Marriott Offers a Budget Brand

Marriott Hotels,the American chain known for its medium-priced and upscale hotels, has opened its first budget property in Europe, the Moxy Milan at Malpensa Airport. The hotel provides modern design, sound-reducing walls, free wi-fi and large screen TVs in every room. Best of all, until the end of October a room costs just about $75 per night.

This is the first of several planned Moxy budget hotels in Europe, in Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt, London and Oslo. For more information, check their Website at www.moxy-hotels.marriott.com.

The story of this hotel chain is interesting. It was begun by a Mormon businessman, J.Willard Marriott, who opened several cafes called Hot Shoppes in the Washington D.C. area. They served wholesome, tasty food but of course no booze. When I lived in D.C. there were still one or two of these cafes around. Later he moved into hotels, and today Marriott is known worldwide for quality.

If this tradition of quality continues with the budget brand, the Moxy Hotels could be worth a try.

While my general opinion of Marriott Hotels is favourable, I recently saw a story reporting that in some properties they have decided to leave envelopes with a specific request for guests to tip the housekeeper. While I do tip for stays of more than one night, I resent being asked to cough up money by the hotel itself. Why, if they are so concerned about the housekeepers, don't they just pay them more?