Marriott International is developing its first economy
brand, Moxy Hotels, and plans to add 150 franchised properties throughout Europe
during the next decade, the company announced Tuesday.
Marriott partnered with Inter Hospitality Holding, a hotel
development arm established by retailer Ikea last year, to develop the brand. Scandinavian
hotel operator Nordic Hospitality will be the brand's first franchisee. Each hotel
will have 150 to 300 rooms and will be designed to reach Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design Gold certification standards, according to Marriott.
The first Moxy Hotel is slated to open early next year in
Milan. Additional development is planned for countries including Austria,
Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden
and the United Kingdom.
The new brand is part of Marriott's plan to reach 80,000
rooms in Europe by 2015.
"We see a huge opportunity to expand our market share
in Europe with Moxy Hotels," according to Amy McPherson, Marriott's
president and managing director in Europe. "The economy tier in Europe
represents nearly half of total room supply, yet only 20 percent of these hotels
are branded."