They have everything you need and nothing you don't. It's not like a typical Marriott.
From the lobby's concrete floors and industrial ceilings to a video wall that holds guest Instagram posts from across the country, Chattanooga's new Moxy isn't your typical hotel.
The Moxy is a brand that's designed around millennials though also attractive to other generations, said Mike DePrez, regional director for Chattanooga-based hotel company 3H Group.
"Check-in is at the bar and there's a more modern look with the guest rooms," he said on Thursday, which was opening day for the new $19 million, 108-room hotel at Market and King streets.
DePrez said he expects the hotel, a Marriott brand and only the ninth Moxy to open nationwide so far, will likely attract a 50/50 split of leisure and business travelers.
He said officials like the location on Chattanooga's Southside with all that's happening on that end of downtown.
"There's so much walking traffic on Market Street," DePrez said.
Meaghan Redner, 3H Group's director of e-commerce, said the Moxy wants guest to leave their rooms and congregate in the lobby, which features a pool table, media room with 65-inch TV and lockers just off the elevators where people can temporarily store luggage or other items.
The lockers have a theme recognizing former Chattanooga resident Samuel L. Jackson, with each named after a movie starring the actor.
Just off the lobby is 7,000 square feet of outdoor patio space. In keeping with the Moxy's quest to be different, a yellow rail container serves as an outside bar.
"It's for the young and young at heart," said Redner.
Following the railroad concept, a large ticker board is off the lobby's main entrance. Redner said it recalls the days when such boards displayed train arrivals and departures at the nearby Chattanooga Choo Choo when it was a busy rail hub. The Moxy can program the board with an app, offering greetings to groups and other information on a rotating basis.
The four-story hotel, with room rates from $119 to $189 a night, has two types of rooms. Those offer either one or two queen beds, though none of the rooms are overly spacious in size.
"They have everything you need and nothing you don't," said Redner. "It's not like a typical Marriott."
There are no closets in the rooms, but rather pegs on which guests can hang their bags and clothes. Under-the-bed drawers offer guests extra storage space. Rooms feature sliding barn doors to bathrooms.
Also, each room has a phone with which guests having a hard time falling asleep can call a number and hear four different bedtime stories, officials said.
In addition, the Moxy is embracing the idea of environmental sustainability in Chattanooga, they said. A building torn down on the site had its bricks reused to help construct the hotel, and there is a solar array located on the roof. Other steps were taken to reduce the hotel's carbon footprint, officials said.
The hotel is adjacent to King Street Station, another old, red-brick structure that was preserved and refurbished into mixed-use space, including WanderLinger Brewing Co., Goodfellas Pizzeria and offices.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.