Moxy Times Square – Hotel Review

No wonder there’s such a buzz around Moxy Times Square. The midtown Manhattan hotel bristles with modern touches, from the check-in kiosks and snazzy elevator system to the smart ways that space in the rooms is maximised. Magic Hour is one of the most popular rooftop bars in New York, while generous common areas are expertly designed for socialising, working or just hanging out. Read on for the full review.

Where is Moxy Times Square?

The hotel is on the corner of Seventh Avenue and West 37th Street in the heart of midtown Manhattan, around a 45- to-80-minute car ride from JFK and 30 to 55 minutes from LaGuardia, depending on time of day. 

What’s near Moxy Times Square?

You’re right where the action is, just a couple of blocks south of Times Square, a few minutes from Penn Station, less than five minutes from Broadway theatres and an easy seven-minute stroll to the Empire State Building. The hotel sits in the middle of a triangle of three subway stops, a couple of blocks away.

Room types

The rooms are all about getting maximum use out of minimum space and the hotel does it with aplomb, from cubbies and drawers under beds to Yabu Pushelberg-designed custom furniture (desk, chair, luggage rack etc) that can be folded up and hung on the room-length peg-wall system that doubles as an open hanging space for clothes. The design is a stylish mix of industrial and Scandinavian modern and the bathrooms feature shower cabins with faux-swimming pool tiling and playful mosaic signage such as “2.5 feet deep” and “No Diving”. There are eight room configurations including the standard Queen, quirky Double Doubles featuring twin toe-to-toe beds, and the top-of-the-range 33 square-metre Studio Suites. 

Restaurants and bars

Dining destination Legasea specialises in inventive takes on American bar and grill favourites such as Wagyu pigs in a blanket and spicy crab beignets. On the second floor, spacious Bar Moxy is an inviting breakfast/lunch/hangout spot by day, lively lounge bar by night. The Café d’ Avignon Popup, attached to the bar, is a cute grab-and-go coffee-and-snacks hutch. Head to the 18th floor to find Magic Hour, the city’s largest indoor-outdoor all-season hotel rooftop bar and lounge — it’s an “urban amusement park” concept with a carousel, a mini-golf course, topiary bears, the Elephant Room speakeasy and epic Manhattan views. Oh, and pink pancakes topped with cotton candy and syrup.

Sustainability

The hotel works with SCRAP, a company that takes discarded sheets and towels and repurposes them into clothing. They also use refillable bath amenities, have LED lights throughout the building and scored 78 on the most recent citywide sustainability audit. 

Travel for work

The Lounge is a light-filled space next to Bar Moxy overseen by a giant bear — a striking mobile installation by Japanese artist Sawada — with benches, chairs and tables that are ideal for catching up on emails or casual meetings over coffee. There are also three separate studio workspaces (two with conference tables, one with couches) that are available for free on a first-come first-served basis. And if you’re a digital nomad who needs more privacy and tech to make remote meetings work, there are Zoom Rooms with big screens, ergonomic chairs, ring lights, charging stations, office supplies, a Nespresso machine, snacks and private bathroom ($30/hour or $200 for a full day). Handy.

Spa and gym

On the cellar level, a fitness centre is open 24/7 and is well equipped with Pelotons, ellipticals, rowing machines, treadmills, boxing bag, free weights and kettle bells. 

What you need to know

Stash Closets on each floor contain essentials you can grab yourself rather than calling reception — toothpaste, kettles, extra towels, blankets and bath products. 

SEE ALSO: The Hot List: The Best Hotels in Manhattan