The Standard’s hotels have always been known for trendy rooms, trendy marketing, trendy late-night hotspots — basically anything with the word “trend” in it.
Now, it can also add “trendy tech incubator” to its resume.
Fast Company reports that the group’s new venture One Night — an app that assigns last-minute bookings at independant hotels for travelers who always seem to opt for the “day of” option on the travel itinerary — raised $5m in Series A funding.
This ain’t no pay-per-minute nap pod
Launched in late 2016, the mobile app features a list of over 200 independent hotels that are open for spur-of-the-moment stays.
According to Amar Lalvani, Standard International’s CEO and lead app developer, One Night is designed for “next-generation travelers” who don’t like long-term planning but still want a cool experience (don’t we all).
Since it launched, One Night has scaled to 17 markets, including London and Bangkok.
A little thing called diversification
As the home sharing sector continues to poach the very “next-gen travelers” Lalvani described, the old guard of swanky hotel living is constantly trying to figure out what it can offer — and the Standard hotel group is leading the charge.
Aside from One Night, the group also launched The Lobby, a social network for in-house guests, and various big-name partnerships with Warby Parker, and, most recently, Lord Jones, as it hopes to launch the first cannabis dispensary in a hotel.