The independent group is continuing to attract development opportunities around the world as a result of well-received debuts in London, UK; the Maldives; Ibiza, Spain; and Bangkok and Hua Hin in Thailand.
Positive pipeline
Pipeline deliveries will begin next month with The Standard Fitzroy Melbourne, bringing 126 keys to Australia. The Standard Singapore will follow in Q1 2024, adding 143 rooms to the southeast Asian city state.
Further ahead the 187-key The Standard Hotel Dublin Arch will head to the Irish capital in Q1 2025, while The Standard Lisbon will bring 165 hotel rooms to Portugal as well as branded residences in Q2 2025. Other forthcoming projects for The Standard brand are: Austin, Brooklyn (Bushwick) and Nashville in the USA; a site in Mexico (resort and residences); Vancouver, Canada; Vienna, Austria; Brussels, Belgium; and Khao Yai and Pattaya in Thailand.
The first Standard branded stand-alone residential project in Midtown Miami has launched successfully with over 70% of the units under contract, and with the upcoming addition of residences to The Standard, Hua Hin, The Standard will launch its first branded residences in Asia.
Sister brands
The company’s sister hotel brand Bunkhouse also continues to thrive with the recent openings of the 122-key Hotel Genevieve in Louisville (NULU), USA and another property in San Fernando in Mexico City, along with projects under development in Chattanooga, Fort Worth, as well as two projects in Houston including the 71-room Hotel Saint Augustine in Q4 2024, and two additional hotels in Mexico (Todos Santos and Queretaro).
Peri Hotels, Standard International’s latest brand, has two new properties, the 169-key Bangkok Sukhumvit and Bangkok Riverside, joining the portfolio.
Unique position
Amber Asher, CEO of Standard International, said: “We are in a unique position as one of the last independent lifestyle brands.
“Most of our competitors have been acquired, or have merged into large hotel companies, and we find that many developers and capital partners around the world prefer working with us, as a company that remains entrepreneurial, creative, nimble, and culturally connected. Our owner and developer partners are incredibly proud of the projects we are developing with them which leads to more projects in our global pipeline.”
Bespoke approach
During the toughest years of the covid pandemic that left many independent hotel brands struggling to survive, and seeking companies with larger balance sheets to acquire them, the Standard team doubled down on its growth opportunities, deepened its bench of in-house talent (best in class creative, marketing, public relations, development and operations teams) and external collaborators (from renowned interior designers and artists, to the next generation of fashion stars, to the most skilled and innovative chefs), and refined its operational approach to deliver both experiential and financial results.
The Standard team works closely with its owner and developer partners to create projects that fit the submarkets and buildings themselves, a very different approach to some large brands who can try to force the owner or developer to fit their projects into the ‘brand standards’. Standard International believes its bespoke approach has resulted in the creation of projects around the world that have transformed emerging neighbourhoods into cultural epicentres while delivering strong returns for its partners.
