From its upside-down signage to its “Box Girl” performance art and star-studded nights of debauchery, the Standard Hotel had one of the most outrageous reputations on the Sunset Strip.
Built on the bones of the Thunderbird Motel (born 1962), it was purchased by Andre Balazs and remodeled into a millennial party palace, beckoning to budget scenesters far and wide from 1999 until its closure in 2021.
Now hotelier Ian Schrager has arrived to resurrect the property, this time with a little polish and sophistication more representative of his personal brand. But price point accessibility, which was key to The Standard’s success, will remain, as the hotel touts a motto of “luxury for all.”
Seen for the first time here in photographs and room renderings, Public West Hollywood will debut in 2026, bookending the West Hollywood Edition, about a mile down the Strip, as Schrager’s second L.A. hotel property.
This Public joins previous outposts in New York and Miami — a sleek, 137-key hideaway designed by Schrager in collaboration with British architect John Pawson.
Public West Hollywood room rendering
Courtesy of PUBLIC West Hollywood
The beating heart of the hotel will remain the social-hub lobby, complemented by a lushly landscaped, 16,000 square-foot open-air rooftop terrace with 360-degree views of Los Angeles as well as a pool on the ground floor. Reservations will be live in early Jan. 2026 with an official opening coming in the spring.
“The Sunset Strip is the beating heart of Southern California,” says Schrager. “It’s the cultural center and a microcosm of the best that Los Angeles has to offer. It’s like what Broadway is to New York City, Michigan Avenue is to Chicago and the Champs Elysee is to Paris — but with more possibilities and endless options.”
He teases a crowd of ”sophisticated, in-the-know, original, free-thinking and unique individuals. People from all walks of life, all ages and all genders, both rich and not so rich; people who share a common sensibility, common purpose and common attitude. It’s not a demographic we are after but a spirit.”
As for dining and nightlife, the hotel will feature two restaurants and, yes, a dance floor to fill the void felt by Giorgio’s, a decadent disco hideaway named for the Italian father of the genre, Giorgio Moroder. Having made his name as co-founder of New York’s storied Studio 54, Schrager knows his way around a nightclub.
“We will be a hotel that has a new age nightclub,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It will be glamorous, sophisticated and the equivalent of a sealed-off soundstage with an incomparable immersive sound you can feel as well as hear.”
But wait — there’s more.
“It will not only be different than anything done before, it will be a completely unique and transformative experience — with no flashing lights,” Schrager continues. “Indeed, we have to because we are in the music capital of the world! We will encourage, amongst other things, non-stop, hot, sweaty dancing.”
As for one consistent complaint heard muttered amid bleary-eyed guests of the former Standard, Schrager confirms the appropriate adjustments have been made.
“Yes, the rooms will be soundproofed,” he says.
Public West Hollywood room
Courtesy of PUBLIC West Hollywood
