"Having cracked Manhattan, Miami, and Hollywood since it was founded 20 years ago, when The Standard London opened in 2019, it brought a much-needed edge side to King's Cross. Its Brutalist building and former annex of Camden Town Hall was much maligned by locals who nicknamed it the egg box. Now, with its red-pill-shaped lift that scales the Euston Road façade, it more than squares up to the splendid Gothic Revival St Pancras station nearby. Inside, American designer Shawn Hausman, a long-time Standard collaborator, created all the spaces with a decade-switching look that is mind-boggling and fabulous. Utilitarian civic signage meets Seventies Milanese terrazzo and tiling: Transport for London’s color palette inspired the loud carpets; and the colorways, shapes and humor of Italian design movement Memphis permeate everything. Rooms range from about $250 for a single, aimed at students and early-bird Eurostar travelers, to about $927 for a terraced room with an outdoor bathtub overlooking St Pancras. Expect Memphis design meets Miami with a mix of bright colors and pastels, crazy carpets and tiles. Furniture is both vintage and bespoke and all the rooms have great views. The hotel's 10th-floor restaurant Decimo continues to be one of the hottest tables in town, where Michelin-starred chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias highlights Spanish dishes with a Mexican twist and a cocktail menu full of margaritas. The downstairs cocktail bar Double Standard serves burgers, fish and chips and pints, while next-door Isla offers seasonal British small plates. Price: Rooms from around $304 per night.Address: 10 Argyle St, London WC1H 8EGClosest tube station: King's Cross" - Condé Nast Traveller, Steve King
