The Standard, East Village has recently debuted its renovated guest rooms featuring colorful details, retro furniture and Bauhaus shapes. The downtown New York City boutique hotel maintains its artsy aesthetic but with vibrant features like playful skateboard wall installations in its suites and floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of the city. The 21-story hotel tower features a jewel box space, The Garden, (a quiet and calm oasis), bustling street-side, all day bistro, Café Standard, and buzzy No Bar bar. The property is playful while at the same time boasts modern amenities and in-room must haves like fast, free WiFi, 400-thread-count sheets, plush towels and Davines bathroom amenities. It also offers several private dining and event and meeting spaces.
Café Standard at The Standard, East Village
DuJour spoke with Neil Bierwagen, the property’s general manager, to learn more about this destination.
What’s the most requested room at the property?
Our One-Bedroom Suites on the 11th and 14th floors. Little known fact: they were designed after an acclaimed musician requested to combine two of our deluxe rooms while on tour.
What makes it so special?
The suite offers a separate living room and bedroom with sweeping views of downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn, as well as two bathrooms with heated floors and the option of a soaking tub or a shower. Instead of traditional art, you’ll find skateboards on the wall custom-designed with abstract prints. They’re a fun nod to the art and skate scenes of the neighboring Lower East Side.
What is the nightly rate for this room?
From $800
What’s an interesting tidbit about the hotel that speaks to its status as an icon?
The hotel lobby is housed within a townhouse that had past lives as an 1800s tenement building and a 1960s hub for local artists. The building still features original design elements, like the stained glass windows above the entrance, and there is even a writer from the artist hub who still lives on one of the upper floors!
A guest room at The Standard, East Village
What’s your personal favorite room and why?
I’m partial to room 1710, one of our Standard Queens. My favorite way to spend a night there is by ordering room service and watching the sun set over the NYC skyline. This is also one of the select rooms in the hotel that has a secret red light setting—tap the button above your bed to activate.
What special perk or amenity do you offer that no one knows about?
We keep cruisers on hand for complimentary rentals. There’s no better way to tour downtown than on two wheels, and our topiary-filled Garden is the perfect place to relax after a long bike ride around the city.
What’s your favorite design element on property?
Art is a mainstay both at the property and in the neighborhood as a whole. Our team regularly collaborates with local artists—we’re currently displaying “Beyond the Horizon of Time,” a stunning mural by Brooklyn-based creator Rahm Bowen. Our guests can also tap into the art scene at our monthly happenings, from candlelit creative sessions (from sketching to collaging) to Standard Talks, a series where we invite the most exciting minds across fashion, visual arts and more for conversational panels.
What is another fun fact about the property?
Our ground-floor all-day eatery, Café Standard, is home to the world’s only in-hotel mushroom farm. We partner with urban farming brand Smallhold to harvest the mushrooms from a temperature-controlled tank behind the bar, and our kitchen team prepares them across all of our menus. The mushroom terrine is a must-try!
The Garden at The Standard, East Village
