Review: Moxy Aberdeen Airport hotel, the cheapest Bonvoy redemption in the UK

This is our review of the Moxy Aberdeen Airport hotel.

It is currently – and will likely remain – the UK’s cheapest Marriott Bonvoy redemption until Marriott’s move to dynamic award pricing in 2022. It is currently a Category 1 hotel which means you need as few as 5,000 points per night during off-peak periods. Given that reward nights count for status, it even offers a mattress run opportunity if you live nearby. A full list of all Category 1 Marriott Bonvoy hotels in Europe is here.

But is Moxy Aberdeen Airport any good? As part of my recent tour of UK airport hotels – the reason for this will become apparent next week – I checked in to take a look.

Location

As the name suggests, the Moxy Aberdeen Airport hotel is on, or next to, Aberdeen Airport, just south of the main terminal building.

It is extremely close, as the crow flies. Unfortunately getting to the hotel requires a PhD in orienteering. As you leave the terminal building you follow a covered walkway to the rental car park and Crowne Plaza:

You are then dumped in the car park. But lo – behind the Sixt office building is another covered walkway.

Bad news – it only takes you as far as the Crowne Plaza / Holiday Inn Express. And whilst the Moxy is just behind, there is no easy cut through – you have to walk allllllll the way around the hotels. You can’t even go through them, as they only have an entrance on one side.

But – finally! – there it is, in direct line of sight:

Congratulations, you have reached your destination! A bit of extra signage and foresight by the airport planners could make things a LOT simpler.

As you’ll have noticed, the Moxy sits in a cluster of hotels at Aberdeen Airport. In addition to the Moxy, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express, there is also a Courtyard, Jurys Inn and Premier Inn.

To be fair, it is within 5 minutes walk of the airport terminal and you can’t really ask for more than that. Whether or not you want or need to stay at the airport is a different matter, of course. To get into town you’ll need to drive, take a cab or the 727 bus – all of which take 20-30 minutes.

Inside Moxy Aberdeen Airport

With grey cladding it looks like a fairly standard airport hotel on the outside (the Courtyard, which I believe was built at the same time, is effectively a mirror image) but it transforms into a Moxy on the inside.

The dual-height lobby-come-lounge is flooded with natural height by the floor to ceiling windows and filled with the sort of things you’d expect at a Moxy. You have a casual seating area next to a lovely gas fireplace:

Further back is a pleasant hot desking area – plus a record player and some old records in case you get bored of work.

On the other side you have the Moxy bar and reception, which straddles a large dining table:

Plus a pool table and table football:

You check in at the bar, as you do with all Moxys, and the process was quick and easy. The hotel recognised my Marriott Bonvoy Gold status and upgraded me to the largest room, a ‘Moxyfied Family Sleeper’. I didn’t get the usual Moxy welcome amenity, normally a free drink at the bar.

Rooms at Moxy Aberdeen Airport

Moxy keeps it simple and there are just three room types – a standard queen, a twin room and the Moxyfied Family Sleeper, effectively one bedroom suite with a large bed and sofa bed. These rooms also appear to be accessible as standard.

Since they are accessible you just tap your keycard and the door automatically opens onto this photo, which is pretty much as ‘funky’ as the rooms get:

Unlike other Moxys you get a ‘proper’ wardrobe here with Rob’s favourite – stealable hangers!

As the room is fully accessible all the doors and walk-through areas are very spacious, which is nice. Certainly a departure from a smallish room you’d normally find at a Moxy.

The suite opens onto the bedroom first:

You only get two pillows but the amenities are all modern with plenty of connectivity.

Slightly bizarrely, the bedside sockets are only compatible with European style two-pin plugs, although there are also USB sockets on both sides.

Opposite the bed you have a dividing wall with TV:

In the next room you have a pleasant living room with sofa bed and another TV:

…. plus the tea and coffee facilities, which means a Nespresso machine with non-Nespresso pods:

Next up is the bathroom. It is actually a wet room as this is an accessible room:

A large shower with curtains is in the corner with the usual bright pink ‘Muk’ Moxy toiletries. You get one sink with some non-classy plastic-wrapped plastic cups:

The bathroom isn’t going to win any awards for style – it is a bit drab and dark – but it does the job.

Views from the room are nothing to shout about:

The Moxy breakfast

The Moxy Aberdeen Airport also offers a continental breakfast. It is actually slightly bigger than I expected, with a range of pastries on offer:

…. a choice of cereals:

…. plus some ham, cheese and other salady bits:

Scrambled eggs are pretty much all you’ll get in terms of hot food:

If you want a hot breakfast then you can go to the Greene King pub across the car park called Dyce Farm, which will serve you a buffet for around £5 – less than half the £12.50 you’d pay at the hotel.

If you’re peckish throughout your stay there is a mini mart featuring a range of soft drinks and snacks. The bar is also on hand for any hot or alcoholic drinks you might want.

The gym

The hotel features a small basic gym comprising of a running machine, exercise bike, elliptical and a handful of weights:

Conclusion

I spent the good part of 24 hours in the Moxy Aberdeen Airport and, I have to say, I really enjoyed it. The public areas are lovely and bright, and there is a spot for everyone – I enjoyed working from one of the desks.

It was also a pleasant surprise to be upgraded to the biggest room type – it was more than I needed for my one night stay but still nice to have. The rooms are pretty plain for a Moxy – apart from the life-size photo of jumping woman the room feels like it could be in any hotel.

The breakfast, of course, is a poor deal given you can get a cooked breakfast at the pub next door for half the price, but it is well presented.

The Moxy Aberdeen Airport is a Marriott Bonvoy Category 1 hotel which means you need between 5,000 and 10,000 points per night. Cash prices start at £70 per night for a stay in mid November which makes it an excellent redemption. You can find out more, and book, on the hotel website here.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)