Marriott’s Lifestyle Collection has been corralling next-generation business travelers since the launch of Edition in 2011, a luxury lifestyle brand with urban retreat hotels that are microcosms of the world’s best cities. Last year saw the opening of the 294-room Miami Beach Edition, a conversion of the iconic Seville Hotel with over 10,000 indoor/outdoor meeting space, which is bringing a dash of glamor to the area and across three acres.
One of the major touchstones of the hotel is its clustered lobby, with original 1950s gold mosaic tile columns intact, marble floors and indoor palm trees. For a hotel pulsating with Latin flavor, the overall design is minimalist, a trademark of Marriott’s latest lifestyle brands, with light paneled oak walls, neutral tones, and ivory porcelain-slab flooring in guest rooms. Dining brings Miami culture indoors with Spanish, Caribbean and South American seasonal menus.
Aside from an array of beach and outdoor activities, groups will find fun on-site teambuilding activities including a dance club, four-lane bowling alley and a 2,000-square-foot ice-skating rink. Edition has China, Abu Dhabi, West Hollywood and quite a few other hotels in the pipeline, including the soon-to-debut New York Edition, currently taking shape within the historic Clock Tower on Madison Avenue. As a select-service upscale brand with design sensitivity, Marriott’s AC Hotels lifestyle brand deserves its own category.
The 220-room AC Hotel New Orleans Bourbon took root in the historic Cotton Exchange building this past year, debuting as the first U.S.-based property. Next on the horizon is the 150-room AC Hotel Miami Beach and the 123-room AC Hotel Kansas City Westport, in the heart of the booming historic district of Westport. Elsewhere in Marriott’s Lifestyle Collection, the 162-room Moxy Milan opened late last year, marking Marriott’s first 3-star hotel in the economy-tier. Moxy’s ambition was to capture the rapidly emerging millennial business traveler, combining a runway-chic design with approachable service. The industrial-inspired hotel is full of fashionable rough-hewn designs—from bold floor-to-ceiling wall coverings and local art to the multiple routers in the lounge area that enable faster WiFi connections.
Toni Stoeckl, VP of Lifestyle Brands for Marriott International says both AC and Moxy are “designed for the next generation business traveler—one who wants more from a hotel than a place to sleep, who wants an experience that connects with them at an emotional level.” Differentiating the two is a matter of psychographics, rather than demographics, Stoecki says. For instance, “[At] AC hotels, our customers are independent and entrepreneurial, have a clear vision for their life and are always working to make that vision a reality.”
Meetings can take place in two open areas that cater to creative brainstorming and quiet think tanks with lounge-style seating and writing walls. The point, is to surprise budget-conscious, stylish travelers with a thoughtful, spirited and fun guest experience, Stoecki adds. Central Milan, a cultural mecca with countless group activity options, is a 40-minute train ride away. Marriott is planning to open 150 Moxy Hotels over the next 10 years.
