First-ever hotel on wheels to open in the Hudson Valley this winter

The world’s first hotel on wheels is set to debut in the Hudson Valley this winter. The New York-based startup company Moliving Inc. revealed earlier this year its first model unit, which measures roughly 400 square feet and includes two outdoor decks. The company believes the movable luxury hotel rooms, which are designed to be easily installed and relocated, offer hoteliers the opportunity to build hotels faster, more sustainably, and to adjust room inventory according to seasonal demand.

​”The traditional hotel development model has proven its success for generations. Now, lifestyle habits and travel behaviors have greatly shifted. We are spearheading the change with our mobile units and proprietary technology to continue to adapt,” Jordan Bem, Moliving founder and CEO,  said in a press release.

“Moliving is accommodating by design, its flexibility feeds the desire to roam freely helping the industry to embrace the nomadic, adventure seeking traveler of today who still wants all the benefits of the traditional five-star accommodation.”

SG Blocks is a Brooklyn-based construction company that repurposes shipping containers into residences and commercial spaces. The company last year also created a line of medical pop-up clinics and COVID-19 testing facilities in response to the pandemic.

SG Blocks has been tapped to construct 60 prefabricated units for Moliving’s first hotel, Hurley House. The “luxury eco-resort” will open in Kingston, New York this winter.

Moliving units are built on custom-designed bases to create standalone rooms or grouped together to create multi-level units. Made of recycled and eco-friendly materials, the units can be either in an “off the grid” setting or hooked up to the host property in minutes.

The units are 45 feet long and offer 400 square feet of interior space, with extra room found on the two decks, one at each end of the structure. The rooms boast wooden elements and natural earth tones with floor-to-ceiling windows and a skylight providing views and natural light.

The bed is built so it can be converted into a king-size bed or two twin beds, according to the company. All units have amenities like a smart TV, wireless speaker, USB ports, in-room safe, private bar, electronically controlled shades, and Wi-Fi.

Moliving, which has a mission to “democratize the hotel industry,” says the mobile units offer “landowners and hoteliers the opportunity to build hotels in months versus years, at a fraction of the cost of a traditional hotel.”

According to the company, the Moliving process includes finding a suitable landowner partner to form a joint venture, building the mobile units locally, transporting the units to the site, and soon after, opening the hotel. At the end of the agreement, the partnership can be extended or ended, with units able to be removed with minimal impact on the environment.

Following its debut in Kingston this year, Moliving plans to expand to other East Coast locations next year and will look for partners in seasonal destinations like Joshua Tree and Lake Tahoe.

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Photos by David Mitchell