Standard Hotels
Standard Hotels is an international lifestyle and boutique-hotel brand known for distinctive design, social spaces, nightlife, and destination-oriented hospitality.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Standard Hotels is an international boutique and lifestyle-hotel brand founded in 1999 by hotel entrepreneur Andre Balazs. The brand began with The Standard, Hollywood, a redevelopment of a former motel on Los Angeles's Sunset Strip, and developed a reputation for combining unconventional architecture, highly designed interiors, restaurants, bars, rooftop venues, pools, and nightlife with hotel accommodation. Rather than presenting itself as a conventional luxury chain, The Standard positioned its properties as cultural and social destinations with a deliberately contemporary, youthful, and sometimes irreverent identity. The original Hollywood property occupied a 1962 building that had first operated as the Thunderbird Motel and later been used as a retirement home. Balazs Properties purchased and remodeled the structure for the hotel’s 1999 opening. The project attracted prominent early investors, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Benicio del Toro, D'arcy Wretzky, and James Iha, helping establish the hotel as a visible part of Los Angeles’s entertainment and creative scene. The brand expanded in 2002 with The Standard, Downtown LA, created through the conversion of the former Superior Oil Company headquarters. Its renovation retained the building’s historic character while introducing a rooftop pool and bar and a reconfigured two-story lobby. Expansion continued with The Standard Spa, Miami Beach, in 2006. This property broadened the brand beyond the conventional urban hotel model by emphasizing hydrotherapy, wellness, communal facilities, and a holistic approach to hospitality. In 2008, The Standard, High Line became the company’s first ground-up hotel rather than a conversion of an existing building. The New York property helped reinforce the brand’s association with design-led public spaces and a strong connection to local cultural and nightlife scenes. The 2011 transformation of the former Cooper Square Hotel into The Standard, East Village extended the New York presence and demonstrated the group’s continuing use of adaptive reuse. In 2013, Balazs sold an 80 percent stake in the company to Standard International, the management organization associated with The Standard and later Bunkhouse Hotels. The business subsequently developed an international portfolio. The Standard, London opened in 2019 as the brand’s first property outside the United States, followed the same year by The Standard, Maldives. Later openings included The Standard, Hua Hin, The Standard, Ibiza, and The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon. Bangkok became a significant Asian flagship, occupying part of the King Power Mahanakhon tower and featuring interiors by designer Jaime Hayon. The brand also experienced contraction. The Standard, Hollywood closed permanently in January 2021 after the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and increased lease costs made continued operation impractical. The Standard, Downtown LA, which had also closed temporarily during the pandemic, did not reopen and was permanently closed in January 2022; the building was later rebranded as The Delphi Hotel in 2023. In 2024, Standard International introduced The StandardX, a younger and more rebellious companion concept, with The StandardX, Melbourne opening in Fitzroy in August. The portfolio also included or announced properties in Singapore, Bangkok’s Phra Arthit area, and Brussels. Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced an agreement in August 2024 to acquire Standard International and its hotel brands, including The Standard, The StandardX, The Peri, Bunkhouse Hotels, and The Manner. The acquisition was reported as completed in October 2024. Hyatt stated that the transaction would support a new lifestyle-hotel division based in New York and that current and pipeline properties would be integrated into World of Hyatt. Standard Hotels therefore remains an active international lifestyle brand, now operating within Hyatt’s broader hotel platform while retaining a distinct…
History
Standard Hotels originated in the late 1990s as a hospitality project led by Andre Balazs. The first property, The Standard, Hollywood, opened in 1999 on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California. Its building had been constructed in 1962 as the Thunderbird Motel and had later been used as a retirement home. Balazs Properties acquired and remodeled the structure, turning it into a hotel aimed at younger travelers and the creative industries. The hotel’s early investor group included several entertainment figures, giving the project immediate visibility in Los Angeles’s cultural and celebrity environment. The brand’s second major property was The Standard, Downtown LA, which opened in 2002 in the former headquarters of the Superior Oil Company. The twelve-story, marble-clad building dated from 1956. Koning Eizenberg Architecture reworked the interior, including the former banking hall, into a large two-level lobby and added a rooftop pool and bar. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. The project illustrated a recurring Standard strategy: place contemporary hospitality, food, beverage, and social programming inside architecturally distinctive existing structures. In 2006, the company expanded to Florida with The Standard Spa, Miami Beach. Located on Biscayne Bay, the property emphasized hydrotherapy, wellness, and communal spa facilities. This development broadened the portfolio from urban nightlife-led hotels toward destination wellness. In 2008, The Standard, High Line opened in New York City. Unlike the earlier conversions, it was built from the ground up, with design by Ennead Architects. Its location and public-facing spaces strengthened the brand’s profile as a participant in New York’s design, fashion, restaurant, and nightlife culture. The company acquired the Cooper Square Hotel in 2011 and converted it into The Standard, East Village. This was another example of the group adapting an existing hotel asset to fit The Standard’s visual and operational identity. In autumn 2013, Andre Balazs sold an 80 percent stake in the company to Standard International. Standard International subsequently became the management company associated with The Standard and Bunkhouse Hotels. International growth began in 2019. The Standard, London opened in July in the King’s Cross area and became the first Standard property outside the United States. The Standard, Maldives opened later that year in Huruvalhi in the Raa Atoll, extending the brand into resort hospitality. The portfolio then added The Standard, Hua Hin, Thailand, in December 2021; The Standard, Ibiza, in Dalt Vila, in April 2022; and The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon, in July 2022. The Bangkok property occupied space in the King Power Mahanakhon tower and was described as the brand’s Asian flagship, with interiors by Jaime Hayon. The company also faced operational retrenchment during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Standard, Hollywood temporarily closed in 2020 and permanently ceased operations on January 22, 2021. The cited factors included a 2019 increase in the property’s lease price and the pandemic’s impact on hotel economics. The Standard, Downtown LA likewise closed temporarily in 2020 and never reopened; it was permanently closed on January 22, 2022. The building was later rebranded as The Delphi Hotel in 2023. The next phase involved brand segmentation and corporate ownership. On August 8, 2024, The StandardX, Melbourne opened in Fitzroy. It was presented as a more rebellious younger sibling to The Standard, designed to extend the group’s lifestyle proposition to a different audience and operating format. The portfolio also included or announced The Standard properties in Singapore, Bangkok’s Phra Arthit district, and Brussels. On August 20, 2024, Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced its intention to purchase Standard International. The proposed transaction covered The Standard, The StandardX, The Peri, Bunkhouse Hotels, and The Manner. Hyatt said it intended to incorporate current and pipeline hotels into the World of Hyatt loyalty program and establish a New York-based lifestyle-hotel division led by executives from both organizations. Completion of the acquisition was reported in October 2024. Standard Hotels consequently became part of Hyatt while continuing to operate as a distinct lifestyle brand.
- 2024
The StandardX launches and Hyatt acquisition is completed
[1]The StandardX debuts in Melbourne, while Hyatt announces and later completes its purchase of Standard International.
- 2022
Asian portfolio expands
[1]The Standard, Hua Hin and The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon open, alongside the Ibiza property.
- 2021
The Standard, Hollywood closes permanently
[1]The original Standard property permanently closes after pandemic disruption and lease-cost pressure.
- 2019
International expansion begins
[1]The Standard, London opens as the first property outside the United States, followed by The Standard, Maldives.
- 2013
Standard International acquires an 80 percent stake
[1]Andre Balazs sells a controlling stake in the company to Standard International.
- 2011
Cooper Square Hotel becomes The Standard, East Village
[1]Andre Balazs Properties completes the acquisition and transformation of the Cooper Square Hotel.
- 2008
The Standard, High Line opens
[1]The first purpose-built Standard hotel opens in New York City.
- 2006
The Standard Spa, Miami Beach opens
[1]The brand expands into wellness-oriented resort hospitality on Biscayne Bay.
- 2003
Downtown LA building enters the National Register of Historic Places
[1]The building housing The Standard, Downtown LA receives historic-register recognition.
- 2002
The Standard, Downtown LA opens
[1]A former Superior Oil Company headquarters is converted into a Standard hotel with a rooftop pool, bar, and redesigned lobby.
Products and positioning
Design-led, culturally engaged lifestyle hospitality that combines boutique accommodation with restaurants, bars, nightlife, wellness, and highly social public spaces. The brand generally emphasizes personality, local creative energy, and distinctive adaptive-reuse or architecturally prominent properties over standardized luxury.
Lifestyle and boutique hotels · 1999
The Standard
The core hotel brand combines individually designed properties with restaurants, bars, rooftop venues, pools, nightlife, and public spaces intended to function as local cultural destinations. Properties range from urban adaptive-reuse projects to resort settings. The brand’s identity is less dependent on standardized room layouts than on distinctive architecture, provocative design, social programming, and a strong relationship with surrounding creative and entertainment communities.
Wellness hotels and spas · 2006
The Standard Spa
The Standard Spa concept emphasizes hydrotherapy, wellness treatments, communal facilities, and holistic guest experiences. The best-known property in the supplied material is The Standard Spa, Miami Beach, which opened in 2006 on Biscayne Bay and expanded the company’s proposition beyond accommodation and nightlife into destination wellness.
Lifestyle hotel sub-brand · 2024
The StandardX
The StandardX is positioned as a younger, more rebellious companion to The Standard. It is intended to apply the group’s design-led, socially oriented hospitality approach to a more informal and alternative format. The first reported property opened in Fitzroy, Melbourne, in August 2024.
Brand decisions
2024
Hyatt acquisition of Standard InternationalM&ABackground
Standard International managed The Standard and related lifestyle brands, including Bunkhouse Hotels, as the portfolio expanded across international markets.
Action taken
Hyatt announced plans to acquire Standard International and its brands, including The Standard, The StandardX, The Peri, Bunkhouse Hotels, and The Manner. The purchase was reported as completed in October 2024.
Aftermath
Hyatt planned to place current and pipeline properties within World of Hyatt and create a New York-based lifestyle-hotel division combining Standard and Hyatt leadership.
2024
Launch of The StandardXProduct launchBackground
The group sought to extend its lifestyle-hospitality model to a younger and more alternative audience.
Action taken
The StandardX opened its first property in Fitzroy, Melbourne, in August 2024.
Aftermath
The new concept became a distinct companion brand within the Standard International portfolio.
2013
Sale of a controlling stake to Standard InternationalM&ABackground
The Standard had grown from a Los Angeles hotel project into a broader lifestyle-hospitality business with multiple properties and concepts.
Action taken
Andre Balazs sold an 80 percent stake in the company to Standard International.
Aftermath
Standard International became the principal management organization associated with The Standard and later expanded the portfolio internationally.
Sources2 sources
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