Marriott’s new AC Hotel New York NoMad, slated to open in 2020, takes prefabricated building to a new level.
If Marriott is correct, the 168-room, 26-story AC Hotel New York NoMad, is a sign of the future. The 360-foot tower, the world’s tallest modular hotel, will represent a milestone for Marriott’s initiative to encourage hotel developers in North America to embrace prefabricated modular construction for new projects.
Slated to open in late 2020, “The world’s tallest modular hotel in one of the world’s greatest destinations will act as a game-changing symbol to ignite even greater interest in modular among the real estate and lending industries,” said Eric Jacobs, Chief Development Officer, North America, Select, and Extended Stay Brands at Marriott International.
Customized public areas such as the restaurant and lobby will be constructed using traditional methods while the prefabricated, pre-furnished guest room modules are being constructed off-site. Each module will contain a fully outfitted guest room – with beds, sheets, pillows, flooring, and even toiletries in place. The roof and rooftop bar are also expected to be produced using modular construction.
Marriott has the largest pipeline of hotels in North America. Since 2011, it reports that the average time to build and open a hotel in North America increased by as much 50 percent. It began researching modular construction in 2014 and found that prefabrication typically reduces the construction timeline and results in a higher-quality product. Attendees also benefit by enjoying quieter rooms because unlike the shared walls in traditional construction, modular designs require an insulated gap between the rooms.
Since 2015, when Marriott set out to educate stakeholders about the benefits of modular, its development partners have opened 31 Marriott-brand hotels – all low-rise structures – that incorporate prefabricated guestrooms and/or bathrooms. Later this year, stacking will begin on the first modular-built Moxy hotel in the United States in downtown Oakland, Calif.
