The Marriott hotel brand Moxy opened its first hotel in Brooklyn, New York, last month. Named Moxy Williamsburg, the property features interiors by BASILE Studio in collaboration with Lightstone Design Studio, and four new dining and drinking venues from Bar Lab Hospitality, the creative force behind trendy New York City bar Broken Shaker.

The new property’s design plays on the neighborhood’s history as a magnet for mavericks, immigrants and creators, while becoming a new center for Brooklyn’s contemporary social scene.

“Moxy embraces being bold through authentic self-expression and Moxy Williamsburg is the perfect place for free-spirited travelers to live in the moment and do just that,” said Matthew Boettcher, vice president and global brand leader, Moxy Hotels.

© Michael Kleinberg

The 216-room Moxy Williamsburg lies in the heart of the Williamsburg neighborhood, near the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge and within easy access of Manhattan. The hotel’s architecture, light-filled interiors, space-saving design solutions, flexible co-working and meeting studios, and range of restaurants and bars reflect the easygoing spirit of its trendsetting surroundings.

The 11-story building, designed by eminent New York architecture firm Stonehill Taylor, has a clean, industrial-inspired look that recalls the neighborhood’s warehouse lofts. The glass-front façade opens completely onto the sidewalk and Bedford Avenue, merging indoors and outdoors, putting the energy of the lobby and Bar Bedford on display. The building’s southern façade is distinguished by a massive Pop Art-style mural by acclaimed British street artist D*Face; visible from the Williamsburg Bridge, it depicts a woman in a car, stuck in traffic, crying out “GET ME TO THE MOXY!!”

The lobby’s 20-foot exposed ceilings and natural materials capture the open, airy feel of a converted warehouse. Foliage hangs from the ceiling and spills from planters. An art installation by Rare Culture rises behind two blackened steel check-in pods and spreads across the ceiling. Made of thousands of colored crayons, it’s a pointillist depiction of the underbelly of the Williamsburg Bridge at sunrise, looking from Brooklyn toward the Manhattan skyline.

© D* Face

“Williamsburg is a flourishing hub for all the creativity and innovation for which New York is known,” said Mitchell Hochberg, president, Lightstone. “As its international reputation has blossomed, it has become the place to visit and stay. Our ambition with Moxy Williamsburg was  to create a hotel that welcomes visitors with an authentic experience, and one that local Brooklynites will embrace with open arms.”

The four dining and drinking venues were conceived and operated by Bar Lab Hospitality. This includes Mesiba, a festive, Tel Aviv-inspired restaurant serving Levant-style cuisine; Bar Bedford, a destination cocktail bar and all-day café; Jolene Sound Room, a high-energy sound room with a state-of-the-art audio and light system; and, opening this spring, LilliStar, an indoor/outdoor rooftop bar whose vast terrace features breathtaking views of Williamsburg Bridge and the Manhattan skyline.

Bar Bedford’s showpiece is the bar itself: Motorized liquor risers made of blackened metal rise 20 feet behind glass and white oak panels, holding 1,500 bottles of wine and liquor. The shelves move up and down like dumbwaiters, giving bartenders access to special bottles and providing patrons with a show. This custom-fabricated system was inspired by New York’s old Automats, fast-food restaurants popular in the first half of the 20th century, where customers would pick up their food from a wall of glass-fronted cubbies. Moxy Williamsburg features three meeting studios, spaces designed to be used for private events and co-working. The rooms can be combined for larger groups, and open on to Bar Bedford Garden, an alfresco space in the rear of the hotel.

© Michael Kleinberg

Flooded with daylight through floor-to-ceiling windows, the 216 bedrooms range 165–210 square feet, and include kings, executive kings, double queens, and quad bunks. Ingenious storage solutions include wall-mounted pegs that guests can fold open or close as needed, an open closet and under-bed cubbies. A desk folds down from the wall to provide a workspace.

Mesiba is a dining space paying homage to Tel Aviv’s lively energy and Bauhaus architecture, animated by the flavorful cuisine and celebratory “breaking bread” culture of the Levant region.  Israeli chef Eli Buli designed the menu as a modern play on traditional dishes from the area, including Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, Palestine and the Eastern Mediterranean.

Jolene Sound Room is a high-energy sound room with a state-of-the-art audio and light system, drawing top talent from Brooklyn’s thriving nightlife scene, the ideal spot to dance to the sounds of local and global DJs. Jolene Sound Room is inspired by Dolly Parton, not just from her signature song “Jolene” but also her image as a powerful, self-assured woman and impact on the music industry and culture at large.

© Michael Kleinberg

Opening this spring, LilliStar, the hotel’s indoor/outdoor rooftop bar, blends contemporary Indo-Aussie beach culture with Brooklyn energy, creating a unique setting for tropical-inspired cocktails, Balinese beach barbecue and dramatic views with lounge floor-to-ceiling windows opening onto an expansive roof deck with views of the Manhattan skyline.

“Williamsburg is a microcosm of everything that’s trendsetting about New York City: It has the edgiest boutiques, the most innovative restaurants, the most daring bars. That’s why more and more people are putting it on their must-visit lists, and why we’ve opened Moxy Williamsburg,” said Hochberg. “Not only can Moxy guests stay in the heart of the neighborhood, but by breaking bread at Mesiba, toasting the Manhattan skyline at LilliStar, and dancing at Jolene Sound Room with Brooklyn’s best DJ’s [sic], they’ll get a strong dose of Williamsburg’s energy, all within the walls of the hotel.”

Moxy Williamsburg offers rates starting from $179 per night.