Fulfils expectations
Introduction Well, as promised, reporting back from the freshly opened Moxy Belgrade. It's not going to be a very long review, as a Moxy is a Moxy after all, but here are the main impressions. Check In Arrived literally days after the opening, so much so that there were still balloons at the hotel entrance. The system is still a bit buggy, so checking in took slightly longer than usual, but the staff seems to know what they're doing (some of them got transferred over from the city-centre Courtyard). They're not very good at distinguishing levels of Marriott status yet, though, so I was offered the choice between breakfast & 500 points as a mere Gold member. I took the points because a weekend in Belgrade is too short to be wasted on hotel food. Room The room is cookie-cutter Moxy, so no surprises there. The sink has a relatively spacious area for cosmetics, which was much appreciated by my SO. I was surprised, however, to see that the bathroom door already had significant scratches, and the shower floor tiles weren't angled correctly, so that a puddle remained in the middle after showering. Not a huge deal, obviously, but a strange miss for such a new hotel.There was a cute welcome waiting in the room: Service Everyone at the hotel was very polite throughout the stay - I'd even say too polite for a Moxy, as they address guests in a super-formal way more reminiscent of a legacy brand. They also go out of their way to assist with the luggage if needed, which is above the usual brand standards. Dining The only welcome beverage offered was the Foxy Moxy cocktail. This struck me as somewhat strange considering that Serbia at least has a wide range of quality, cheap alcohol. I didn't eat at the hotel, but there is an ensuite "gastro-bar" at the ground floor. I had a look at the menu and the fare seems somewhat above standard for a Moxy. Location Perhaps the greatest advantage of the hotel. The hotel is basically on the same block as the Hilton, in one of the busier areas of Belgrade, and eminently convenient for public transport, including the A1 airport shuttle that stops less not even 200m away from the hotel (a blessing for those of us who prefer not to deal with dodgy airport taxi drivers). I never had trouble finding a taxi or ride-sharing service, not even on Saturday night. Cons There were a couple of things I didn't like: The gym is in the basement, adequately equipped but rather small. However, it didn't seem to be getting much attention by the housekeeping staff, whose quarters are ironically right next to the gym, which ensures a certain amount of staring passers-by while you work out. The floor was obviously not cleaned between our two morning workout sessions, and the towels didn't seem to have been refilled either.The hotel doesn't have a luggage storage room, relying instead on ridiculously narrow lockers on the ground floor. They are so small that not even a standard carry-on bag will fit if it's a bit wider (we tried). The staff was happy to keep the problematic bag behind the reception counter, but I'm not sure how they'd handle several people with big pieces of luggage. Overall I paid €89 per night for a double room w/o breakfast, which is quite competitive considering the location. I wouldn't hesitate to return, and in fact will probably make this my default hotel in Belgrade going forward, now that the Metropol has left Marriott.