Standard International CEO, Amar Lalvani, says the company’s Standard Hotels brand is set for a massive global expansion, including in Australia, with the group set to add 10 stunning properties over the next five years across the globe.
The company’s first Australian hotel is scheduled to debut in Melbourne’s hip suburb of Fitzroy in 2023 and Lalvani expects that opening to be the start of more properties across the nation.
“We believe many more hotels will open in Australia once this property is open,” he told HM from New York on a virtual global press conference last week.
Lalvani said the 123-room hotel in Fitzroy would become the hive of the suburb when it opens and it was the ideal location for The Standard’s debut in Australia.
The 2023 opening of The Standard Fitzroy will follow several significant global projects including hotels in the Thailand cities of Bangkok and Hua Hin along with Ibiza in Spain.
Properties are also planned for Singapore, Lisbon, Brussels, Dublin and Las Vegas.
“We are incredibly proud to announce the openings of The Standard, Hua Hin, which is set for December, our incredible Asia flagship, The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon, which will open next year, as well as our second property in Europe, The Standard, Ibiza,” Lalvani said.
“This has been a time of unprecedented crisis for the hospitality industry, and the millions of people around the world who work in the sector.
“Amidst such challenges, we are incredibly grateful that we continue to be able to delight our guests, serve our communities and create new opportunities for our team members by building landmark hotels around the world,” he said.
Lalvani said he was particularly excited about the opening of The Standard, Bangkok Mahankhon, which will “set the benchmark for luxury lifestyle hotels in the city”.
The Standard, Bangkok Mahankhon will be located in a 78-story mixed-use building that is one of the tallest in Thailand and will featured 55 rooms, penthouse, a terrace pool, fitness center, meeting rooms and a dynamic variety of food, drink and nightlife venues, from The Parlor to the Tea Room and renowned Standard Grill, as well as Thailand’s first outpost of the acclaimed Mott 32 restaurant.
On the coast, The Standard, Hua Hin, will feature 178 guest rooms and 21 pool villas with beachfront access and is scheduled to open on December 1, 2021.