Standard Hotels Parent Thumbs Nose at Bigger-Is-Better on Brand Growth
Photo Credit: Standard International plans to quadruple its seven-hotel The Standard footprint in the next five years (pictured: a rendering of The Standard, Hua Hin). Standard International
Skift Take
Major hotel companies like Marriott and Hilton want franchisees to think bigger is better in terms of signing a branding deal. Standard International wants to show you can stay independent and punch above your weight — but having cool factor and financial backup still helps.
Three hotel openings may not seem like much, but this trio throws cold water on a major hospitality industry argument for getting out of the pandemic.
Standard International plans to open The Standard, Hua Hin, resort in Thailand in December followed by The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon, as well as a hotel in Ibiza, Spain, next year. The international growth is the launch of a 10-hotel expansion that will see the brand expand to markets like Singapore, Melbourne, Lisbon, Dublin, Brussels, and Las Vegas, the company announced Thursday.
But beyond a line-up of new hotels, the expansion of The Standard brand — which currently has seven properties — goes against the “bigger is better” pandemic survival argument touted by some of the world’s largest hotel companies.
“It is tougher for independent brands to operate,” Standard International CEO Amar Lalvani said in an interview with Skift ahead of the expansion announcement. “But there are certain advantages [like] the
