Consumers love Ikea. Not only is it affordable, it manages to be functional without skimping on design. And a big part of what makes Ikea the world’s largest furniture retailer is its incredible stores, where customers get to wander through displays and imagine what it’s like to inhabit catalogue-perfect rooms.
Soon Ikea lovers and budget-conscious travellers will be able to spend the night in Scandinavian designer rooms without breaking the bank or having to assemble a thing.
Ikea is bringing its low-cost model to the hotel world and teaming up with Marriott International Inc. to launch a new hotel chain called Moxy Hotels.
CEO of Marriott International Arne Sorenson says, “MOXY HOTELS is the essence of the next generation traveller, not only Gen X and Y but people with a younger sensibility, for whom contemporary style is paramount.”
Marriott and Ikea plan on opening 150 of these budget hotels in the next 10 years across western Europe. To keep construction costs down, Moxy Hotels will use rooms that are prefabricated offsite and then assembled on the spot, much like Ikea furniture itself.
Each hotel will have anywhere from 150-300 rooms, and in keeping with Ikea tradition, the rooms will be functional and well designed. They’ll have built-in USB ports, flat screen TVs, calming color palettes, and floor to ceiling art that reflects the local city.
Public space in the hotels will be “adaptable” and give guests a chance to grab a continental breakfast and socialize. There will also be free Wifi throughout and two “Plug and Meet” meeting spaces which feature ergonomic seating, writing walls and giant TVs for screening presentations.
And with a price point of around €60 per night, the low-cost chain is sure to attract a younger more contemporary traveller who doesn’t want to sacrifice style and comfort for cost.
