Elite status recognition. To enrol for free or for more information about the program, visit marriottbonvoy.com.

ABOUT LIGHTSTONE

Lightstone, founded by David Lichtenstein, is one of the most diversified privately held real estate companies in the United States. Headquartered in New York City, Lightstone is active in 26 states across the country, developing, managing and investing in all sectors of the real estate market, including residential, hospitality, commercial, and retail. With 174 existing properties, Lightstone’s over $7.5 billion portfolio currently includes over 10 million square feet of industrial, logistics, life sciences, and commercial properties, over 22,700 residential units, and over 4,300 hotel keys. Lightstone’s development portfolio includes over $3.5 billion currently under development in the residential and hospitality sectors spread across New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami.

Following the award-winning openings of Moxy Times Square, Moxy Chelsea, and Moxy East Village, Lightstone opened Moxy Miami South Beach in 2021. Following the recent opening of Moxy Lower East Side, Moxy Downtown Los Angeles and AC Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, as well as New York’s Moxy Williamsburg, are opening in the coming months.

Join our mailing list

Click here to Join
  Join our mailing list