Having stayed at several of the hotel’s locations throughout the the Big Apple, including the original Times Square and Chelsea properties, I’ve found there is an irreverent playfulness to Moxy hotels that makes them feel less like pit-stops for sleeping and more like destinations in their own right. Case in point? I’m sitting in Silver Lining, Moxy Lower East Side’s moody piano lounge, listening to a live rendition of The Killers’ classic song Mr Brightside over a bone-dry martini, only minutes after having checked in. I’m not alone, either; there’s a line of people outside making their way in, and waiters are busy dashing between the bar and tables, delivering cocktails.

There’s a genuine liveliness to the venue, thanks in part to its design and interiors that take cues from Andy Warhol’s Silver Factory – the artist’s famed creative haven and studio. It’s dark, sultry and absolutely buzzing – it’s hard to believe that it’s part of a hotel. But that’s the magic (and winning) formula that Moxy’s owner and developer Lightstone has established with longtime partners Tao Hospitality Group across its portfolio, which has seen it flourish in New York… a city not without its fair share of hotels. 

If its sister properties further north in Manhattan’s Chelsea and Times Square are all about being in the thick of Midtown’s classic attractions, Moxy Lower East Side is the younger, more daring and bold of the family.

We check in, to check it out.

The vibe

Located in the heart of the city’s vibrant, artistic late-night entertainment district, the hotel manages to return a sense of fun and indulgence to the increasingly gentrified Lower East Side. Designed by architecture firm Stonehill Taylor, the 16-storey black metal, glass and concrete tower is reminiscent of a wedding cake – only the first six floors of the hotel are visible from street level, with the remaining 10 floors discreetly set further back.

But it’s the playful and whimsical interiors from Michaelis Boyd and Rockwell Group that truly set the tone. Guests enter over a catwalk-like bridge, flanked by two spiral staircases leading down to the hotel’s Japanese restaurant, Sake No Hana, while further ahead is the reception, centred around the co-working/bar space known as The Fix. On the evening I check in, there’s a DJ playing next to a life-size two-metre statue of a bear with a hula hoop around its waist against a backdrop of crystal chandeliers, urban street lights and guests ordering drinks from the fluted glass and brass-finished bar.

Further along, a pink neon sign reads, “This is where the magic happens”, while opposite, an art installation of mask sculptures protrudes from the wall above old-school coin-slot candy machines. It’s quirky without being cheesy. The staff, like at other Moxy hotels, are energetic and spirited – when I have a package delivered to my room while out, there’s a tongue-in-cheek note left with it.

Dining and drinking

Where this Moxy separates itself from its other Manhattan siblings is in the sheer number of dining and drinking establishments on offer. During the day, The Fix, located on the street level, operates as a cafe and co-working space, but come evening, it transforms into a vibrant bar and meeting place.

Nearby is the sophisticated Silver Lining live music and piano lounge. It’s equally frequented by locals as much as it is by guests, going by the regular stream of people entering via its exterior Broome Street entrance. The mood inside is seductive and mysterious, with groupings of small tables, rich blue velvet upholstery, vaulted ceilings and a custom hand-blown glass light fixture on a snake-like iron frame from local New York artist Erin Lorek. A regular program of performances from artists and musicians covering a range of musical genres is met with a menu consisting of heady cocktails like the Warhol Margarita – a concoction of Don Julio 1942 tequila, agave and lime – an homage to the venue’s inspiration, Andy Warhol’s Silver Factory studio.

Downstairs, the hotel’s modern Japanese restaurant, Sake No Hana, features large kimono-like tapestries that greet guests as they descend from one of the two large spiral staircases, entering a hidden world of latticed wood, warm lantern lighting and fabric-lined floral wall coverings. The menu is extensive, broken up into several sections covering hand-cut sushi and sashimi, as well as robata-grilled vegetables and meats, noodles and steak, including a richly-marbled wagyu ribeye. 

Late-night revellers will find joy at the subterranean nightclub, Loosie’s, accessed via a graffitied alleyway behind the hotel. Inspired partly by the neighbourhood’s once vibrant ‘backhouses’ (small studios artists would work from behind the main street-facing buildings), the venue features a sea of disco balls, exposed copper conduit and material-lined walls that, at a glance, look like metallic speckled concrete. 

Those looking to remain above ground but still in the mood to party should head to The Highlight Room, the hotel’s rooftop bar and garden in the sky on the 16th floor. Flanked with views of the Empire State Building on one side and the One World Trade Center on the other (thanks to wall-to-ceiling windows), and interiors adorned with palms and hanging plants, it’s a coveted space entered by an elevator, again via a back alleyway. Just don’t forget your dancing shoes.

The rooms

As with other Moxy properties, rooms here are compact. The same clever space-saving design principles are applied, including foldable furniture, mounted reading lights and space for storing luggage underneath the bed. I find myself in a king city view room that, thanks again to wall-to-ceiling windows, means I wake to the sight of the Empire State Building in the distance each morning and fall asleep by the glow of its light each evening. The bathroom conforms to Moxy’s interior formula of a glass box-like design that separates the toilet from the shower, featuring terrazzo floors and bright symmetrical shapes on the exterior walls inspired by the circuses that once lined the neighbourhood’s streets. 

The location

Within walking distance to Nolita, SoHo, NoHo, East Village and the Financial District, the hotel is the perfect base from which to explore lower Manhattan. Its proximity to SoHo makes it a desirable option, especially for those with a love for boutique shopping, while the now-cult favourite Scarr’s Pizza, which serves some of the best slices in Manhattan, is dangerously close. Access to the B and D trains also makes it a breeze to travel to Brooklyn or uptown to the major sights and neighbourhoods.  

The verdict

Moxy Lower East Sides proves there is such a thing as having it all. While it certainly takes cues from its successful siblings, it’s a bolder offering in an energetic neighbourhood, without the bullish price tag to match. 

The details

Rooms begin at USD$179 (AUD$275) per night.

Moxy Lower East Side
145 Bowery, New York, NY
moxylowereastside.com

This writer was a guest of Moxy Lower East Side.