The Moxy Plymouth opened in 2023, and I’ve been meaning to try it out ever since. I was surprised to find that the price point was in line with that of the nearby Travelodge, at £89 for a Queen room for one adult and one baby.
The hotel is located in the Millbay area – an area undergoing major regeneration. It’s midway between the main city centre and where Brittany Ferries depart to Roscoff and Santander. It’s also located in an area populated by most of Plymouth’s nightclubs, within very easy walking distance of Plymouth’s top sights, such as the Royal William Yard and Plymouth Hoe, and is extremely close to Plymouth Pavilions.
Here’s my full review of my stay at the Moxy Plymouth!
In this post:
Booking
I booked 2 nights before my stay, and since it was a Friday night, the price was slightly higher than usual at £102. Throughout the year, prices start at £58 and average £75, but some nights have a dramatic increase of up to £203 closer to the booking date.
I booked via the Avios.com portal and took advantage of the 6 Avios per £1 offer running at the moment (up from 4). It’s been a while since I’ve stayed at a Marriott property, but I already have Silver Elite status via a Barclays Travel Plus Pack Concierge offer.
Moxy as a Marriott Brand
Moxy is Marriott’s first-ever 3-star economy brand, although it’s categorised as “Select” alongside AC by Marriott and Aloft. It’s designed to be stylish and playful, deliberately stripped back compared to full-service Marriotts.
The brand is expanding globally, with 135 hotels currently in operation, and plans to reach 100 hotels in Europe by the end of 2025. There are already plenty of Moxy airport hotels that have sprung up, including at Heathrow T3, Edinburgh and many more.
I must say, although I enjoyed my stay at the Moxy Plymouth and will be returning, there is a notable difference between Moxy and AC by Marriott properties. For example. The AC Alicante had lots of things that this hotel was missing, from a served restaurant to room service and a Nespresso coffee machine at breakfast!
Here’s how Marriott describes Moxy:
“At Moxy Hotels, we don’t take ourselves too seriously. But we’re seriously into showing you a good time with small but smart rooms, stylish communal spaces and bars you’ll love.”
Moxy is also described as ‘Stylish and Playful’. It’s deliberately pared back, with its energy focused on the lobby bar and social spaces rather than luxury service. It’s Marriott’s answer to the modern budget traveller.
You’ll either love them or loathe them. Moxy advertises as a ‘Boutique Chain’, but they’re certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. You may love the unique decor, or you may find it annoying! There are slogans and puns absolutely everywhere. For example, the hangers in the room have a sign saying ‘Not for Hangers On’ – as in you can’t swing on them!
After you’ve read this article, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect.
My Experience
My stay was very functional and exceeded my expectations!
Check-In
At 11:00, I checked the app and added my preferred check-in time of 13:15. When I arrived, my room was indeed ready, which was perfect, as the hotel was a longer walk than expected from the main city centre.
What sets Moxy hotels apart is the ‘Check-In at the bar concept’. This was actually the staff standing within the bar, but there was a fully functioning reception desk, and bar service was around the other side. There was no queue at the bar and the staff were very friendly and welcoming – a great first impression.
Initially, my reservation couldn’t be found, but after asking how I’d booked, they realised I’d booked via the Marriott app, and my reservation was then located as a printed document. There were very few of these, meaning most people had booked via other channels.
They had already taken my payment automatically a few hours previously. This included a £30 extra charge, which I inquired about and was told was a refundable charge for consumables.
I was offered the opportunity to spin a wheel, which included prizes which ranged from 500-1,000 Bonvoy points to a free beer or glass of wine. I landed on ‘Choose Your Prize’ and opted for 1,000 points (equivalent to 333 Avios). Not a huge amount, but a nice bonus, a fun touch that’s typical of Moxy’s less formal approach.
The Lobby
The lobby is the brand’s real differentiator: part coworking space, part lounge, part bar. This is all part of the “Live and Work” concept, with carefully thought-out design elements ranging from cosy seating areas to larger tables near the bar, which doubles as the breakfast area. An effort has clearly been made to create an enjoyable space, which perhaps makes up for the size of the rooms.
If you’re a regular at Moxy hotels, this will feel very familiar to you. The lobby decor is similar in all hotels, but with local touches such as the large mural of Smeaton’s Tower lighthouse, which you see when you arrive, and the decor on the shelves is inspired by Plymouth’s maritime heritage.
There were unique design elements throughout, such as this photo booth, which was not working during my stay and a Jukebox. Everything is a slight extra cost, including the pool table and umbrella hire.
Behind this, you’ll find lockers, a meeting centre and a gym. The gym has a treadmill, weights, an exercise bike and a punch bag. It’s almost identical to the gyms at other Moxy hotels
Rooms at the Moxy Plymouth
The hotel has 200 rooms, which is large for a Moxy outside of London.
There are limited room types available at Moxy hotels. The Moxy Plymouth has:
- Queen Room (my choice)
- Twin Sleeper
- Family Sleeper
- Dream Maker (located on the top floor and includes a Vispring Mattress, Nespresso machine and mini fridge)
My Room
I was given a room on the 5th floor, and everything had just been cleaned.
As I entered, the room was immaculately clean, which was a great start!
Rooms are much smaller than the average Marriott hotel, but you do get a cheaper rate because of it. The beds are also smaller.
An interesting feature is the automatic under-bed lighting, which limits the need to switch lights on when you get up in the dark. I thought this was a great touch to begin with, until I found the lights take a while to switch off once you’re back in bed – not ideal if you have a baby or small child watching your every move.
The TV was on, playing adverts for Marriott Experiences, with a personalised message. The good thing about a recently opened hotel is that everything is nice and new. The TV had Chromecast capabilities and worked very well.
The tea and coffee-making facilities were basic but had everything I needed. There were no spoons (everything was disposable). There was also no decaf tea available, which was a shame.
Instead of a wardrobe, Moxy rooms have interesting designs. There’s no actual storage, but this isn’t an issue at all for a short stay.
Everything about the room has been designed well, from plug sockets and reading lights in just the right places to super-fast wifi. In the past, I’ve stayed at other Moxy hotels with the same room layout, which haven’t been as functional. For example, at the Moxy Bristol, the wifi was very slow, and the tea and coffee-making facilities were tilted and less functional. The Moxy Plymouth is one of the newer hotels.
Despite the location and being a Friday night, the rooms were very soundproofed.
The Bathroom
The bathroom was equally practical, with Moxy-branded toiletries in refillable dispensers. The large mirror and good lighting were appreciated, and the conditioner worked surprisingly well.
I had requested via the chat on the app before my stay that a cot be provided in the room. I received a friendly message in return, and I also asked at the reception during check-in. On arrival at the room, there was no cot, so I messaged via the app again, and a nice new travel cot was brought up promptly (without a sheet).
For the purposes of research, I also requested a toothbrush kit on the app, which was also not in the room when I arrived.
The Bar
I liked the atmosphere of the bar, and the number of drinks offered was a plus. The bar is open 24/7 if you’re staying at the hotel, but it closes at midnight for non-residents.
It’s always nice to see a good cocktail in a budget-friendly hotel!
The Moxy also run regular theme nights such as this one:
Breakfast
I added breakfast to my booking, and it was taken off the pre-charge. Breakfast is £12 the night before or £15 for walk-ins. It’s served from 6:30 to 10:30 on weekdays and from 7:00 to 11:00 on weekends.
The breakfast is marketed as ‘The Best Breakfast in Plymouth’. It was a very nice breakfast, but having stayed at most of the hotels in Plymouth multiple times while at university, I’d pick The Crowne Plaza as the best breakfast. I also rather like going to The Ground Coffee House cafe.
Moxy provided breakfast trays in true buffet style.
There was a good range of cereals on offer, although I usually prefer individual packs at hotels for freshness.
There was also a gluten-free section.
A good selection of teas was available and a nice choice of coffees from the machine. However, I found the coffee to be sub-par.
Grab and Go
There is no full-service restaurant at the Moxy Plymouth. Instead, the bar serves things like Nachos and Pizzas, and there is a 24-hour grab-and-go fridge with snacks and drinks. These are named ‘Moxy Pickups. There was little to no advertising about this, and no menus were available at the tables.
This is substituted by a self-serve ‘Grab and Go‘. I had planned to try this out for dinner, but the choice just wasn’t good enough. Some Moxy hotels have a much larger selection of choices.
A Dog-Friendly Hotel
The Moxy is one of Plymouth’s only dog-friendly hotels, and a lot of effort has been put into it. You can even book a ‘Barkation’ package. In Autumn, you can book ‘Autumn Paws and Pints’ which includes breakfast, a dog treat and a ‘puptail welcome amenity’. I saw several dogs during my stay, so it’s certainly not the brand for you if you dislike or are allergic to dogs.
Moxy for Marriott Bonvoy Status
If you like Moxy hotels and regularly stay there, you could earn elite status at Marriott and use it to stay at Marriott’s more high-end properties, benefiting from features like late check-out and more points earned per £1 spent.
Redemptions start at 15,500 points. Compared to the cash prices, you’ll end up having a value on average of 0.35-0.38p per point. Paying in cash generally makes more sense here.
However, if you’re booking last-minute or the prices are wildly inflated for the night you want to visit, it may be worth working out the value of paying with points. For example, on a night where the hotel was priced at £203, you can book for 25,500 points, which works out at 0.81p per point, vs booking one of the cheaper nights for 16,500 points instead of £65, which gives a value of 0.4p per point.
Other Hotel Options in Plymouth
Throughout my final year at university and over the past few years, I’ve stayed at all the hotels in Plymouth city centre. In my opinion, the top hotel in Plymouth is the Crowne Plaza with a fantastic city centre location, breakfast with stunning views, pool and gym, plus excellent dining and room service.
Aside from the Crowne Plaza, Plymouth doesn’t have many branded hotels with loyalty programmes. If you have an AMEX Platinum card, this is the only Plymouth hotel where you can enjoy status benefits. You can read our AMEX Platinum guide here or read our guide to AMEX Platinum hotel benefits.
Final Words
If you’re looking for a hotel with a served breakfast, room service, 4*+ service and luxury dining, these (and other Moxy) hotels most likely aren’t for you. It’s not luxury, and it’s not trying to be. But if you’re after a clean, good breakfast, lively atmosphere and great cocktails, Moxy is worth considering. It’s a brand where you know exactly what you’re getting; sometimes it may suit you (e.g. a quick airport stay), and at others, it may not.
You can view the Moxy Plymouth page on the Marriott website here
