Multi-million millennial hotel opens at Edinburgh Airport

THE city’s first “edgy” Moxy hotel, by Marriott International, has opened at Edinburgh Airport featuring a retro games arcade and hanging book installation as a nod to Edinburgh’s status as UNESCO’s City of Literature.

The 230-bedroom Moxy Edinburgh Airport is described as appealing to both business and leisure travellers, bringing a “playful twist on the traditional airport hotel offering”, and boasting a book-themed interior in a nod to Edinburgh’s status as a Unesco City of Literature.

The millennial-focused boutique hotel, includes a hanging book installation, neon book seat alongside its retro games arcade, a bar that doubles as a check-in, and an Edinburgh mural in each bedroom.

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There are five room styles, with 70 upgraded Moxyfied Biz Sleeper rooms, nine Moxyfied Primo Sleepers, three family rooms, 106 standard queen-sized rooms and a further 42 double bedrooms.

Special opening rates begin at £79 per room.

John Licence, vice president of premium and select brands at Marriott International Europe, said: “Renowned for its festivals and dynamic social scene, Edinburgh is a perfect fit for Moxy and its fun-hunter guests. This hotel will bring the brand’s playful spirit to the traditional airport hotel stay.”

The hotel joins Moxy sites in Scotland at Aberdeen Airport and the Merchant City in Glasgow. A second site in Edinburgh is to open in Fountainbridge, in 2020.

CEO Mads Jacobsen added: “Since launching into the UK market back in December 2016, we continue to strengthen our footprint and are delighted to be adding the energy of the Moxy brand to Edinburgh Airport with this new property. We’re excited for guests to experience our unique approach to customer service with the focus on the bar and playful crew.”

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Currently operating 14 Moxy hotels, Belvar opened its first in Aberdeen in 2016 and has opened three in London in the last 18 months. There are already 29 worldwide Moxy hotels – the brand debuted in September 2014 in Milan – and Belvar has six further planned openings this year in Europe including York, Southampton, Paris and Verona.

Edinburgh ranked as the UK’s top hotel hotspot in 2018, outperforming London (fourth place), Oxford (fifth), Liverpool (sixth) and Glasgow (seventh).

According to a report from Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH), Edinburgh was the UK’s most active city for hotel investment, development and growth.

It also came fourth in the top five occupancy rates at 82.78 per cent and the top five average daily rates at £114. The study noted that three new hotels and 282 new hotel bedrooms came on line in the Scottish capital in 2018.

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Hugh Anderson, director of hotels for Lambert Smith Hampton said: “Edinburgh has one of the largest tourist economies in the UK and attracts more international visitors than any other city outside London, which gives it strong and sustained investor and operator appeal.”

Edinburgh Airport last year experienced the busiest 12 months for a Scottish airport, seeing more than 14.3 million passengers pass through its doors during the course of the year.

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