DESIGN
that give a more spacious perception . The rooftop comprises an interior lounge and three outdoor spaces with a retractable , barrel-vaulted fabric roof . While hotel guests use an interior elevator to access the rooftop , nonguests approach via an alley leading to marquee lights and an elevator straight up .
“ Do you want to go to a hotel that is just for the people who are staying at the hotel , or do you want to go somewhere that has a lot of atmosphere which is a destination in the city and you just happen to have privileged access because you ’ re staying in the building ?” Sullivan asks . “ The Moxy really is meant to be social . We get everyone out of the guest rooms and we get them to play and hang out together , and we invite the neighborhood in .”
Quad bunk room
HANG IT UP Back in the guest rooms , overcoming the space challenge meant designing furniture that could fold and hang from a peg . Instead of backs , chairs have lumbar supports that protect walls , with designs clever enough that the firm is considering retail sales . The rooms leverage the nostalgia of a dormitory (“ take the private out of private school ,” Yabu says ) with phones that mimic rotary-style and “ No Diving ” spelled out in tile in the narrow bathrooms .
What ’ s not spelled out : References to the location . “ We didn ’ t really tie it to New York , but we did want you to know that you were in one of the greatest cities in the world ,” Yabu says . “ It also had to transfer to other cities and not make it hard for the brand to do that .”
While the view won ’ t be replicated , perhaps the potted plants will . The rooftop is populated by cheeky topiaries in suggestive poses – “ you have to laugh when you see them ,” Hochberg says . “ I think it ’ s a little bit what Moxy ’ s all about ,” he adds . “ We ’ re trying to be a little irreverent . We ’ re trying to be fun . We ’ re trying not to take ourselves too seriously , and we ’ re trying to make people feel that they ’ re comfortable there .”
Among the details in a king room is the phone , a throwback to college dormitories .
46 hotelsmag . com December 2017
Guest room with full bed