Hotel
Munich Marriott City West – better by design
THE NEW HOTEL KID ON THE BLOCK IN MUNICH IS MAKING ITS MICE MARK WITH SOME FLEXIBLE EVENTS SPACE , AS THE HOTEL ’ S DIRECTOR OF SALES TELLS OUR VISITING REPORTER SIMON GEORGE
O pened in September 2023 , a short tram ride from the historic city centre , the 400-bed Marriott City West , a new-build wholly managed by Marriott , is the new MICE option in Munich . This ‘ novelty ’ is the hotel ’ s biggest USP , Yannick van Huissteden , director of sales and distribution , tells CMW . For context , most of the hotels offering event space in the city were built in the 1980s .
Design and the importance placed on design are clear to see from a site inspection .
In terms of meeting facilities , versatility and flexibility were clearly uppermost in the design team ’ s minds . The hotel ’ s conference centre has its own entrance on the lower ground floor , which includes a 900sqm Grand Ballroom for up to 600 guests , compact studio rooms with breakout space on the first floor . There is a large rooftop terrace on the seventh floor that can cater for up to 400 guests which can be styled as a traditional beer garden in the summer or a Christmas market in the winter .
In terms of style , exposed metal work and brickwork are a nod to the area ’ s industrial legacy ( the hotel is close to Deutsche Bahn ’ s railway network and a famous old brewery ); the colour green throughout the hotel is a play on the meadows of the Bavarian Alps that give the city its scenic backdrop , and the lion heads in the bedrooms pay homage to the city ’ s royal history .
There is only one access road to the hotel ’ s entrance from the main highway , which enables events to be made highly secure .
The Marriott City West offers 19 event rooms in all ( including five conference rooms ), 18 breakout rooms , outside space and over 2,000sqm of event area . The Grand Ballroom is ideal for car launches ( given its nine-tonne payload hydraulic lift ).
Below : the 400-bed Marriott City West in Munich
While other hotels in the city may offer more room , none matches the new Marriott City West from a design perspective , van Huissteden says . “ Design-wise , especially the first floor and the Ballroom , we ’ re definitely the best – also in terms of event space configuration and building technology .”
The hotel certainly hit the ground running – last September it staged a big auto launch for BMW , shortly followed by a buyout for Manchester United FC and their sponsors , in town for a Champions League game against Bayern Munich , and then hosted its own opening party in February 2024 .
Key MICE sectors for the hotel are automotive , inevitably ( home to BMW ), pharmaceutical and technology – it is worth flagging that Google , Microsoft and Apple are planning to establish their European headquarters in Munich in the near future , reinforcing the city ’ s credentials as a big tech hub .
In terms of booking visibility for 2025 , he van Huissteden is optimistic : “ Already we have both signed contracts and a lot of enquiries . We have already put ourselves on the map .”
The hotel is still in its infancy of course and van Huissteden says it won ’ t be until 2026 that Marriott City West experiences its first ‘ normal ‘ year . n
ISSUE 133 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 23