The Standard, London Review: A Game Of Contrasts In Kings Cross

The Standard lacks the classic elegance of a typical London hotel, instead choosing to hide eccentricity and character behind brutalist architecture. And those are two traits that no one can deny this relentlessly social lifestyle property in Kings Cross. The Standard is then a fairly ironic name for a hotel so different by design with the sense that there’s always some kind of party about to break out, whether that’s in the common areas or behind closed doors. But is it worth it? Read on for our full The Standard, London review and our verdict on this premium lifestyle hotel.

The property opened in 2019 and, as I’m told, is somewhere Kings Cross locals either start or end a big night. Attracting locals is always a big plus for a hotel and is typically a reliable measure for the restaurant and/or bar in particular. By that measure, The Standard London is a roaring success for the relatively young and trendy hotel brand, which also has properties in New York, Maldives and Miami Beach. In just a few short years, this property has become part of the cultural fabric of the area, which for Kings Cross is a pretty big deal.

Yet, aside from that. The Standard has a very unique and colourful approach to accommodation, with eccentric rooms that deem the hotel’s name rather ironic. This is far from the expected beats of a hip luxury hotel, brimming with personality and carving out a unique identity, not unlike character-led lifestyle brands like QT Hotels, The Hoxton and W Hotels. The retro-futurist hotel is very not-standard for London especially, considering the city is framed by ornate grand dames like Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park and The Savoy.

The Standard, London Review – Table Of Contents

1. Location
2. Design & Features
3. Rooms
4. Food & Drink
5. Service
6. Verdict & Value
7. Frequently Asked Questions

Location

A few years ago it would have been acceptable to talk about the rebirth of Kings Cross. In 2023, the once downtrodden area buzzes with a life often attributed to more appealing neighbourhoods like Soho and Hackney Wick. There’s still enough grit to make it unmistakably King’s Cross but for the large part, this area has come a very long way in terms of both its safety and its broad appeal.

The Standard takes place in the former Camden Town Hall Annex, a building that dates back to 1974, almost directly across from King’s Cross St Pancras on the corner of Argyle Street and Euston Road. As above, the building’s brutalist architecture is contrasted well with the hotel’s vibrant approach, offering everything with an in-house recording studio – similar to some of the W hotels – to a large rooftop terrace perfect for a nightcap.

It’s a short walk to the sprawling Regent’s Park, which is always a plus – and a must – for visitors, and you’ve got plenty of bars and restaurants shooting off winding Euston Road to get through. I personally recommend ditching all the modernity and heading to Euston Tap in Euston Square Gardens for a couple of craft beers in a unique two-storey building.

Given you’re opposite King’s Cross St Pancras Station, it’s quite easy to get around to London’s best areas without dedicating a huge chunk of your day to transit.

Design & Features

You won’t find another hotel in London that looks and operates like The Standard. That’s for sure. Shawn Hausman Design has clearly had fun with this one, previewing what guests can expect inside by wedging a bright red pill-shaped, outer-facing elevator between white columns. It’s a reference to the contrast you’ll find inside.

As above, it’s all retro-futuristic once you step through those doors with the rooms particularly standing out thanks to their colourful beds, laid out in a way that I’m starting to see more of with hotels like Palisociety and QT. Some may find the aesthetic a bit too outlandish while hipsters will feel right at home. This is a luxury hotel that aggressively ditches opulence and places more value in personality. It’s showy but not egregious, and that’s exactly what I personally wanted at the tail-end of a month hopping around some classic five-star hotels in Italy.

Head into the ground-level restaurant, Double Standard, and you’ll get an instant hit of retro chic. The outdoor areas are expansive and leafy while the inside is appropriately moody, a large space that flows seamlessly into the brighter and more exciting bar. Upstairs you’ll find a rooftop restaurant that offers a much more premium dining experience. However, I wasn’t able to experience it so cannot offer much comment. I do, however, know that it’s incredibly popular for important events and music after parties.

Rooms

The rooms vary quite a bit and a lot of them are designed differently from one another. If you’ve got a lower category room, as I did, there’s an almost cartoonish aesthetic the moment you enter the space. That unique blue and red blanket cover has a lot to do with it, covering the king which is facing small, shapely windows that look out to the resplendent architecture of Kings Cross station. Under those windows stretches a lounge near a green desk in some layouts but not in others. The colour scheme is all over the place but set against a neutral frame it still works rather well.

Bump up to the suites, which I recommend based on a brief tour and some photos, and you’ll get an even more interesting design. These large rooms lean much closer to a classic aesthetic, sophisticated while not overly stuffy. The most interesting feature of this room is the bathtub. While you’ve got partitions for privacy, the tub is actually wide open on the balcony and helps give the room a very distinctive feature.

Food & Drink

I wish I could write better things about the food but what I tried at Double Standard was largely disappointing. A pasta dish, while generous, lacked seasoning and was rather dull while the few side dishes I tried leaned closer to satisfactory than memorable. While the atmosphere is not to be faulted, the meal wasn’t something I enjoyed.

It seemed a much better idea to park up at the bar, which when I walked past was teeming with life. 20 and 30-somethings looked to mostly be drinking classic cocktails, although the very short wine list looked interesting enough.

Service

Casual but professional. That’s the standard of service you’d expect at most design-led luxury lifestyle hotels nowadays and here it’s met tenfold. Quick, responsive staff that talk to you like you’re a guest and not a number, making the hotel much more likeable, especially when they hand out suggestions on nearby bars that are actually worth a damn. Who needs a concierge anymore?

Verdict & Value

The Standard is an interesting hotel and it’s not going to be to everyone’s taste. If you lean closer to the kind of classical opulence of Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, then The Standard might fall short of the mark for you. This is an undeniably youthful brand yet there’s a sense of elegance you’d not often associate with contemporary lifestyle hotel brands.

That kind of balance is hard to achieve so The Standard deserves a lot of marks for this, playing with the contrast between old and new to inspire a lot of small details that really help the hotel achieve a distinctive personality in a city as varied as London.

However, things could be tighter. The food I tried was too sub-par for me to recommend dining here, but that matters less given you have Kings Cross as your playground. From what I’ve been told, the food and drink upstairs are much closer to what you’d expect from a hotel that should start from around AU$350 – $400 per night.

Despite the bump, I enjoyed my time at The Standard. The entry-level rooms can feel a bit stuffy due to the lack of functional windows but are still very comfortable and well-planned.

The Standard, London

Address: 10 Argyle St, London WC1H 8EG, UK
Contact: +44 20 3981 8888

Rates at The Standard start from around $350 per night.

The author stayed at The Standard London as a guest of the hotel.

The Standard, London Review – Frequently Asked Questions