I feel like a broken record, but I've been traveling a lot. For the last few months I've been on the road for work about 15 days out of every month. This Monday I got back from a five day trip to New York City. While in the Big Apple I lived for the week in The Standard at the High Line in the meat packing district.
I had stayed at The Standard in West Hollywood and was curious to see how this location would differ.
It's kind of impossible to miss the hotel thanks to it's enormous lipstick red sculpture out front. Behind the sculpture are mustard yellow tables and chairs. The matching yellow front door is nestled right beneath the High Line.
Outside the front door of the hotel is the patio for the hotel restaurant. It's the perfect place for your morning coffee, an afternoon refuel or a late night drink.
To enter the hotel you push yourself through the revolving yellow door.
The lobby has a kind of intergalactic feel to it. All of the women who work at the reception desk wear these stewardess-like gray dresses which are all about the cleavage. I was shocked that they dress like that!
After checking in with the cleavage crew, I got my key and headed towards the elevator. The elevator bank in the lobby is surrounded by mirrored walls, giving the light fixtures quite the reflection.
The entire five days I was at The Standard every time I wanted to call the elevator it wound up taking at least ten minutes. It got to be pretty frustrating as I was rushing from activity to activity. I had to start building in wait time. Also, every time I got on the elevator with other hotels guests, no one was speaking English. The hotel attracts a lot of international guests.
When I got off at my floor I couldn't help but notice that the hallway carpet was very similar to my bedspread at The Standard in West Hollywood. Practically identical.
My room had its number stamped on the door.
When I opened the door to my room I was thrilled to see how big it was. New York City hotel rooms can be a major gamble.
I wasn't sure what to make of this weirdly shaped piece of furniture until I realized it was the mini bar!
The top two shelves were packed with drinks, salty snacks and candy. The Standard also offered headphones, playing cards and candles. You know, in case you want to set the mood.
One of my favorite parts of the room was the bathroom which was bright red.
The whole bathroom was tiled with these shiny red bricks.
The sink and counter area was very roomy. I need a place to spread out all my products, so I was happy. I also loved The Standard's body lotion. Definitely took that home.
Weirdly, the toilet was in its own room.
Now for the shower. The shower was basically in the center of the room and was all glass. My shower at The Standard in West Hollywood was like this too.
The shower had the three signature black toiletry bottles. I had these exact bottles in my room at The Standard in Los Angeles too.
You can see into the shower from every part of the hotel room.
In the main part of the room was the bed, set against a wooden headboard. The bedding was all white and the bed itself was super comfortable. I slept like a baby all four nights.
They leave a little index card next to your bed that you can place on the bed if you want new sheets.
Across from the bed was a flat screen TV set into a wooden frame. I didn't turn the TV on once during my stay.
The part of the room I lived in all five days was the desk area. There was a bench, a long white table and a sophisticated leather chair. I had my laptop set up there all five days and spent at least two hours a day in that very spot. The Standard has free wi-fi and you can even use their printer down at the front desk. You print from your room and then go downstairs to pick it up or they'll even bring the documents up to you.
The best part of the desk area was the floor to ceiling windows next to it.
I had my curtains open probably 99 percent of the stay. My view was incredible. Out the right side you could see the Empire State building.
Down below was Diane Von Furstenberg's headquarters.
Below to the left was the High Line.
If you looked far left you could see the river.
The view was amazing, but just as I could see everyone across the way and down below, they could also see me. In fact, The Standard leaves a welcome note for every guest that reads, "As a reminder, please be aware of the transparency of our guest room windows."
When I was done admiring the view I went to put away my clothes but I couldn't find the closet. Turns out it was behind a curtain by the front door.
The closet had two black bathrobes, each sneakily branded with The Standard in gold on a small tag.
Living at The Standard for five days was a very interesting experience. The location of the hotel (13th Street and 9th Avenue) is great. It's right at the High Line, it's close to Chelsea Market and near a lot of great restaurants. However, it is also a major going out area, especially on the weekends, and that "see and be seen" vibe irritates me.
The Standard is an expertly branded hotel chain. Every single detail is thought out and contributes to their overall mission. As a marketer, I had no choice but to admire their decision making.
Because the hotel is carefully curated, I was surprised by a few things. First of all, the housekeeping staff was constantly knocking on my door. Asking to clean the room, asking to check on the mini bar. Maybe they are used to messy, booze bag guests, but I was tidy and very quiet. I also couldn't believe how slow the elevators were.
I've stayed in a lot of hotels in New York - the Ace Hotel, Gramercy Park, the Dylan Hotel, the Shoreham, 70 Park and now The Standard. Though there were a few things that peeved me over the five days, I have never stayed anywhere with such an incredible view. Nothing beats the Manhattan sky line. I'd stay at The Standard again for the view alone.
Have you every stayed at one of The Standard locations?
