Design Hotels announces the signing of four of Andre Balazs’ properties: The Standard, Hollywood; The Standard, Downtown LA; The Standard Spa, Miami Beach and The Standard, New York. Conceived by visionary hotelier Andre Balazs, The Standard brand, which debuted in 1999 in West Hollywood, California, is anything but “standard.” Balazs realised early on that a new generation of young, fashionable and style-conscious consumers was emerging. They were hungry for a new hospitality experience: one that catered to their sophisticated tastes, but at the same time was affordable.

Each of The Standard hotels has its own identity and distinctive design. Moreover, the hotels offer environments that connect guests to the local social scene - a fact which brings them back time and time again.
 
“We are excited to have these hotels join our portfolio,” says Claus Sendlinger, founder and CEO of Design Hotels. “We have found the ideal partner to increase our presence in the U.S. market and provide our guests with additional outstanding properties in key destinations like New York, Miami and Los Angeles.”
 
The Standard, New York
The Standard, New York is a colossal new building standing tall over the High Line, a former elevated railway, now rehabilitated into a public park in Manhattan’s historic Meatpacking District. The 18-floor, 337-room hotel is supported on massive concrete pillars and contains a striking combination of custom details, inspired by a century of modern design.
 
Tucked underneath the High Line’s hefty steel frame, are a garden cafe and The Standard Grill, an acclaimed restaurant with Michelin-starred chef Dan Silverman at its helm. The rooms, all with floor-to-ceiling windows, provide spectacular views of the Hudson River and a sense of “floating” above New York – a feeling guests are bound not to forget. The Standard, New York opened in December 2008.

The Standard Spa, Miami Beach
Originally built in 1957 as The Lido Spa, The Standard Spa, Miami Beach is located on Belle Isle, a lush residential island on Biscayne Bay. Balazs’ vision was to update and infuse the property with renewed energy, without stripping its original charm and character. The fresh, Scandinavian design draws on Modernist elements evident in the white marble walls, terrazzo floors and vintage Danish furniture.

Inspired by ancient bathhouses and their communal lifestyle, The Standard Spa is an airy, elegant hydrotherapy spa hotel. Its “Do-It-Yourself” menuallows guests to indulge themselves with an extensive range of options including a Mud Lounge, Aroma Steam Room and Roman Waterfall Hot Tub. The hotel’s waterfront has private boating docks and spectacular views of Miami’s sunsets, and is only five minutes from the beach. The 105-room property opened in January 2006.

The Standard, Downtown LA
One day in 2000, whilst on his way to the airport, Balazs received a phone call from a friend saying: “You have got to see this building!” Balazs took a detour and after seeing it, bought it on impulse. An elegant Carrara-marble clad office building from 1952 became the home of The Standard, Downtown LA, which then set off a resurgence of the entire downtown Los Angeles area. 207 spacious rooms are outfitted with platform beds and oversized desks, and in some a gigantic black foot by Italian furniture designer Gaetano Pesce stands in the middle of white-tiled bathrooms. But the star of this hotel is its rooftop, which attracts both guests and locals. It encompasses a heated swimming pool, red Astroturf deck, a dance floor, bar, outdoor fireplace, vibrating waterbed pods and a grassy knoll with sculptured topiary. The hotel is just blocks away from downtown LA’s primary attractions. The Standard, Downtown LA opened its doors in June 2002.

The Standard, Hollywood
Unconventional in every possible way, The Standard, Hollywood dazzles from the moment guests walk into its white terrazzo-tiled lobby. The sleek, sexy environment features a tattoo parlour, a DJ spinning smooth tunes and an almost-naked model-turned-performance artist in a glass case behind the front desk.
 
A 1960s white washed building was cleverly transformed into a hip hideawaywith the help of producer and set designer Shawn Hausman. The 139 rooms feature plenty of post-modern and retro-futurist references: Andy Warhol flower-print curtains, silver beanbag chairs, inflatable sofas and surfboard-shaped coffee tables. The pool deck, outfitted in bright blue Astroturf, offers panoramic views of Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and, in the distance, Catalina Island. The hotel opened in January 1999.