During a crazy trip back from Armenia, I spent a few short hours in the Moxy Tbilisi. Here’s what I thought about the Moxy Tbilisi.
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Location
On the banks of the Mtkvari river in with the charm of Tbilisi that was. Moxy is a modern take on right in the middle of where guests want to be on Saarbruecken Square in the city center. Facing a courtyard and the square, the Moxy Tbilisi located in the heart of everything is a perfect choice for those visiting the city.
Address: Georgia, GE Tbilisi Saarbrucken Square: 0102
Phone: +995 32 277 92 77
Property
The Moxy uses limited space to its advantage, offering a number of amenities without sacrificing its great location. Among them are a courtyard (food is served by the adjacent restaurant), an indoor area with a projector and seating (though not a theater), and a kid’s area. There’s a large bar in the center where the reception would be at most other hotels, and that’s exactly where I checked in. I am sure there is a reasonable distinction between the actual bar and reception but I couldn’t identify it. It’s quirky, I am sure some people love it – I didn’t.
Because there is no room in the guest rooms for it, a separate ironing room is offered in an otherwise disused space, accessible by all guests. The emphasis is on a young, fun brand and a break from the norm.
Room
I hold Gold status with Mariott but wasn’t afforded any upgrades during my short stay. All the same, like Hilton’s Tru hotel line, this concept does its very best to do more with less space. I think some of it is smart but this is probably the smallest hotel room I have been in from a major chain in some time, even smaller than Tru.
Entering offers a clothes rack (calling it a wardrobe feels like a lie) to your left, and immediately to the right is a bathroom.
Into the room, all of the creature comforts you’d expect from a major hotel brand are available. The TV (32″?) displayed my name and the latest offerings from the hotel bar. There was functional wi-fi though it was a little tough to connect to. Outlets were ample with European prong layouts.
The view from the window was less than stellar. There’s a hill with an illuminated tower but I would have rathered something overlooking the square or even just a simple side street.
The highlight of the room was not the air conditioning, which seemed unresponsive in the blistering summer heat (more than 36°C, 97°F). However, the guest room had comfortable bedding and I was able to rest for the approximately four-hour night before an early flight in the morning and that was the purpose of my stay.
Bathroom
The bathroom was bright and clean but otherwise unremarkable. Filled with sassy sayings and pink toiletries, the bathroom was smaller than expected but the shower was larger than I would have thought. Rather than single-serve toiletries, the hotel opts for bulk fixed supplies attached to the shower wall.
Value
Customer service was fine, the design was ok, but I have never been one to love the “W” hotel brand approach. I don’t want to check in at the bar, I don’t find the elevator decor to be cheeky. I’d rather a continental breakfast than credit for something from the convenience store. I do appreciate that for visiting consultants that spend months in hotels, living in them every year, the communal space and quirky take is something outside the norm and that’s a welcome change. It just doesn’t adequately mask the small TV, the tiny room, and school gym approach to shampoo attached to the wall.
That said, the hotel was very affordable on both points redemption and cash. For as few as 13,500 Marriott Bonvoy points, or $30 + 6,750, it’s one of the better values in the chain. The location really was great and if I am returning on a solo trip, I might stay there again. But if you’re traveling with literally any other human, guests will struggle with the limited space.
What do you think? Have you stayed at Moxy Tbilisi? How was your experience?
I suspect that most people reading this post won’t be intimately familiar with the hotel market in Tbilisi. If the room cost you e.g. the equivalent of $60, would you have needed to spend more to stay in a standard (but presumably bigger) room at a non-chain 3-star hotel? Last time I went to Lisbon, the Moxy was 30% more than the (very solid) NH where I ended up staying.
I find incredible that someone who does this job for a living appears to be unaware of the concept of Moxy, which does suggest that you aren’t the demographic they’ve targeted the brand towards. Perhaps a little research and you’d select a property in line with your personal preferences?
Moxy very clearly doesn’t pretend to be anything its not – checking in at the bar is a core concept (save for I believe the SoBe location), as is the slimmed down room.
@ChurnieEls – I’m familiar with Moxy and as I stated in the post, it compares with Tru by Hilton (linked.) But like others with points across a variety of programs, and due to my limited stay, the price and location were the biggest factor. Further, can one not try a brand and critique it even knowing what it is? For example, if I stay at the Park Hyatt New York and I know the property is premium and expensive, can I not also say that even for comparable hotels in the city, it’s expensive? Can I not stay in a W hotel and say that it’s not my style, or that I don’t think a DJ in the lobby adds anything to my hotel experience? Further, not all of our readers are fully researched on Marriott’s 32 brands and may come across Moxy but not know what they are getting, they may expect a full size hotel room – shouldn’t they be able to understand what the experience is without researching each brand?
A hill I will die on: Checking in at the bar isn’t a cool feature, it’s a feature trying too hard to be cool.
I rather like the moxy brand. Only stayed at one in Hamburg. Good efficient use of space. I think they do it better than Hilton’s Tru.