Hospitality Interiors had the pleasure of speaking with Amber in her first interview since being appointed CEO of Standard International. With a decade of experience at The Standard alone, Amber has been instrumental in the company’s global growth and, in her new role, will lead the organisation and its portfolio into an exciting new phase of expansion. Read on to discover more about her career to date, her aspirations for Standard International moving forward, and valuable industry insights –
What was your background prior to working for Standard Hotels?
I started my career as a real estate and finance lawyer at Latham & Watkins in NYC. I went in-house in 2008 to Morgans Hotel Group months before the recession as associate general counsel and SVP. That was quite a ride. The hospitality business was upside down – similar to today. We navigated many challenges, and I learned a ton.
In 2011, I was on maternity leave and was recruited to be general counsel and EVP for André Balazs Properties, which at the time owned the Standard hotels and his luxury properties like the Chateau Marmont, The Mercer, Sunset Beach and eventually Chiltern Firehouse in London (a deal we worked on together).
In 2013, I represented André in the sale of the majority stake of The Standard brand to a group led by Amar Lalvani, our current executive chairman, and former CEO. The day after the deal closed, I, along with most of the team, started working for Standard International, the new company created by Amar to grow the Standard brand globally. Almost 10 years later, our dreams are really coming to life.
What are the most challenging issues you face in your current role?
The last two years have been incredibly challenging in the hospitality industry, with ever-changing travel restrictions, the priority of operating safely for our employees and guests, and finding talent to add to our growing team. That said, I believe the worst is behind us. As hard as this period was, we had extreme focus on our teams’ wellbeing and development, global growth, creativity, profitability and operational excellence.
Many of our hotels were back to 2019 numbers right before Omicron. We signed 11 new hotel deals across our three brands (Standard, Bunkhouse and Peri) and will have opened eight new hotels during Covid (inclusive of The Standard, Hua Hin that opened in Thailand this past December, and our two beautiful new Standard hotels in Ibiza and Bangkok, opening this spring).
What’s one unexpected shift you’ve seen in guest expectations or demands in the last five years?
Booking windows are shorter, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic. People are afraid of booking too far in advance in this uncertain world. We saw this trend years ago, and capitalised on it with the apps we have launched, like One Night Standard and One Night. We do not see this changing any time soon.
With the increase in ‘work-from-anywhere’ policies across all industries, our guests appreciate the perks that come with a long-term stay. We created a programme years ago called Stowaway to cater to this preference, offering perks like discounted stays, room upgrades, flexible check-in and check-out times, a personal concierge and exclusive fitness experiences. Guests really took advantage of this programme during Covid – whether at The Standard, East Village, or in remote locations like The Standard, Maldives, our first true island resort.
How do you see the company changing in the next two years, and how do you see yourself creating that change?
Global expansion is our mission – bringing The Standard to the world. We will strive to maintain the uniqueness and individuality of the hotels, and embrace the local cultures of all of the various cities across the globe, while ensuring a common thread so that our guests and loyalists will always feel at home. To us, the key is building and developing strong and dynamic local teams to welcome our guests – whether in Old Town, Ibiza, or the beautiful beach town of Hua Hin (Thailand).
We are also committed to the expansion of the Bunkhouse collection of hotels in the Americas – a company we took a majority stake in back in 2015 – and the Peri brand, a brand we launched in Asia during the pandemic.
What role does Europe play in Standard Hotels’ growth?
Europe has always been a key target market for The Standard since I started at the company over 10 years ago. We opened a flagship, The Standard, London in Kings Cross in 2019, with incredible partners, Crosstree. With the success of this opening and incredible team, we have quite a large pipeline in Europe. Our next opening will be The Standard, Ibiza, opening in late spring. We feel Ibiza is a perfect location for The Standard. We are also working on projects in Lisbon, Brussels, Dublin, Milan and many others at earlier stages. We have only scratched the surface. Our list of dream cities in Europe is long!
How does design play a role in driving customer loyalty?
The environments in which we live, work and play have a tremendous impact on our experience. The Standard customer expects innovative yet timeless design from our hotels. From our long-time collaboration with world-renowned designer (and friend) Shawn Hausman – most recently to create our award-winning The Standard, London and the refresh of The Standard Spa, Miami Beach – to our work with Jaime Hayon on The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon, opening in May, we continue to innovate while maintaining a design language that inspires our guests to return to our hotels again and again.
What is the biggest challenge you’re facing in improving guest experience today?
Labour shortages, although it is finally getting better.
In which parts of the hospitality experience is good design most important?
We integrate whimsy and humour in subtle ways through design details throughout our properties. In the guest rooms, comfort is key, while the public spaces, restaurants and bars – like The Standard Grill, Boom Boom Room, Decimo and our new Thai Izakaya, Praca at The Standard, Hua Hin – should inspire.
How important is interior design in your hotels?
Creating a rich and distinctive design experience at our hotels is essential. Design is the language we use to communicate with our guests in subtle and creative ways. The design of our environments allows us to employ suspension of disbelief and create a real escape for our guests.
Have you noticed any particular trends in interior design?
Yes. The trend we have noticed most in the past two years is an increased yearning to be outside in safe and creatively reimagined environments that become an extension of the hotel experience. We have created compelling outdoor experiences to provide environments for our guests that are both safe and fun: The Forest at The Standard, High Line, where we screen movies curated by our team in a series called Pix on the Plaza, which has been a tremendous success; while The Winter Garden at The Standard, East Village offers an ever-evolving experience that changes seasonally with a lush garden featuring oversized, magical topiaries in the spring, and cosy yurts in the winter.
How important is choosing the right designer for each hotel?
Design is a central pillar of our brand, and we have been fortunate enough to partner with some of the best talent in the world to realise our vision. All of our hotel design projects are led by our incredibly talented in-house team, but choosing the right design collaborator is critical. When we get it right, magic happens.
How would you define Standard Hotels’ identity?
As we say – we are anything but Standard. The Standard Hotels are stimulating cultural hubs and social destinations. We create unmatched experiences through design, culinary and carefully curated events that are innovative, engaging, and memorable. Our unconventional approach promotes a certain kind of freedom, where guests are immersed in our unique approach to lifestyle. We are not for everyone, but everyone is welcome.
What is the magic ingredient that helps you deliver the best service to your customers?
Our people – the magic ingredient is the diverse collection of team members, collaborators and guests who choose to call the Standard home.
Which is your favourite Standard Hotel property, and why?
It is hard to choose – like picking your favourite child. Even if you have a favourite, you are not allowed to say. I would just say – she has a British accent (I am only kidding!).
What plans and aspirations do you have for Standard Hotels?
To continue to celebrate this special brand by introducing it to new destinations around the world!
What’s your biggest dream in life?
Besides raising my daughters to be strong, kind, self-reliant and happy women, I would like to bring The Standard to the best cities in the world, and work with our incredible team to create something very special in each city.
What one thing have you not yet done that you really want to do?
Open a Standard in Paris.
What one word best describes you?
Determined.
