This is the third time in three years I've travelled to the west coast of America for Coachella and every year I've done the same thing. I don't book anywhere to stay. I know that sounds ridiculous but it always works in my favour, either getting it way cheaper than booking in advance or sometimes even being lucky enough to bag myself a very swanky pad!
My normal port of call while in DTLA is The Standard. It's a super cool hotel tailor made for the younger generation. The Standard is one of the coolest places you can go to in LA to hang out. Mainly because it has one of the best rooftop bars in the city, which always has a party atmosphere.
I've stayed in every size room The Standard has to offer, from the smallest room to the biggest, it's just luck of the draw. That's why I don't book, if you've not got a reservation it's down to the person on reception the day you arrive to decide where and what room you're staying in. Sometimes this works out, sometimes it doesn't, it's all down to luck.
Everything is very simply designed and integrated into the rooms. All the rooms in The Standard are great, from the smallest to the biggest. Whatever room you get, you'll be very happy with indeed. It has everything you need to live very happily. A bed to sleep in, a shower to get washed in and a door for privacy. That's pretty much all you need in a hotel, especially when you're not even going to spend that much time in your room, as you have all of LA to explore!
The Standard does this basic, minimalist interior very well indeed. It's super fresh design looks so good, the dining, room for instance, is all yellow, the chairs, the walls, the tiles, it's very seventies yes, but I think it also looks very modern. All The Standard hotels I've visited or stayed in all have a strong individual look, they're all super cool!
As I've mentioned the rooftop in The Standard DTLA is where the party's at. It's one of the coolest places in the downtown area. The bar sits on the very top of the hotel, the view up there is crazy! Having an ice cold beer looking out between the huge buildings surrounding the hotel. The rooftop bar really gives you one of the best views of the city, especially at night.
In the daytime, you can watch the bustling downtown area and look up to the hills that wrap around LA and in the night you get to see how beautiful the building are all lit up. The nighttime, however, is when the bar comes alive. Every day of the week the rooftop is the place to be seen. Being guests of the hotel you get priority of the bar and don't have to queue outside. It's in the top five places to grab a drink in the whole of LA so as you can imagine it normally has quite the queue.
THE STANDARD LIVING (HOLLYWOOD)
This was my first time staying in The Standard Hollywood, so it made for a nice change. The location was great, situated right at the bottom of Sun Set BLVD. The Standard Hollywood interior is even cooler than the downtown hotel with full-on seventies vibes! Arc lamps, lazy beanbag sofa's and floating egg chairs, the place was very cool. Plus they actual furry walls, PASS ME A JEFFREY PLEASE!
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| The view from the rooms window, Johnny Depp's mansion at the bottom of Sunset BLVD in the background. |
