West Hollywood's iconic Standard hotel is the latest COVID-19 casualty
Right on Sunset Strip, the Standard hotel was where all the cool kids went.
Known for the dour doormen guarding the red velvet rope outside its top-secret club called mmhmmm, no riff-raff allowed please, it was the ultimate place to see and be seen.
When it opened 22 years ago, the Standard, with financial backing from both Leonardo di Caprio and Cameron Diaz, was a Nineties mecca of Hollywood glam. Think a Damian Hirst live art installation, giant Perspex egg chairs and acres of shag carpets.
But sadly, it's the latest institution to fall victim to COVID-19. Today, it announced it would shut its doors for good -- effective immediately.
A representative of the hotel said that due to increased building leasing fees, it "rendered it unsustainable to operate the hotel." She also said the hotel tried to renegotiate the lease with the landlord.
The Standard brand, with other hotels in Downtown LA, New York, Miami, London and the Maldives, is easily recognizable with its distinctive upside-down logo and high concept design, not to mention its hip cocktails and celeb-spotting opportunities.
The West Hollywood branch was the very first that hotelier Andre Balazs opened in the Standard chain of boutique hotels. It now operates under parent company Standard International and Balazs stepped down as the company's chairman in 2017.
Coronavirus has dealt the hospitality industry a crushing blow in the past 12 months -- the Standard is just the latest hotel to succumb due to lockdown and severe travel restrictions, making it difficult for businesses to stay afloat.
Other major COVID-19 casualties include The Roosevelt in New York -- a true Big Apple institution -- the InterContinental Moorea in French Polynesia, the uber-chic Ace hotel in London, Luxe Rodeo Drive in LA and the Colorado Belle in Nevada, among others.
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