The fashion-favorite hotel's two New York outposts offer seasonal goodies alongside millennial amenities for a relaxing staycation that might rival family holidays of years past. 

As the finale of such a tumultuous year finally nears, one last question mark looms on the cultural calendar: How to spend the winter holidays? For those accustomed to traveling home for Christmas, jetting off for Hanukkah, hosting for Kwanza, or a combination for some&nbsp;non-conforming gathering this year&mdash;like all other events, occasions, and everything under the sun&mdash;is going to be very different from years&#39; past. Even the days at home in between holidays and New Years&mdash;typically awarded to leftovers and out-of-office emails&mdash;won&#39;t feel quite the same. So what should New Yorkers do when they can&#39;t go away? Stay.

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Enter The Standard Hotel, whose two New York locations&mdash;art and shopping mainstay <a href="https://www.standardhotels.com/new-york/properties/high-line">The Standard,&nbsp;High Line</a> and the younger, edgier <a href="https://www.standardhotels.com/new-york/properties/east-village">The Standard, East Village</a>&mdash;reopened with the rest of the city earlier this fall to much excitement. In the months since, the outposts have introduced new programming&mdash;in addition to COVID-19 safety mandates&mdash;making each a tempting option for your holiday staycation. 
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Tucked beside the downtown entrance to the lush park from which the hotel draws its name, The Standard, High Line has long been a favorite of the fashion sect for its adjacency to The Meatpacking Distrcti&#39;s boutiques and for housing after-hours hot spots <a href="https://www.standardhotels.com/new-york/features/top-of-the-standard">The Top of The Standard</a> (lovingly known as The Boom Boom Room) and <a href="https://www.standardhotels.com/new-york/features/le-bain">Le Bain</a>. Guests of the hotel share the venues&#39; unbelievable views, and rising after a night&#39;s sleep, one feels like he or she is floating atop the Hudson River. The rain shower (or the rare bath tub!) certainly helps the scene, as do the rooms&#39; fluffy Italian sheeted beds and warm mood lighting&mdash;surely a change from whatever work from home set up one has become&nbsp;used to. While the High Line&#39;s party spots are closed for now (and for good reason), guests have the option at dining at either the <a href="http://www.thestandardgrill.com/">Standard Grill</a>, whose Roasted Chicken for Two is unparalleled, or next door or at the <a href="https://www.standardhotels.com/new-york/features/biergarten-nyc">Biergarten</a>. This year instead of the hotel&#39;s annual ice rink, visitors can enjoy <a href="https://www.standardhotels.com/happenings">Flix in The Forest</a>, a weekly program in which fan-favorite films like Hocus Pocus and The Sister Act are screened outside. While drinks are served and popcorn and blankets are complimentary, reservations must be made in advance.

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Across town, a recent mural by the French artist JR is viewed on the exterior of The Standard, East Village. The powerful commission portrays the eyes of Eric Garner, and is a project in collaboration with Wide Awakes, a collective of cultural activists driving change who has teamed up with the hotel to create works across its offerings in New York, Hollywood, and Miami.

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Inside the noticeably more alternative location, the vivaciousness of the brand lives on. The hotel&#39;s <a href="https://www.standardhotels.com/culture/winter-garden-east-village">Winter Garden</a> has been transformed for COVID-19 safety into heated yurts, where diners can enjoy spiced cocktails and cheesy fondue in winter-y privacy. Like the High Line, guest rooms are outfitted to the nines with floor-to-ceiling windows, enormous TVs with all the smart compatibilities one would need, and a devilish pair of lip pillows. The hotel&#39;s shop also features a <a href="https://www.standardhotels.com/culture/prospect_bonam_kim_candles_hannah_him">limited edition candle figure by sculptor Bonam Kim</a> in collaboration with Prospect. Symbolic of the spectrum of love, the candle is perfect for a gift-giving holiday or not and is available for purchase <a href="https://shopthestandard.com/">online</a>.&nbsp;

With all the options of both hotels and the extra time spent not traveling it might be hard to decide which Standard to spend your holiday staycation&mdash;luckily the two spots are just a short Uber ride away from one another.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Standard Hotel Might Be The Secret to This Year's Confusing Holiday

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