Standard International joins Hyatt: Here’s what you need to Know
Can cool and conglomerate coexist — let alone thrive — when it comes to edgy lifestyle brands and multibillion-dollar hotel parent companies?
Hyatt and Standard International will be the latest test over whether lifestyle hotels can flourish post-acquisition, following Hyatt’s earlier takeovers of Dream Hotel Group and Two Roads Hospitality (which delivered the company brands like Thompson Hotels and Alila).
Competitors like Hilton acquired lifestyle hotel brands Graduate and NoMad in the last year, Accor took a majority stake in lifestyle hotel group Ennismore (owner of The Hoxton) in 2021, while IHG Hotels & Resorts made a splash in 2015 when it acquired Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants — seen as the originator of the boutique-turned-lifestyle hotel concept.
Lifestyle brands are a lot like celebrities: Their star power can grow brighter just as fast as they fade out. But whereas brands like W and Kimpton may have hit a few stumbles here and there in terms of maintaining their star wattage, Standard continues to high kick and grab headlines 25 years after first opening in West Hollywood.
Hyatt’s upcoming Standard acquisition includes The Standard, The StandardX, Bunkhouse Hotels, The Peri Hotel and The Manner brands, which have a global presence (some more than others). While you’ll be waiting a bit for these brands to integrate into the World of Hyatt network, here’s what you need to know about each of the upcoming brands entering the Hyatt ecosystem.
The Standard
The Standard Hua Hin in Thailand. THE STANDARD/FACEBOOK
It’s probably insulting to consider Standard International’s cooler-than-cool namesake brand the “grand dame” of the whole enterprise. The Standard High Line in Manhattan is a place where everyone from Madonna and Billie Eilish hangs out or performs. This location is unlike any other Hyatt-owned properties in New York City. The Standard, High Line, is at the top of the lifestyle hotel world, with bars and restaurants such as The Standard Grill and Le Bain generating as much buzz as the rooms. The original West Hollywood Standard is no longer available, but there are eight Standard locations around the globe. Standard’s vibrant aesthetic is a hit with global jet-setters, from London to Miami and Bangkok. Standard is planning to open additional hotels in cities such as Singapore, Lisbon, and Dublin. The rooms and suites at Standard are not pretentious but they do have a luxurious feel. The Standard staff is also a big draw, acting as your new best friend when you are in exotic locations. If you ask me, Hyatt’s finally hitting the mark in its wave of lifestyle hotel brand acquisitions with The Standard brand alone, as these hotels are significantly better maintained than some of the older Dream Hotels I’ve frequented.
The Standard High Line is known for its NYC views. STANDARD HIGHLINE
The StandardX
A new offering from Standard is The StandardX. It is a “rebellious young sibling” to The Standard, similar to what Tommie was to Thompson Hotels. This more affordable brand debuted in Melbourne, Australia, this year and has global growth ambitions for distinct, cultural neighborhoods around the world.
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will be in neighborhoods that we think fit this new brand,” Standard International CEO Amber Asher said in an interview with TPG earlier this year. We’re not just creating the brand to grow it. We are creating the brand to have the chance to be in the neighborhood and explore things in an alternative way. “
The StandardX rooftop in Melbourne. STANDARD INTERNATIONAL[The StandardX hotels]While StandardX has a similar vibe as its older sibling, guests should expect a more streamlined experience at a more affordable nightly rate. Expect cozier rooms, albeit larger than those at Marriott’s Moxy and Ennismore’s The Hoxton. Also expect bars and restaurants to blend into the neighborhood. The StandardX Melbourne’s introductory rates started at $168 per day. The StandardX Bangkok Phra Arthit, the next official property in Bangkok’s old city neighborhood, is set to open soon. The StandardX could be an option for cities that are not able to afford The Standard’s rates. STANDARD HOTELS
The Peri Hotel
Standard International fans in Asia have an “approachable and family-friendly style” brand just for them with The Peri Hotel, which currently operates in two locations in Thailand. For the moment, the brand’s locations are leisure-oriented in Hua Hin near the Khao Yai National Park and the beach resort of Hua Hin. But the first urban Peri is slated to open soon in Bangkok, per the Standard International website.
Guests can expect simple, clean, colorful designs in guest rooms. Amenities include specialty bars and restaurants that reflect the local surroundings (surf lodge vibes in Hua Hin compared to a mountain lodge aesthetic in Khao Yai).
To price shop: Entry-level nightly rates at the Peri Hotel in Hua Hin averaged around $64 next month, while those at the Standard, Hua Hin (one of the most affordable in The Standard network), started at $94.
Bunkhouse Hotels
The dining room at Ocho, within San Antonio’s Hotel Havana. BUNKHOUSE/FACEBOOK
One of the more surprising growth drivers at Standard International is from a brand you might not be familiar with. Bunkhouse Hotels are the company’s smaller hotels located in Texas, California, Kentucky and Mexico. The smaller lifestyle hotels are a mix of motel conversions and trendy boutique hotels, in markets where a full-scale Standard is not feasible but the market still enjoys a good party. It’s an opportunity for the creative class to move into these cities, where there is less stress. The average Bunkhouse hotel has between 14 and 120 rooms, with a distinct brand identity. There are five Bunkhouse hotels in Austin alone: the Austin Motel, Carpenter Hotel, Hotel Magdalena, Hotel Saint Cecilia & Hotel San Jose. The Manner
An upcoming luxury concept Standard in New York City’s SoHo district is still not open, but is generating lots of buzz. The Manner, a luxury concept opening in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood, is not yet open but is generating plenty of buzz. The company’s development website states that the brand’s ethos is “a reflection of the generosity, discretion, and effortlessness” associated with staying with friends. This property will have a private rooftop bar and cocktail lounge for guests, but it will also include restaurants that are open to everyone. But what happens after the dust settles is still a tad murky.
Industry cynics will say these big conglomerates are where cool goes to die. However, newly acquired lifestyle brands are increasingly being given autonomy, as some of these hotel parent companies appear to recognize they need a different creative approach to maintain brand appeal.
Standard has more brands to absorb than some of the other lifestyle players, so it will be interesting to see if Hyatt maintains all of these or if some get swallowed up by soft brands like JdV by Hyatt and the Unbound Collection.
In the meantime, it will be intriguing to see what happens over the next few years outside the walls of the major hotel groups.
Is everyone just waiting to get gobbled up and tap into major loyalty networks? Is everyone just waiting to be gobbled up and tap into major loyalty networks?
