Marriott's vibrant Moxy Hotels have sprung up around the world, bringing bright cheery spaces that are often activated with hip music and events and check-in at the bar, where you're presented with a special welcome cocktail.
Now, Milwaukee is slated to get a nine-story, 162-room Moxy-branded hotel on State Street, to be built on the former Bradley Center site, next to the Deer District's new FPC Live concert venue, currently under construction.
The Moxy Milwaukee Downtown will be developed by NCG Hospitality, which also developed The Trade Hotel in the Deer District. That hotel, just north of the Fiserv Forum, opened last year.
NCG opened Moxy hotels in Madison and in Omaha this year.
The Moxy building, to be located south of the Fiserv Forum, is expected to break ground late next year, by which time the concert venue is expected to open.
The hotel has a projected opening of spring 2027.
“Moxy Milwaukee Downtown is an exciting addition to Deer District as we continue to expand as a hub for sports, entertainment and tourism," said Milwaukee Bucks Senior Vice President of Business Operations and Chief Real Estate Development Officer Michael Belot on Friday.
"We're thrilled to offer a terrific new place for guests to stay when they come for a Bucks game, concert or other event in Deer District or beyond.”
NCG's Chief Development Officer Andy Inman added, “As a Wisconsin-based company, we’re thrilled to expand the Moxy Hotels brand in our home state with this exciting project in Milwaukee’s Deer District.
“Deer District continues to be a premier entertainment destination, and Moxy Milwaukee Downtown will offer a vibrant, socially connected environment unlike any other.”
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
