This Iconic Central London Hotel Has Launched Intriguing Zodiac-Inspired Stays

Loyal. Diligent. Stubborn. These are all traits said to be associated with my birth sign, Taurus. I’ll leave it to my nearest and dearest to comment whether these are accurate… Anyway, also looking at horoscopes is five-star abode The Standard. The iconic Kings Cross hotel has curated specific stays over the next year inspired by the stars: namely the traits of different horoscopes. Us Taureans do love the finer things in life, so I went to check out the Zodiac Retreat at The Standard myself.

Staying at the hotel

The Standard’s modern, almost pop art style yet Brutalist exterior has beguiled me for a while, and my visit lived up to my expectations – perhaps even surpassed them. From the lobby to the lift to the carpets in the hallway, the space has character. Quirks and colours breathe an air of fun into the hotel. The hotel even has bespoke Harris Tweed fabrics throughout.

At The Standard, you will not want for anything: your room has everything you could need and more. My room had a full minibar of snacks and drinks; a shower and a bath (which was honestly the cleanest, whitest bath I’d ever stepped into); and even two gorgeous raincoats because of British weather. Customer service is taken seriously here: from check-in, the service was warm and friendly. Oh, and I can’t forget the view from my room, stretching to the BT Tower, The Shard, and The London Eye; it was super cool.

What’s so special about a Zodiac Retreat at The Standard?

I visited The Standard at the end of September, so I experienced the Treat Yourself, Libra package, which focused on Libra’s love for balance, beauty, and self-care. The retreat changes in line with the change of horoscope i.e. the Libra stay is available September 23 – October 22, before changing to Scorpio until November 21, and so on.

While The Standard is already a space that caters to most, if not all, of your needs, the Zodiac Retreat package seeks to add a little bit more. During the Libra stay, guests are gifted a full-size deluxeLumity facial oil, an Isamaya facial sculpting tool, bespoke astrology cards, and a tarot reading via QR code. While the oil smelt beautiful, and the sculpting tool felt nice, I regretted not using them in the room’s bath for the ultimate pampering experience! A Libra would not have made the same mistake… I will be reusing the astrology cards again and again for sure, and loved the little touch of a QR code with how to use them properly.

The packages for the rest of the year will speak to Scorpios’ passionate and mysterious nature; Sagittarius’ love for adventure and fun; and Capricorns’ hard-working and competitive streaks.

Elsewhere at The Standard

There’s plenty to experience outside the hotel room and dedicated Zodiac Retreat. The hotel, which was formerly the Camden Town Hall Annex, offers a plethora of dining options (detailed below), plus The Library Lounge, which pays tribute to the building’s roots; Sweeties Bar, with its fun cocktails and disco ball; and Sounds Studio, which is home to the hotel’s culture hub, Sometimes Radio. Our keycard holder offered a comprehensive guide to the hotel; it even revealed a Banksy on the southwest corner of the hotel.

Dining options at The Standard include Double Standard, a street-facing bar and restaurant, with a loved Sunday brunch; Isla, with a seasonally changing menu, plus a wine and cocktail list; and the 10th-floor Decimo, a luxe Spanish-Mexican restaurant with a panoramic view of London. The latter professes to embrace the Spanish art of sombremesa – the after-meal tradition of relaxing into the evening, extending dinner into the later hours.

To conclude, a stay at The Standard is far from standard: it’s pretty special. The Zodiac Retreat seeks to make it even more so: from full-sized products to bespoke astrology cards, everything is thought of. I can’t wait to see what the Taurus retreat brings.