The bottom line: The Standard, High Line is an 18-story luxury boutique hotel at 848 Washington Street between West 13th and Little West 12th streets in the Meatpacking District. The hotel features 338 guest rooms designed by architects Ennead Architects (formerly Polshek Partnership) and completed in 2009. Hotelier André Balazs commissioned the building — marking Balazs's first ground-up hotel project. The 261-foot (80-meter) tower stands above the High Line elevated park, with all 338 rooms featuring floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic and unobstructed views of the Manhattan skyline, the Hudson River, or the Empire State Building. The two-slab angled tower geometry ensures all rooms have unobstructed views.
The Standard, High Line at 848 Washington Street is the principal Meatpacking District boutique-luxury hotel — 338 rooms within the 18-story Ennead Architects-designed two-slab angled tower (André Balazs’s first ground-up hotel project, completed 2009), with all rooms featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and unobstructed Manhattan skyline, Hudson River, or Empire State Building views. The property stands 261 feet (80 meters) above the High Line elevated park.
This piece is a 2026 configuration analysis of the property — the 848 Washington Street Meatpacking District position, the 18-story Ennead Architects-designed tower, the 338-room all-view-unobstructed inventory, the André Balazs ground-up commission framework, and the position in the broader Manhattan luxury hotel set.
The 848 Washington Street Meatpacking District Position
The Standard, High Line occupies 848 Washington Street between West 13th and Little West 12th streets in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan. The position places the property:
- Directly in the Meatpacking District — within the principal post-2000s reimagined commercial / cultural corridor
- Directly above the High Line — the principal Manhattan rail-converted park that anchors the broader Meatpacking District / Chelsea cultural corridor
- Adjacent to the Whitney Museum of American Art — the principal Meatpacking District cultural anchor at the southern terminus of the High Line
- Within walking distance of Chelsea Market — the principal food-hall anchor
- Within walking distance of the broader Chelsea gallery district — supporting the principal contemporary-art-anchored use case
- Within walking distance of the broader West Village / Greenwich Village commercial corridor
The Meatpacking District geographic position differentiates The Standard, High Line from the Midtown ultra-luxury cluster, the broader Downtown / Lower Manhattan boutique-luxury cluster (SoHo, Tribeca, Lower Manhattan), and supports specific Meatpacking District / High Line cultural-corridor use cases that the broader Downtown set does not directly serve.
The 18-Story Ennead Architects-Designed Tower
The Standard, High Line was designed by Ennead Architects (formerly Polshek Partnership) and completed in 2009. The principal architectural framework:
The 18-story tower form: Supporting the principal Meatpacking District vertical framework.
The 261-foot (80-meter) height: Standing above the High Line elevated park — supporting the principal view orientation across the broader Manhattan skyline, Hudson River, and Empire State Building view orientations.
The two-slab angled geometry: Because of the angle of the two slabs, all 338 guest rooms have unobstructed views of Manhattan — supporting the broader view-anchored room product framework. The two-slab angled geometry is one of the principal architectural signatures of the property.
The Ennead Architects pedigree: Ennead Architects (formerly Polshek Partnership) is the principal global architecture practice whose other principal projects span the broader global commercial and cultural architecture industry.
The architectural framework distinguishes The Standard, High Line from peer Manhattan boutique-luxury hotels operating with more conventional architectural frameworks. The Ennead two-slab geometry supports the principal view-orientation framework that anchors the broader room product.
The 338-Room All-View-Unobstructed Configuration
The Standard, High Line operates 338 guest rooms and suites total. The principal room features:
Floor-to-ceiling windows: All 338 rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows — supporting the principal view-anchored room product framework.
Panoramic views: Each room offers panoramic views of:
- The New York City skyline, or
- The Hudson River, or
- The Empire State Building
The two-slab angled tower geometry advantage: Because of the two-slab angled tower geometry, all 338 rooms have unobstructed views — distinguishing the property from peer Manhattan boutique-luxury hotels operating with some-rooms-obstructed view frameworks.
The combined 338-room all-view-unobstructed room product is one of the most-distinctive view-orientation frameworks in the broader Manhattan boutique-luxury hotel set.
The André Balazs Ground-Up Commission Framework
Hotelier André Balazs commissioned the building of The Standard, High Line. The commission context:
The first Balazs ground-up hotel project: The Standard, High Line marked Balazs’s first ground-up hotel commission. The framework was distinct from Balazs’s broader historic-building restoration commercial framework that anchored:
- Chateau Marmont (1929 / Sunset Boulevard West Hollywood — restored 1990)
- The Mercer (1890 / SoHo New York — restored 1988-1997)
- Sunset Beach Hotel (Shelter Island)
The broader Andre Balazs Properties portfolio:
- The Standard, High Line (ground-up; opened 2009)
- The Standard, East Village (Cooper Square — boutique-luxury contemporary)
- The Standard, Miami (Belle Isle, Miami Beach — restored)
- The Mercer (SoHo)
- Chateau Marmont (West Hollywood)
- Sunset Beach Hotel (Shelter Island)
The Standard, High Line ground-up commercial framing supported the broader Balazs contemporary-architecture commercial direction — distinct from the broader historic-building restoration framework that anchored most of the Balazs portfolio.
Note: The broader Standard hotel chain has subsequently operated separately from Balazs in the broader period — though The Standard, High Line was originally a Balazs ground-up commission.
The High Line Park Direct Integration
The Standard, High Line stands directly above the High Line — a former elevated railroad track reconstructed into a linear park. The integration:
- 261 feet (80 meters) above street level
- Directly above the High Line elevated park
- One of the most-distinctive Manhattan hotel-park integrations
The High Line integration supports the broader Meatpacking District / High Line cultural corridor and provides distinctive cultural-amenity-adjacent stay use cases that few peer Manhattan hotels match.
The Standard, High Line in the 2026 Manhattan Luxury Hotel Set
In 2026, The Standard, High Line operates within the principal Manhattan luxury hotel set with a distinctive Meatpacking District boutique-luxury commercial position:
Manhattan Meatpacking District / Chelsea boutique-luxury cluster:
- The Standard, High Line (848 Washington Street — Ennead Architects / Balazs ground-up framework)
- Gansevoort Meatpacking (the broader Meatpacking District contemporary luxury)
- The Hoxton, Williamsburg (broader contemporary lifestyle)
- The Maritime Hotel (Chelsea — MacPherson / Goode framework)
Manhattan ultra-luxury cluster (Midtown):
- Four Seasons New York, St. Regis New York, The Pierre, Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula New York, Park Hyatt New York, Lotte New York Palace, The Plaza Hotel, The Ritz-Carlton New York Central Park
Manhattan boutique-luxury cluster (Downtown):
- The Mercer Hotel (SoHo — Andre Balazs Properties / Christian Liaigre)
- Crosby Street Hotel (SoHo — Firmdale / Kit Kemp)
- The Greenwich Hotel (Tribeca — Andre Balazs Properties / De Niro)
- The Beekman, A Thompson Hotel (Lower Manhattan)
- Smyth Tribeca, A Thompson Hotel (Tribeca)
- The Bowery Hotel (East Village — MacPherson / Goode)
The Standard, High Line’s structural advantages within the Manhattan luxury hotel set are:
- The Meatpacking District geographic position (distinct from Midtown, SoHo, Tribeca, Lower Manhattan clusters)
- The High Line elevated park direct integration
- The 18-story Ennead Architects (Polshek Partnership)-designed tower
- The two-slab angled tower geometry (all 338 rooms unobstructed view)
- The floor-to-ceiling-window room product across all 338 accommodations
- The André Balazs ground-up commission framework (Balazs’s first ground-up commission)
- The 338-room boutique-luxury scale
- The 261-foot above-street-level positioning
- The broader Manhattan skyline / Hudson River / Empire State Building view orientations
For corporate travel managers building Manhattan premium hotel programmes — particularly with Meatpacking District / High Line geographic preferences, view-orientation requirements, contemporary architecture preferences, or Andre Balazs Properties brand alignment — The Standard, High Line is one of the principal recommendations. The property’s commercial position complements the broader Manhattan boutique-luxury hotel set across distinct geographic and architectural-framework use cases.
Sources
Public reporting tracked for this analysis includes the Standard High Line Wikipedia entry, the Michelin Guide Standard High Line listing, the Pavarini McGovern Standard project page, and the International Traveller Standard High Line review.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is The Standard, High Line located?
- At 848 Washington Street between West 13th and Little West 12th streets in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan. The position places the property directly above the High Line elevated park — the principal Manhattan rail-converted park that anchors the broader Meatpacking District / Chelsea cultural corridor. Within walking distance of the Chelsea Market, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the broader Chelsea gallery district.
- How is the hotel configured?
- 338 guest rooms and suites across the 18-story tower. All rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows offering unobstructed views of the Manhattan skyline, the Hudson River, or the Empire State Building. The two-slab angled tower geometry ensures all 338 rooms have unobstructed views — supporting the broader view-anchored room product framework.
- Who designed the building?
- Ennead Architects (formerly Polshek Partnership) — the principal global architecture practice — designed the 18-story tower, completed in 2009. The Ennead architectural pedigree distinguishes the property from peer Manhattan boutique-luxury hotels operating with more conventional architectural frameworks. The two-slab angled tower geometry is one of the principal architectural signatures of the property.
- What is the André Balazs commission context?
- Hotelier André Balazs commissioned the building of The Standard, High Line. The Standard, High Line marked Balazs's first ground-up hotel project — distinct from Balazs's broader historic-building restoration framework (Chateau Marmont 1929 / Sunset Boulevard West Hollywood; The Mercer 1890 / SoHo New York; Sunset Beach Hotel). The Standard High Line ground-up commercial framing supported the broader Balazs contemporary-architecture commercial direction.
- What is the High Line park connection?
- The Standard, High Line stands 261 feet (80 meters) above street level, directly above the High Line — a former elevated railroad track reconstructed into a linear park. The Standard's positioning above the High Line is one of the most-distinctive Manhattan hotel-park integrations and supports the broader Meatpacking District / High Line cultural corridor.
- How does The Standard, High Line sit in the 2026 Manhattan luxury hotel set?
- The Standard, High Line operates as the principal Meatpacking District boutique-luxury hotel — distinguishing it from the Midtown ultra-luxury cluster and the SoHo / Tribeca / Lower Manhattan boutique-luxury cluster (Mercer, Crosby Street, Greenwich, Beekman, Smyth). The structural advantages are the 18-story Ennead Architects-designed two-slab angled tower geometry, the 338-room all-view-unobstructed inventory, the 848 Washington Street Meatpacking District geographic position, the High Line park direct integration, the André Balazs first-ground-up-hotel commercial framing, and the floor-to-ceiling-window room product.
