I Survived a Stay at New York's Newest Hotel Aimed at Millennials

A new hotel for millennials just opened in New York City and it is as freaky as you'd imagine.

I enjoy staying at nice hotels (who doesn't?), and whenever a new one opens up I jump at the chance to check it out. So during a trip to NYC this weekend I decided to book a night at a brand new hotel in the East Village.

Moxy East Village is a boutique hotel located just a stone's throw from St. Mark's. You'd think that a hotel in this culture-soaked area of the city wouldn't need to try so hard to be hip, but boy does this place desperately want to be cool.

A. Boris

The minute we walked into the hotel it felt like we were entering one of those heavily-themed lands in Disney World. Young twenty-somethings, all dressed in the same pseudo-punk rock jackets, greeted us at the check-in desk. You could almost see the front desk worker reading from a script as he informed me it was "super cool" that I was a rewards member. The forced hipster lingo got old quickly, especially when we called down to the front desk several times during our stay and were always given the same greeting of "Hey man, what's going on up there?" It's clear none of these kids have ever even heard of the Ramones and probably think CBGB is some sort of cholesterol medication for old people, but they really seemed to enjoy cosplaying East Village punk rock, so who am I to judge.

The hotel decor is even more over the top than the staff. It's as if someone typed in the words "counterculture" and "avant-garde" into a search engine on Target's website and put all of the results into their cart. There were smashed mirrors in the lobby, spraypaint patterns in the carpeting and the trippiest elevator you've ever seen.

A. Boris

Obviously made specifically for taking pictures to post on Instagram, the elevator is completely mirrored with a swirling pattern of emojis etched into the glass. It is pretty spectacular to see and, yes, even though I'm not a millennial, I unashamedly posted a shot or two on my Insta.

The theming of this hotel is ridiculously shallow, but since I'm not the target audience I assume that young people staying here will enjoy the kitch. Kids who've never heard of Jack Kerouac or William S. Burroughs and music fans who are more familiar with the Jonas Brothers than the Sex Pistols will probably really enjoy the pseudo-East Village vibe.

A. Boris

Honestly, I could care about the theming of a hotel. What matters to me is the room and amenities. And on this front, the Moxy East Village delivered. The small "cabins" are among the tiniest hotel rooms in New York, but a very smart design makes them very comfortable. There were plenty of pegs for hanging things and the bed was smartly tucked against the window, with the TV positioned at the foot. The only uncomfortable aspect of the room is the need for someone sleeping next to the window to climb over their bedmate to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

A. Boris

The hotel also has a small, but very comfortable outdoor patio attached to a fun lounge and bar. Swinging chairs and a free-play Skee-Ball machine are set up inside the space with attaches to Cathedrale, a trendy restaurant featuring French-Mediterranean cuisine. While we didn't have a meal in the hotel, we did enjoy drinks and a delicious warm chocolate tart at the bar. The service was great and much less gimmicky than the rest of the hotel.

A. Boris

All in all, our stay at Moxy East Village was great. The hotel is very accommodating and perfectly situated in the middle of everything. Our bed was extremely comfortable and the room was quiet with very little outside noise, even though construction on the hotel's new rooftop bar was happening throughout our stay.

The Disney-esque pseudo-East Village vibe was actually more entertaining than annoying, and something that I'm sure will fade over time. It'll be impossible to maintain the theming as the hotel gets busier and management realizes that most of their guests are not actually the millennials that they're targeting. I look forward to staying at the Moxy again soon, or at least stopping back in for a few rounds of Skee-Ball the next time I'm in the Village.

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