Boutique Design - January/February 2019 - 28

THE BRANDS AC Hotels by Marriott; Aloft Hotels, Element by
Westin; Moxy Hotels
THE PROFILE

Distinctive, Select

THE SCOPE AC Hotels: 145 hotels with 20,777 rooms open; 107
signed hotels with 17,900 rooms in the pipeline; Aloft: 159 hotels
with 27,532 rooms open; 139 signed hotels with 20,927 rooms in
the pipeline; Element: 39 hotels with 5,934 rooms open; 100 signed
hotels with 14,809 rooms in the pipeline; Moxy: 37 hotels with 7,577
rooms open; 102 signed hotels with 18,798 rooms in the pipeline
THE MEGATREND

Micro Waves

HOW THAT'S CHANGING DESIGN The consumer who laces
up Nikes, buys Apple devices and orders online from Amazon
might be just as brand-loyal to certain craft beers or indie fashion
houses. There's a vast difference in how the Davids vs. the Goliaths of the world earn that kind of rabid loyalty. For Marriott
International, design helps bridge the divide. It also plays a role in
creating a cult-like following for and fosters engagement with a
micro audience whose members expect BFF-level understanding.
That one-on-one conversation is a key driver for four of Marriott's
fastest-growing brands: edgy Moxy; Spanish-infused AC Hotels; ecoconscious Element for longer stays; and socially oriented Aloft,
which has the DNA of the W Hotels brand. Across all of them, the

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boutiquedesign.com JANUARY + FEBRUARY 2019

look and feel of each of their properties must be laser-focused,
conveying the attitude that they're not aiming to please all people, all
of the time. And there's no reason to, since Marriott has 30 brands
across the price, design and lifestyle spectrum.
"The diversity of our portfolio means that Marriott has an
option for every trip, every purpose and every travel need around
the world," says Tina Edmundson, the company's global brand
officer, luxury and lifestyle. "But we had to create a distinctiveness within each brand to show travelers that they can choose
from an unmatched variety of experiences no matter their style,
travel preferences or budget."
The challenge-and opportunity-for designers is that niche
brands need unwavering, vibrant personalities that perfectly align
with those of their target markets. Moxy-Marriott International's
youngest flag, underscores that new direction. "This was developed
to be a 'night' brand-basically a bar with rooms," says Aliya Khan,
vice president, Global Design Strategies, AC Hotels, Aloft, Element
and Moxy. "That basic fact informed everything about the design."
With the bar center stage-even doubling as the check-in hub
- the value proposition for Moxy's target audience of millennials
and millennial-minded travelers is clear: smaller rooms at a
smaller price, with vivacious socially oriented public spaces.
"We're moving away from transactional hotel spaces to experiential ones," says Toni Stoeckl, global brand leader and vice president, Distinctive Select Brands, Marriott International.
Stoeckl and Khan drilled down into audience metrics and

TONI STOECKL

ALIYA KHAN

M A R K C O M P T O N ( M O X Y S A N D I E G O ) ; C O U R T E S Y O F M A R R I O T T I N T E R N AT I O N A L ( K H A N ; S T O E C K L )

MOXY SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN GASLAMP QUARTER, DESIGNED BY THE SOCIET Y
http://www.boutiquedesign.com
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