Hotel4Real!

Opened in Jan 2024, the Moxy Halifax is officially the first Moxy to open its door in Canada. Hype was high and rightfully so, as Halifax’s midscale hotel scene really needed the added splash. However, by the time I booked my stay, the hotel had a woeful 1.7/5 rating on Marriott’s own website, albeit most if not all complaints were related to the conceptual differences between Moxy and other Marriott brands, so I still decided to give it a shot.

My first impression of the hotel wasn’t great when I pulled into the driveway and saw the building only half finished, although the finished half of the building looked neat and modern, and the sculpture/art piece in the driveway was as on-brand for a Moxy as it gets. Once I stepped inside, the modern and hippy trend continued, and extended into the elevators, the hallways and into the rooms. The lobby/bar and public areas were very well appointed, and the atmosphere was lively while slightly less busy than I expected for a Saturday evening.

Check-in at the Moxy always happens at the bar, and it went smoothly, although there were some initial confusions with the welcome gift options (one voucher per person vs. per stay, CAD vs. USD). After some discussions this was sorted out and Stephen from the Moxy team followed up with me the next day to ensure we were on the same page. Although, after some double-checking the team still believed the currency should be local i.e. 10CAD instead, and Marriott’s terms state otherwise. Alas, not a huge deal, and hopefully these were just some teething pain for the hotel is brand new. The same can’t be said for the welcome drink, I mean it was nice to have a free drink but I doubt if there was more than a teaspoon of alcohol in mine…

Speaking of Stephen, he was also able to find me a “studio suite” – the best room type available – ahead of my stay, and even though the size of the room was underwhelming and not exactly a suite, the room itself was very well appointed by Moxy standards – with a (semi) fully-equipped kitchen and a sitting area. The room was also located in a corner, and the floor-to-ceiling windows yielded a decent view of the citadel hill and the city, although those big windows were only available in the corners.

Circling back to the bar, in my opinion the bar was probably the area that needed the most improvements on, especially considering the target market and “Bar Moxy” concept Marriott tries to push with the brand. Not mentioning the “haphazard” welcome drink, the entire bar operation seemed almost “amateur” to me. The bartenders on staff during my stay, although friendly and cheerful, lacked knowledge of their offerings and, well, drinks in general. At one point I felt like the bar was served by the same team as the front office, but the fact that they were later unable to post the welcome credits to my account and then posted someone else’s bill to my bill by mistake were in my eyes inexcusable. The bar experience is supposed to be a key part of a Moxy stay, and Moxy Halifax having everything else on point but the bar being a let-down was a shame to me.

Thinking back, I really enjoyed my stay as it was, and I’d say the 1.7/5 rating was definitely skewed. However, any hotel managers would know that reputations and clientele build extremely quickly during the period immediately after opening, and spending months to iron out the initial wrinkles might just be too long. I will probably be happy to give the Moxy a second try, but I don’t know if others will, especially when competitors are charging less and giving more.

RealScore

Service: 8.5

Design and Room Size: 8.0

In-room Amenities: 9

Bathroom Size and Layout: 8

View from (my) Room: 7

Hotel Location: 8

Available Guest Facilities: 7

Food Quality: 7

Food and Beverage Service: 6

Executive Lounge Quality: N/A

Final RealScore: 7.92

Final RealRating: A

Hotel is built/opened: 2024

Total number of rooms: 160

Length of stay: 1 night

Membership level at check-in: Titanium

Room type experienced: Bunk Room / Premium Corner Studio