Boutique Design - January/February 2019 - 29

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lifestyles to deliver a radical experience through a mix of design,
programming and bar/culinary delights. Despite the bar focus,
Moxy's public spaces are purposefully kept modest because, as
Khan observes, this segment doesn't like gargantuan, airporthanger-sized night spots. "We can generate more energy in an
intimate space," says Khan.
Encouraging buy-in from this brand's micro market requires
more than cool form and functionality. These travelers have to
believe that the hotel "gets" them. So, the design team made attitude a big part of the visual message. "People want to have fun at
night, so we incorporated playfulness and irony into the brand
essence," adds Stoeckl. Topiary disco bears cavort around the
rooftop bar, Magic Hour, at Moxy Times Square. Moxy Washington, DC Downtown defuses the intensity of the U.S. capital
with the merry-go-round-style horses in the lobby and Beyoncé's
"I woke up like this" quote over the guest bathroom mirror.
Aloft, originally founded under Starwood as a select-service
answer to its W brand, has received a thoughtful design overhaul
under the Marriott International umbrella to deepen its relationship with both consumers and owners. Khan and Stoeckl focused
on research that said this customer group has different ideas
about where and how to gather. They took those thoughts into
the redesign process. The brand's signature "backyard," for
instance, was taken beyond a mere extension of public space.
"We've reimagined the concept so it can be inside or outside,"
Khan says. "We've given it a new role as a place where both
guests and locals can come together to hear live music. Even the
lighting is theatrical-helping delineate it as an entertainment
venue for the brand's Live at Aloft music performances."
Still, Aloft has retained its identity as a business-travelerfriendly brand-with a distinct sense of humor. "We introduced
coworking spaces, yet also departed from design business as usual
by using a ping pong table as the worktable and bringing in
beanbag chairs," Khan says. Since business travelers usually run on
tight schedules, Aloft's operations and brand teams rethought F&B
options to feature an innovative take-out for fast-paced mornings,
portable breakfast pots.
Marriott's AC Hotels brand, which was born in Spain, caters to
an altogether different audience. "AC Hotels is about taking a
pause; it's about serenity. The design couldn't disrupt that narrative; it had to support it," says Khan. To create the sense of "a visual
breath," gone are unnecessary details, rigid architecture and heavy
millwork. Where Moxy might offer a cheeky graphic or sculpture,
AC Hotels focuses on cool, sophisticated artwork such as the
papier-mâché skyline of the Financial District or the pieces created
with threads of sky-toned colors in the AC Hotel NYC Downtown.
Not every trip is short-nor is it solo. And some travelers desire a
brand that caters to their needs when they're staying for more than a
couple of days, and possibly with colleagues, relatives or even a kids'
soccer team. So for Element, which has an eco-conscious profile
and, like Aloft, was founded under Starwood, Khan and Stoeckl have
made its Nordic, clean-lined design more adaptable for groups.
"Consumer research told us that people traveling with
colleagues and families didn't always want to hang out in the

ALOFT CHICAGO MAGNIFICENT MILE, DESIGNED BY DESIGN ATELIER

public space; they wanted a more private setting," Khan says. "We developed a way to connect four to five rooms with a common space to
better meet their needs." The new communal rooms feature a largescreen TV, kitchen, couches and other furnishings for group gatherings
-be they for working on a project deadline or throwing a family Super
Bowl party. Three Studio Commons will be available to guests in 2019,
with more in Element's pipeline.
Given the narrow target market, they also played up the group
aspect by creating guestroom furniture that can morph from workspace to bar space, adding a self-dispensing wine bar that rolls into
the public space in the early evening.
"Design isn't static," says Jeff Voris, Marriott's senior vice president,
global design. "We want to design not just for the moment the guest
walks in but in a way that serves the guest their entire stay. What
happens during the day, night or even for the holidays needs to be
flexible enough to be engaging and supportive in any given moment of
a guest's journey."
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