The Standard Hotel Might Be The Secret to This Year's Confusing Holiday
As the finale of such a tumultuous year finally nears, one last question mark looms on the cultural calendar: How to spend the winter holidays? For those accustomed to traveling home for Christmas, jetting off for Hanukkah, hosting for Kwanza, or a combination for some non-conforming gathering this year—like all other events, occasions, and everything under the sun—is going to be very different from years' past. Even the days at home in between holidays and New Years—typically awarded to leftovers and out-of-office emails—won't feel quite the same. So what should New Yorkers do when they can't go away? Stay.
Enter The Standard Hotel, whose two New York locations—art and shopping mainstay The Standard, High Line and the younger, edgier The Standard, East Village—reopened with the rest of the city earlier this fall to much excitement. In the months since, the outposts have introduced new programming—in addition to COVID-19 safety mandates—making each a tempting option for your holiday staycation.
Tucked beside the downtown entrance to the lush park from which the hotel draws its name, The Standard, High Line has long been a favorite of the fashion sect for its adjacency to The Meatpacking Distrcti's boutiques and for housing after-hours hot spots The Top of The Standard (lovingly known as The Boom Boom Room) and Le Bain. Guests of the hotel share the venues' unbelievable views, and rising after a night's sleep, one feels like he or she is floating atop the Hudson River. The rain shower (or the rare bath tub!) certainly helps the scene, as do the rooms' fluffy Italian sheeted beds and warm mood lighting—surely a change from whatever work from home set up one has become used to. While the High Line's party spots are closed for now (and for good reason), guests have the option at dining at either the Standard Grill, whose Roasted Chicken for Two is unparalleled, or next door or at the Biergarten. This year instead of the hotel's annual ice rink, visitors can enjoy Flix in The Forest, a weekly program in which fan-favorite films like Hocus Pocus and The Sister Act are screened outside. While drinks are served and popcorn and blankets are complimentary, reservations must be made in advance.
Across town, a recent mural by the French artist JR is viewed on the exterior of The Standard, East Village. The powerful commission portrays the eyes of Eric Garner, and is a project in collaboration with Wide Awakes, a collective of cultural activists driving change who has teamed up with the hotel to create works across its offerings in New York, Hollywood, and Miami.
Inside the noticeably more alternative location, the vivaciousness of the brand lives on. The hotel's Winter Garden has been transformed for COVID-19 safety into heated yurts, where diners can enjoy spiced cocktails and cheesy fondue in winter-y privacy. Like the High Line, guest rooms are outfitted to the nines with floor-to-ceiling windows, enormous TVs with all the smart compatibilities one would need, and a devilish pair of lip pillows. The hotel's shop also features a limited edition candle figure by sculptor Bonam Kim in collaboration with Prospect. Symbolic of the spectrum of love, the candle is perfect for a gift-giving holiday or not and is available for purchase online.
With all the options of both hotels and the extra time spent not traveling it might be hard to decide which Standard to spend your holiday staycation—luckily the two spots are just a short Uber ride away from one another.