Review: The Standard, London hotel – now part of World of Hyatt

This is our review of The Standard hotel in Kings Cross, London.

The past few years have seen Hyatt on a shopping spree, acquiring small hotel chains at a rapid clip. The latest to join the fold is the trendy boutique The Standard group with properties joining the World of Hyatt program over the course of the summer.

Established in 1999, there are only 12 The Standard and The StandardX (its smaller sister brand) hotels worldwide, albeit in places you want to go such as New York, Paris, Bangkok, Ibiza, Melbourne etc.

The Standard, London, opened in 2019 with a DJ set by Mark Ronson with guests such as Peggy Gou and Paloma Faith, just to give you a sense of where the brand sees itself.

Part of its appeal is the refurbishment of the stunning 1974-era brutalist extension to Camden Town Hall, including a brand new iconic red pill lift that takes you up to the modern steel and glass extension.

The hotel provided my stay for review purposes. The hotel website is here.

Where is The Standard, London?

The hotel is directly opposite the Victorian Gothic facade of St Pancras International Station. This area has undergone massive revitalisation over the past 20 years and has transformed from a scruffy, transitory neighbourhood to a destination in its own right.

This is thanks to the redevelopment around Coal Drops Yard, the redevelopment of both St Pancras and Kings Cross and openings such as The Standard itself.

The location makes it arguably one of the best connected in London, with access to six tube lines (Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria), Eurostar services to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and beyond as well as trains all over the UK including Kent, Yorkshire, the Midlands, Cambridgeshire and Scotland.

Inside The Standard, London

The pre-cast concrete facade of the original Camden Council building has been retained whilst the interiors have been transformed into 266 guest rooms and numerous public spaces, bars and restaurants.

Part of what makes The Standard so fun is that it has embraced its 1970s heritage, delightful for someone like me but perhaps horrifying for anyone who lived through the decade! It has been done exceptionally well, on the Memphis rather than paisley/free love end of the spectrum.

Bizarrely, there are no entrances at the front of the hotel on Euston Road, with the exception of the red pill elevator up to the rooftop restaurants and bars. The main hotel entrance is on the left, just off to the side:

Reception and concierge is on the left:

…. with a small lobby area on the right:

Rooms at The Standard, London

Unusually for a luxury hotel like this, rooms range in size from cosy 13sqm singles with one twin bed to interior king rooms to Premium King rooms up to 37sqm. A number of larger suites sit above this, including some with wrap-around terraces.

I was given a Premium King room, the largest of the normal room types. These come with a view of St Pancras as standard, unlike other rooms which come with variable views.

The windows are triple-glazed and I couldn’t hear a thing from outside.

The shape of the building – not intended to be a hotel – meant that my room was not in the typical hotel room shape, but helpfully split into two sides. Immediately on the left was a small toilet room. Then, further round, a sort-of galley-style bathroom with mirrors opposite the windows letting you enjoy the view whilst you wash your hands or powder your face at the dressing table:

At the far end is a free-standing bath tub with, around the corner, a tiled shower:

Toiletries were in unbranded aluminium reusable pump containers with the shower gel featuring a pleasant peppermint smell. I was surprised: at this level I would expect a branded collaboration.

Heading back to the entrance and turning right you then have the bedroom. This area features the same large windows overlooking St Pancras but has a large London Plane tree outside, creating a natural sense of privacy and providing some dappled shade.

A large burgundy-coloured chest of drawers acts as a TV stand and is home to the mini bar which is fully – and I mean fully! – stocked with beers, wines, soft drinks and more. There’s also a kettle and a coffee machine.

You also get a Bang & Olufsen speaker:

To the right of this is a large seating area curving around with the curve of the building:

Opposite is the king bed with a large woollen Memphis-style throw. Bedside tables feature both UK and EU mains sockets as well as two USB-A ports.

Despite opening in 2019, not all of the lights are fitted with dimmable LEDs. The light above the table, for example, was either on or off and flickered if you tried to dim it.

To the right of the bed you can see a free-standing wardrobe with luggage rack, hangers and more.

The compartments are double sided and can be opened either from the bed side or by the room door, which is convenient. Other amenities included a sex kit (something all trendy hotels think they have to have) as well as a collaboration with HOWL, a queer rave and lubricant brand in London.

All the lights are controlled by classic dimmer switches, as is the air conditioning. Whilst cool, it means its impossible to set a target temperature for the room – you’re limited to hotter or colder – which isn’t always intuitive.

I was particularly tickled by this old-school office pinboard in the corridor with essential hotel information:

Breakfast and dining at The Standard, London

The Standard offers a number of bars and restaurants that are as popular with Londoners as they are with hotel guests. On the ground floor this includes Double Standard, a bar, as well as Isla, a casual dining restaurant. On the rooftop you have places like Decimo.

We ate at Isla, the casual ground-floor restaurant in the heart of the hotel. This is also where breakfast is offered in the mornings and features dark, retro wood panelling.

It’s quite moody, although you can sit on the covered outdoor patio should you want to.

The menu is fairly limited at Isla although there is currently a collaboration with chef Jordan King (you can order across both the standard and King menu). Although it’s cheaper than Decimo upstairs, you can still expect to pay from £24 to £34 for main courses.

Fortunately, the pricing is justified by the quality of the food which was excellent. A highlight was the smashed avocado sharing platter with tempura shiso leaf, kale chips, radishes and more:

The tuna crudo was also excellent. For my main course I had the brill which came as a large portion of pan-fried fish with samphire and a buttery sauce on the side:

Breakfast is also served at Isla. You can choose between a small buffet (£22.50) or ordering items a la carte.

The buffet is small but manages to pack enough in to keep everyone happy. Bacon, sausages, hash browns, baked beans, scrambled egg, fried tomatoes and mushrooms were the hot offering:

I was pleasantly surprised to see some smashed avocado available as well as salmon, some cut meats, a few types of cheese etc. Pastries, a selection of yoghurts, chia pudding and other sweet options rounded out the offering.

Steaming hot pre-brewed coffee was on offer as was freshly pressed orange juice. Overall, and for £22.50, I thought the breakfast offering was good.

Conclusion

The Standard, London is an instantly iconic hotel thanks to the retro overhaul of the building. There is an immediate ‘cool factor’ that you just don’t get at most other hotels and that is thriving here (stop by on a Saturday evening and you’ll see what I mean.) It remains a hotel to see and be seen at.

Service standards don’t quite match this, with a 10pm phone call for more ice not being answered by any but one of the hotel’s speed dial phone lines. Fortunately service in the restaurants is better, with some excellent food.

Nevertheless, in terms of location and vibes it’s hard to find better in London and is well worth a trip inside, even if just to eat or visit one of the bars. A 70s fever dream awaits.

Room rates start at £250 or 25,000 World of Hyatt points per night.

You can find out more, and book, on the Hyatt website here.