Travel and Recreation : The Standard, Hollywood is CLOSING — BUT Georgio’s will LIVE ON! After 22…

The Standard, Hollywood is CLOSING — BUT Georgio’s will LIVE ON! After 22…

years, the pandemic has spelled the end of the stylish Sunset Strip fixture.

Yet another iconic LA institution is shuttering its well-designed doors for good. The Standard, Hollywood hotel, the first of Chateau Marmont hotelier Andre Balazs’s trendy boutique hotel chain (which he departed in 2017), is closing up shop permanently today, after 22 years in business.

With serious celebrity cred, the Standard, Hollywood—which had original financial support from the likes of Leo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, and Benicio del Toro—was the six-hotel chain’s flagship (the chain’s other L.A. outpost, on Flower Street downtown, is currently closed due to COVID). The interiors of the Sunset Strip location were created by one-time set designer Shawn Hausman, cementing the hotel’s entertainment biz bona fides. It became a hangout for celebs like Jennifer Lopez, Uma Thurman, Rose McGowan, Matt Dillon, and Gloria Estefan, and its almost eight-year-old weekly disco party Giorgio’s—started by entrepreneur Bryan Rabin and DJ Adam Bravin—often had major VIP drop-ins, like Mick Jagger, Lupita Nyong’o, and almost every famous international fashion designer you can think of.

Balazs, who still owns the Chateau across the street on Sunset, stepped down as the chairman of parent company Standard International, in 2017; the Standard’s lease has been held by the Ferrado Group, a real estate investment firm based in Spain with a location in Newport Beach. A rep for the hotel didn’t return a requests for comment, but an announcement on the chain’s Instagram says: “It is with a heavy heart that we must announce the closure of The Standard, Hollywood…Despite 22 years of unconditional love for our hotel, our guests, our team and our community, the hotel was unable to prevent a significant increase to its lease, which makes operating the property impossible.”.

Regardless of extenuating circumstances perpetuated by the pandemic, the holder of the hotel’s lease apparently decided to bump up the lease price in 2019, and a Standard International rep told the Los Angeles Times that the increase has “rendered it unsustainable to operate the hotel.” She said the hotel had tried to renegotiate, without success.

Meanwhile, Bryan Rabin announced on Instagram that Giorgio’s will relocate. “When the pandemic is over,” he posted, “Giorgio’s Disco will rise again. We will dance to the gods! Dress to the nines and continue to spread glamour and chicness to all who enter.” Thanking the staff and all the many live performers (Dita Von Teese, Jody Watley, Joey Arias, Giorgio Moroder), Rabin ended the post with a much-needed optimistic note: “PROMISE WE WILL DANCE AGAIN AS SOON AS COVID IS OVER!! GIORGIO’S DISCO FOREVER!!”.

In uncertain times, it’s nice to know some things will be here on the other side.


"THAT'S SOME BAD SHIT, HARRY!".

Re: The Standard, Hollywood is CLOSING — BUT Georgio’s will LIVE ON! After 22…

In a photo I saw it's a nice looking place. Light purple (I forget what the name for the color or shade/tint is called, but it belongs to purple) with blue lights.

Update: I think it's lavender?!? Bnsat.

What do YOU think?



"THAT'S SOME BAD SHIT, HARRY!".
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