A New York startup is creating $150,000 modular portable hotel rooms - see what it's like inside

Brittany ChangSep 5, 2021, 19:32 IST

A Moliving unit.David Mitchell

New York-based Moliving is creating modular and movable hotel rooms.
This portability allows landowners and hospitality companies to scale room inventories per season.
See inside one of the 400-square-foot units, which has three "rooms" and two balconies.

Out with the conventional hotel, in with the quirky individual accommodations.

A Moliving unit. David Mitchell

Meet Moliving, a New York-based hospitality startup that's making movable hotel rooms that'll be available to stay in as soon as this year.

The living space inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

The New York-based company specializes in what it calls "nomadic hospitality," which allows other hospitality groups and landowners to create and easily scale Moliving-based developments.

Storage inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

Source: Moliving

The New York-based company specializes in what it calls "nomadic hospitality," which allows other hospitality groups and landowners to create and easily scale Moliving-based developments.

Travelers have been seeking out atypical accommodations more than ever before: Airbnb searches for "unique stays" like yurts and tiny homes have grown 10 times over the past two years.

A bed inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

Source: Airbnb

Travelers have been seeking out atypical accommodations more than ever before: Airbnb searches for "unique stays" like yurts and tiny homes have grown 10 times over the past two years.

Source: Airbnb

Now, Moliving is capitalizing on this unconventional vacation trend by creating mobile standalone hotel rooms.

The bedroom and living space inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

The company sees itself as a "compliment to the traditional hotel model" instead of a replacement of the classic hotel, Jordan Bem, founder and CEO of Moliving, told Insider in an email interview.

Storage inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

The company sees itself as a "compliment to the traditional hotel model" instead of a replacement of the classic hotel, Jordan Bem, founder and CEO of Moliving, told Insider in an email interview.

"While a perfect solution for many, we don't see traditional hotels going away," Bem said.

The living space inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

Unlike other prefab living space makers, Moliving owns all of its mobile hotel units.

Inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

The actual hotel space then serves as a partnership between the brand and the respective landowners or developers.

The bedroom and living space inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

And once the contract has expired with no intention to renew, Moliving can remove its units and tow them elsewhere.

Two beds inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

This mobility also allows companies to tweak their room inventories to match the varying levels of demand throughout the year, eliminating what Bem calls "the biggest pain point for every seasonal hotel."

A Moliving unit. David Mitchell

This mobility also allows companies to tweak their room inventories to match the varying levels of demand throughout the year, eliminating what Bem calls "the biggest pain point for every seasonal hotel."

For example, a beach town property can increase the number of units during high traffic summer months and then scale back during the winter travel slump.

A Moliving unit. David Mitchell

And unlike a typical hotel building that could take years of construction, a Moliving unit can be built in three to five months.

The bedroom and living space inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

Each unit then starts at $150,000, the company told Insider in an email statement.

The bathroom inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

The initial 60 units for Moliving's first project will be built by SG Blocks, a modular prefab construction company.

Storage inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

Source: SG Blocks

But moving forward, Moliving will be partnering with local "modular factories" - specifically factories near future clusters of Moliving units - to cut back on delivery costs and carbon emissions.

The bedroom and living space inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

Source: Moliving

But moving forward, Moliving will be partnering with local "modular factories" - specifically factories near future clusters of Moliving units - to cut back on delivery costs and carbon emissions.

Each (customizable) unit stands at 45 feet long and 400 square feet, not including the 120-square-foot deck space that'll hang off the front and back of each unit.

The deck of a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

The indoor space then includes a bathroom, living room, and bedroom.

The bedroom and living space inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

The bedroom is lined with floor-to-ceiling windowed doors that open out into the back deck.

A bed inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

The beds can also be converted from king size to two twin beds.

Two beds inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

Let's move on to the bathroom, which has the typical amenities like a shower, sink, and vanity, according to the renderings of the unit.

The bathroom inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

There's also a skylight in the bathroom, as well as several windows in the living room for a brighter stay inside the mobile hotel.

The bedroom and living space inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

All units come with amenities like a 55-inch smart television, speakers, charging ports, a bar, WiFi, and electronic shades, creating a luxury living room space.

The living space inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

All of this is powered using lithium batteries and solar panels, which allow the hotel rooms to run off-grid with the help of water holding tanks.

Inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

Source: Moliving

The standalone hotel rooms can also use UV sanitation to recycle grey water, therefore reducing freshwater consumption ...

The bathroom inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

… and can be stacked to create a multi-floor unit.

The living space inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

The first Moliving units will be used in the upcoming Hurley House, an "eco-resort" in Hudson Valley, New York that's set to open this winter at $259 per night, Tim McKeough reported for the New York Times.

The living space inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

Source: Moliving, The New York Times

The first Moliving units will be used in the upcoming Hurley House, an "eco-resort" in Hudson Valley, New York that's set to open this winter at $259 per night, Tim McKeough reported for the New York Times.

Source: Moliving, The New York Times

Moving forward, Moliving wants to open more developments in locations like Miami, Hamptons, New York, Lake Tahoe, Vail, Colorado, and potentially international spots like Italy and Spain.

A bed inside a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

Moving forward, Moliving wants to open more developments in locations like Miami, Hamptons, New York, Lake Tahoe, Vail, Colorado, and potentially international spots like Italy and Spain.

The catch? For now, Moliving units are only accessible to landowners and developers. So if you want a Moliving hotel room for your own personal use, you're out of luck.

The deck of a Moliving unit. David Mitchell

The catch? For now, Moliving units are only accessible to landowners and developers. So if you want a Moliving hotel room for your own personal use, you're out of luck.

"Our current focus is on pursuing joint ventures with landowners, national parks, and campgrounds, not just future hotel sites," Bem said.

A Moliving unit. David Mitchell

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A New York startup is creating $150,000 modular portable hotel rooms - see what it's like inside

Out with the conventional hotel, in with the quirky individual accommodations.

Meet Moliving, a New York-based hospitality startup that's making movable hotel rooms that'll be available to stay in as soon as this year.

The New York-based company specializes in what it calls "nomadic hospitality," which allows other hospitality groups and landowners to create and easily scale Moliving-based developments.

Travelers have been seeking out atypical accommodations more than ever before: Airbnb searches for "unique stays" like yurts and tiny homes have grown 10 times over the past two years.

Now, Moliving is capitalizing on this unconventional vacation trend by creating mobile standalone hotel rooms.

The company sees itself as a "compliment to the traditional hotel model" instead of a replacement of the classic hotel, Jordan Bem, founder and CEO of Moliving, told Insider in an email interview.

"While a perfect solution for many, we don't see traditional hotels going away," Bem said.

Unlike other prefab living space makers, Moliving owns all of its mobile hotel units.

The actual hotel space then serves as a partnership between the brand and the respective landowners or developers.

And once the contract has expired with no intention to renew, Moliving can remove its units and tow them elsewhere.

This mobility also allows companies to tweak their room inventories to match the varying levels of demand throughout the year, eliminating what Bem calls "the biggest pain point for every seasonal hotel."

For example, a beach town property can increase the number of units during high traffic summer months and then scale back during the winter travel slump.

And unlike a typical hotel building that could take years of construction, a Moliving unit can be built in three to five months.

Each unit then starts at $150,000, the company told Insider in an email statement.

The initial 60 units for Moliving's first project will be built by SG Blocks, a modular prefab construction company.

But moving forward, Moliving will be partnering with local "modular factories" - specifically factories near future clusters of Moliving units - to cut back on delivery costs and carbon emissions.

Each (customizable) unit stands at 45 feet long and 400 square feet, not including the 120-square-foot deck space that'll hang off the front and back of each unit.

The indoor space then includes a bathroom, living room, and bedroom.

The bedroom is lined with floor-to-ceiling windowed doors that open out into the back deck.

The beds can also be converted from king size to two twin beds.

Let's move on to the bathroom, which has the typical amenities like a shower, sink, and vanity, according to the renderings of the unit.

There's also a skylight in the bathroom, as well as several windows in the living room for a brighter stay inside the mobile hotel.

All units come with amenities like a 55-inch smart television, speakers, charging ports, a bar, WiFi, and electronic shades, creating a luxury living room space.

All of this is powered using lithium batteries and solar panels, which allow the hotel rooms to run off-grid with the help of water holding tanks.

The standalone hotel rooms can also use UV sanitation to recycle grey water, therefore reducing freshwater consumption ...

… and can be stacked to create a multi-floor unit.

The first Moliving units will be used in the upcoming Hurley House, an "eco-resort" in Hudson Valley, New York that's set to open this winter at $259 per night, Tim McKeough reported for the New York Times.

Moving forward, Moliving wants to open more developments in locations like Miami, Hamptons, New York, Lake Tahoe, Vail, Colorado, and potentially international spots like Italy and Spain.

The catch? For now, Moliving units are only accessible to landowners and developers. So if you want a Moliving hotel room for your own personal use, you're out of luck.

"Our current focus is on pursuing joint ventures with landowners, national parks, and campgrounds, not just future hotel sites," Bem said.