Moxy Virginia Beach Oceanfront opened in June 2023 on the site of a demolished Baymont Hotel at 12th Street and Atlantic Avenue, bringing Marriott's playful lifestyle brand to the oceanfront's livelier south end. The ground-up, 134-room, seven-story building was designed by Richmond architecture firm Baskervill and has since won multiple hospitality design awards.
The essentials
Group Marriott · Moxy
Opening June 2023
Rooms & suites 134 rooms
Segment Lifestyle
Designer Baskervill
Entry rate From $160 Learn more → The place At 1201 Atlantic Avenue on 12th Street, on the livelier south end of the Virginia Beach oceanfront strip: a brand-new seven-story building erected on the site of the former Baymont Hotel, which was demolished to make way for it.
The concept Moxy Virginia Beach Oceanfront opened in June 2023 as a ground-up, 134-room, seven-story hotel designed by Richmond firm Baskervill, replacing a demolished Baymont on a corner site at 12th and Atlantic. It applies Marriott's now-familiar Moxy formula (compact rooms with platform beds and hidden drawer storage, wall-mounted fold-down desks, playful public spaces) to a beach setting, adding a second-floor slide, a horseshoe entrance, an oceanfront pool with a sunken bar, and lawn-game areas that lean into the brand's 'sandbox' positioning rather than a conventional beach-resort look.
The location is a deliberate choice: it sits on the south end of the oceanfront strip, traditionally the busier, more bar-heavy stretch of the boardwalk, rather than the quieter, more upscale north end where the Cavalier Resort and older luxury properties cluster. The project has since picked up design-industry recognition, including a 2025 LIV Hospitality Design Award and a Sustainable Hospitality Leadership in Design award.
Dining & wellness Bar Moxy runs 24/7 as the social hub of the lobby, alongside the vintage-diner-styled Belvedere South Coffee Shop & Diner and a grab-and-go market; outside, an oceanfront pool with a sunken bar anchors the pool deck.
Our take A well-executed, purpose-built example of the Moxy formula rather than a boutique original: the ground-up build and beach-specific touches (slide, tiki-bar suites, oceanfront pool) show real design effort, but this remains a compact-room, bar-centric hotel aimed at a young, price-conscious crowd, not a luxury stay.
Google guest reviews 4.0/5 · 495 reviews
Our first stay at Moxy (any location) won't be our last! The VA Beach location was such a gem to find, our family had a blast!
Rooms were small, but comfortable. Perfect set up for sleeping and cleaning up to move on to your next adventure.
The staff and guests were so wonderful! Everyone was friendly, it was a very social atmosphere, which I loved! You get a welcome drink at the bar when you check in as well 🥂
Shuffleboard was a hit with it kids and kept us occupied during a rainy day, along with board games and a slide🙂
Overall, location was beachfront and on the boardwalk, you can't ask for a better set up. It's affordable and so family friendly (and pet!). I would highly recommend it for any type of vacation!
After an absolute nightmare experience with another lodging reservation, my wife and I arrived at the Moxy Virginia Beach Oceanfront around 1:30 a.m. on the night we came to Virginia Beach to elope and get married. The Moxy completely turned our trip around. Despite the late hour, the staff got us checked in quickly and treated us with kindness and professionalism when we needed it most.
The room was exceptionally clean, comfortable, and had an amazing ocean view. The atmosphere throughout the hotel was fun, welcoming, and relaxing. The bartenders, front desk staff, and management were outstanding. What started as one of the worst travel nights we have experienced became one of the most memorable weekends of our lives because of the Moxy team.
The only areas needing improvement involve accessibility and guest accommodations. As a disabled Marine Veteran, I found the valet process frustrating. I repeatedly explained that I preferred to park my own vehicle and maintain access to it during my stay, yet there was continued pressure to surrender my keys. While I ultimately kept my keys and handled my own vehicle, additional self parking options and clearly designated disabled parking would greatly improve the experience for disabled guests.
I also had an unfortunate experience at the attached Belvedere Coffee Shop & Diner. My wife and I initially sat outside, but constant biting flies made it impossible to enjoy our meal. After moving inside, an assistant manager attempted to remove me because of my service dog despite Federal ADA protections. My service dog was wearing his service vest, lying quietly at my feet, and bothering absolutely nobody. The issue was only resolved after I explained ADA requirements and my rights as a disabled Veteran. Additional ADA and service animal training for restaurant staff is clearly needed.
Despite those issues, our overall stay at the Moxy was excellent. The hotel itself, the staff, the cleanliness, the views, and the atmosphere were all outstanding. We would absolutely stay here again and would recommend the Moxy Virginia Beach Oceanfront to others.
We will come back because this place is dog friendly. We arrived a little after 4, which is check in time but had to wait for our room to be ready. The room was cleanish. I did include a picture of the bed frame that had some hairs and debris from previous guests.
The floors were vacuumed, not mopped. Pretty clean but room for improvement. I ran view room was great. Dogs love watching birds and people. People like watching waves crash on the beach.
The hotel is dog friendly. We enjoyed hanging out on the couches with the furkids. When we didn’t have furkids, we enjoyed the slide from the second floor down the first.
We liked the location. It’s on the other side of the beach from the residential area and the state park. If all you need is a beach view and a quick walk to the beach, then the location is great.
This is not a work hotel, it is a fun and relaxed hotel. No real chairs or desks or even counterspace in the rooms. They give you a drink chip, but unless you like gin and tonic or a cheap Japanese whiskey, it is worthless. Most people didn't use them. If you have a car, you basically have to use valet for $11 a day. The valet people are great, but you can't call down and have your car ready. Not their fault. I did have to switch rooms due to severe shower leakage that caused the bathroom floor to be soggy. They were kind enough to bring the little fridge from the room because the new room didnt have one and I like to have breakfast and snacks and cold drinks. Well the fridge went out, a freon line burst and sprayed compressor oil over everything and turned into a heater that ruined my food. They said they would make it right but never did. The rooms were fairly clean, with the exception of hair all over the second room. Overall I will stay somewhere else next time. If it was a party trip, I may consider it an option.
We reserved a room at the Moxy because the hotel looked absolutely gorgeous and the location was great. Unfortunately, the room was much smaller than expected and lacked storage space. There wasn’t a closet, and both the bedsheets and the room had a funky smell.
That said, the pool was beautiful, and the staff were very kind and welcoming, which helped make the stay more enjoyable.
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