While we were in New York for ICFF, we were invited to go on a tour of the new Standard Hotel, which is located in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. For those who aren’t familiar with The Standard Hotel group, it’s a small collection of boutique hotels, each with its own unique modern design. The New York location is the latest addition to the group, which also includes locations in Hollywood, downtown Los Angeles, and Miami Beach.
The Standard Hotels are part of André Balazs Properties, and André Balazs himself gave us the tour of his latest creation. Like a proud parent who is always willing to talk about their children, André was enthusiastic about pointing out and discussing all the design details that combine to create the experience of staying at the Standard.
Visitors to the Standard are likely to first experience the presence of the building from a few blocks away, as it rises far above the surrounding buildings of the Meatpacking District. A vibrant public courtyard on the corner of Washington and 13th Street provides a soft greeting to the hotel. It’s here where you’ll probably stop and look up at how the building arches over and straddles the High Line.
The vibrancy of the courtyard follows you into the lobby, where you’re greeted by designer furniture leading up to the front desk. Passing by a framework of crafted masonry space dividers, you’ll enter an elevator and be on your way to one of the 337 guest rooms with floor to ceiling windows that offer amazing views of either across the Hudson River or the Manhattan skyline.
The rooms come in a variety of layouts that André Balazs explained were made possible by designing the building from the inside out. Bankette seating with an adjustable height table that faces both the HD plasma TV and the view, were a common feature in all the rooms we toured, they look great for working, eating, or a place for visitors to sit and chat.
The bathrooms are of the exhibitionist variety, meaning that there is often only a clear glass wall that separates you from the rest of the room or the rest of the city! The beds are comfortable, and of course they face the signature views that the Standard will become known for.
With the Standard in New York, André Balazs has created a vibrant thought-filled contribution to the revitalization of the Meatpacking District, and added another significant location to his growing collection of design-conscious hotels.
