Marking the brand’s debut in Brooklyn, Moxy Williamsburg has opened its doors with a design that plays on the neighbourhood’s creative history.
Featuring interiors by Basile Studio in collaboration with Lightstone Design Studio, as well as four new F&B spots from Bar Lab Hospitality, the 216-room property has been designed to reflect the spirit of its surroundings.
“Williamsburg is a flourishing hub for all the creativity and innovation for which New York is known. As its international reputation has blossomed, it has become the place to visit and stay,” says developer Mitchell Hochberg, President of Lightstone. “Our ambition with Moxy Williamsburg is to create a hotel that welcomes visitors with an authentic experience—one that Brooklynites themselves will embrace with open arms.”
The 11-storey building, whose architecture is by New York-based architecture firm Stonehill Taylor, channels a clean, industrial-inspired look that recalls the district’s warehouse lofts. The glass front façade opens completely onto the pavement, merging indoors and outdoors, while the building’s southern façade is distinguished by a vast Pop Art–style mural by British street artist D*Face.
Inside, the hotel’s public spaces reflect the area’s melting pot character, drawing inspiration in both past and present. The lobby’s 20-foot exposed ceilings and natural materials capture the open, airy feel of a converted warehouse. Foliage hangs from the ceiling and spills from planters, creating a biophilic feel that offsets the room’s clean lines and industrial proportions.
An art installation by Rare Culture rises behind two blackened steel check-in pods and spreads across the ceiling. Made of thousands of coloured crayons, it’s a pointillist depiction of the underbelly of the Williamsburg Bridge at sunrise, looking from Brooklyn toward the Manhattan skyline. Hanging on the wall behind the self-check-in pods is a series of hand-painted skateboards by local artists. Mathew Boettcher, Vice President and Global Brand Leader of Moxy Hotels, comments: “Moxy embraces being bold through authentic self-expression, and Moxy Williamsburg is the perfect place for free-spirited travellers to live in the moment and do just that.”
Once checked in, guests will find rooms that are flooded with daylight through floor-to-ceiling windows. Ranging from 165-210 ft², they combine streamlined shapes and organic materials such as birch and steel with storage solutions designed to maximise space, including wall-mounted pegs that guests can fold open or close as needed, under-bed cubbies and a fold-out desk.
As in Lightstone’s other Moxy hotels, Moxy Williamsburg comprises three Meeting Studios, breakaway spaces designed to be used for private events and co-working. The studios feature modular sofas and work tables that fold down to become credenzas, designed to be easily rearranged and transformed across day and night. The rooms also open onto Bar Bedford Garden, an adaptable alfresco space in the rear of the hotel. Inspired by the gardens tucked behind many Williamsburg apartment buildings, the space is an oasis in an urban jungle.
The four new dining and drinking venues conceptualised and operated by Bar Lab Hospitality reflect the wide-ranging tastes of Brooklynites. Mesiba serves Tel-Aviv inspired cuisine in a space of Bauhaus architecture, while Bar Bedford is a cocktail bar and all-day café in which the bar is the centrepiece. Motorised liquor risers made of blackened metal rise 20 feet behind glass and white oak panels, holding 1,500 bottles of wine and liquor. Shelves artfully move up and down like dumbwaiters, inspired by New York’s 20th century automats.
Meanwhile, Jolene provides a high-energy sound room space, with audio and light systems to host local musical talent. Finally, set to open this Spring is LilliStar, an indoor and outdoor rooftop bar that will blend contemporary Indo-Australian beach culture with Brooklyn energy.
“For Moxy Williamsburg, we envisioned an eclectic grab-bag of experiences that mirrors Williamsburg’s diversity. Once you enter, you don’t want to leave,” explain Elad Zvi and Gabe Orta, founders of Bar Lab Hospitality. “You can start with a drink at Bar Bedford, meet some friends for dinner at Mesiba, head up to the rooftop for a drink with a view and finish up the night dancing at Jolene. Moxy Williamsburg offers a multitude of narratives that create a sense of discovery and anticipation.”
Moxy Williamsburg follows on the success of Lightstone’s other New York Moxy hotels, including Moxy Times Square, Moxy Chelsea, Moxy East Village and, most recently, Moxy Lower East Side. Moxy Downtown Los Angeles and AC Hotel Downtown Los Angeles are also due to open in 2023.
