<strong>Standard hotel rooms: </strong>Can you guess the city from the skyline? Swiss photographer Roger Eberhard's book "Standard" compiles images of standard hotel rooms around the world alongside the views from the hotel window. Both, he argues, are becoming more and more indistinguishable. Click through the gallery to test your skills.
Standard hotel rooms: Can you guess the city from the skyline? Swiss photographer Roger Eberhard's book "Standard" compiles images of standard hotel rooms around the world alongside the views from the hotel window. Both, he argues, are becoming more and more indistinguishable. Click through the gallery to test your skills.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Room 1306, Tel Aviv: </strong>Our gallery opened, if you hadn't already guessed, with Tel Aviv. Eberhard photographs Hilton's entry-level double rooms at the same angle. His original project shifted when he realized Hilton rooms weren't the only things that felt "standard."
Room 1306, Tel Aviv: Our gallery opened, if you hadn't already guessed, with Tel Aviv. Eberhard photographs Hilton's entry-level double rooms at the same angle. His original project shifted when he realized Hilton rooms weren't the only things that felt "standard."
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Inside and out: </strong>"I started the project thinking that [hotel] rooms look the same everywhere you go, and only by looking out the window are you able to tell where you are in the world... and it was quite the opposite," says Eberhard.
Inside and out: "I started the project thinking that [hotel] rooms look the same everywhere you go, and only by looking out the window are you able to tell where you are in the world... and it was quite the opposite," says Eberhard.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Room 2605, Cairo: </strong>Perhaps the Arabic signage on the roadside and the shimmer of heat might offer a few clues, but outside, there's little to identify this as one of the world's oldest cities.
Room 2605, Cairo: Perhaps the Arabic signage on the roadside and the shimmer of heat might offer a few clues, but outside, there's little to identify this as one of the world's oldest cities.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Standouts: </strong>Eberhard acknowledges that some of the cities in his book deviate from the "standard" look and stand out among the others.
Standouts: Eberhard acknowledges that some of the cities in his book deviate from the "standard" look and stand out among the others.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Room 1314, Nairobi: </strong>"Nairobi looked extremely authentic to me, with these colorful buses and all these people on the streets and older buildings," he says.
Room 1314, Nairobi: "Nairobi looked extremely authentic to me, with these colorful buses and all these people on the streets and older buildings," he says.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Favorite: </strong>Though not particularly striking from an architectural standpoint, this window view remains one of Eberhard's favorites
Favorite: Though not particularly striking from an architectural standpoint, this window view remains one of Eberhard's favorites
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Room 1608, Bangkok: </strong>He says of Bangkok: "It was the most insane view I had... being at the center of the metropolis, it looked ginormous. So dense, so many high-rises, so much stuff is happening."
Room 1608, Bangkok: He says of Bangkok: "It was the most insane view I had... being at the center of the metropolis, it looked ginormous. So dense, so many high-rises, so much stuff is happening."
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Flag: </strong>Perhaps the national flag fluttering near the bottom of the image is the best giveaway in this otherwise unremarkable stretch of urban waterfront.
Flag: Perhaps the national flag fluttering near the bottom of the image is the best giveaway in this otherwise unremarkable stretch of urban waterfront.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Room 1704, Panama City: </strong>The Hilton Design and Construction Standards Manual instructs that each room must contain one lounge chair with upholstered arms. Other constants are alarm clocks, telephones, night stands, back rests and reading lamps.
Room 1704, Panama City: The Hilton Design and Construction Standards Manual instructs that each room must contain one lounge chair with upholstered arms. Other constants are alarm clocks, telephones, night stands, back rests and reading lamps.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Colorful view: </strong>Clear blue skies and colorful low-rise buildings offer a few more indicators than usual in this shot.
Colorful view: Clear blue skies and colorful low-rise buildings offer a few more indicators than usual in this shot.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Room 311, Cape Town: </strong>Eberhard insists that while we're living in an ever-globalizing world, the unique essence of each of our global cities remain intact.
Room 311, Cape Town: Eberhard insists that while we're living in an ever-globalizing world, the unique essence of each of our global cities remain intact.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Evolution: </strong>"Even if a city changes, it always remains authentic," the photographer adds. "It's evolving... It never becomes a fake."
Evolution: "Even if a city changes, it always remains authentic," the photographer adds. "It's evolving... It never becomes a fake."
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Room 1808, New York: </strong>Conrad Hilton conceived each of his original hotels as "a little America," according to art historian Franziska Solte, who provides one of the introductions to Eberhard's book.
Room 1808, New York: Conrad Hilton conceived each of his original hotels as "a little America," according to art historian Franziska Solte, who provides one of the introductions to Eberhard's book.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Anonymous places: </strong>Even those familiar with the location might struggle to place this somewhat anonymous collection of towers.
Anonymous places: Even those familiar with the location might struggle to place this somewhat anonymous collection of towers.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Room 1909, Sao Paulo: </strong>Even inside Room 1909 there are few indicators we're in Brazil's biggest city.
Room 1909, Sao Paulo: Even inside Room 1909 there are few indicators we're in Brazil's biggest city.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Architecture: </strong>Another city view that might be among the more recognizable, thanks to the distinctive architecture of neighboring buildings.
Architecture: Another city view that might be among the more recognizable, thanks to the distinctive architecture of neighboring buildings.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Room 591, Paris: </strong>Once again, the standard room offers decorative flourishes that help place it in the surrounding city.
Room 591, Paris: Once again, the standard room offers decorative flourishes that help place it in the surrounding city.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Landmarks: </strong>Once again, to the casual observer, and without easily identifiable landmarks, this could be one of many major cities on the planet.
Landmarks: Once again, to the casual observer, and without easily identifiable landmarks, this could be one of many major cities on the planet.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Room 4320, Sydney: </strong>The anonymity here reaches into the hotel room. Eberhard's standard view reveals no clear indicators of location.
Room 4320, Sydney: The anonymity here reaches into the hotel room. Eberhard's standard view reveals no clear indicators of location.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Order: </strong>A sense of tidiness and order might hint at the location here, but again there's little to give the game away.
Order: A sense of tidiness and order might hint at the location here, but again there's little to give the game away.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Room 2520, Tokyo: </strong>The minimalist interior could be read as clearly Japanese, but there again it's a style imitated the world over.
Room 2520, Tokyo: The minimalist interior could be read as clearly Japanese, but there again it's a style imitated the world over.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>On the water: </strong>This one's a little clearer. How many major cities look like this and lie on the edge of a large body of water?
On the water: This one's a little clearer. How many major cities look like this and lie on the edge of a large body of water?
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
<strong>Room 606, Venice: </strong>Again, the interior offers small clues. There are classical touches and canal-themed wall art.
Room 606, Venice: Again, the interior offers small clues. There are classical touches and canal-themed wall art.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard
Roger Eberhard's standard hotel room photos
CNN  — 

Could you tell the difference between Bangkok and Sao Paulo by looking out of a hotel room window?

It’s not as easy as you think, says Swiss photographer Roger Eberhard, who’s visited hotel rooms in 32 countries and six continents for a project exploring standardization in our major cities.

Roger Eberhard
Roger Eberhard
Daniel Disipio

In his aptly titled book “Standard,” Eberhard photographs Hilton hotel’s entry-level double rooms at the same angle in several global cities – from Sydney and Tokyo to Addis Ababa and Panama City – alongside snapshots of the world outside the hotel window.

His original mission for the art project shifted during his travels, when he noticed the Hilton rooms weren’t the only thing that felt “standard.”

 “I started the project thinking that [hotel] rooms look the same everywhere you go, and only by looking out the window are you able to tell where you are in the world… and it was quite the opposite.”

MORE: 15 hot new hotels to check into in 2017

Raising questions

Are we in Shanghai, Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo?
Are we in Shanghai, Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo?
Courtesy Roger Eberhard

Eberhard would open the window curtains in Shanghai and see clusters of skyscrapers in similar angles as those he’s seen in Hilton room views of Sao Paulo, Tokyo and Bangkok.

“There were quite a few things about the rooms that looked localized – sometimes it was the wallpaper or curtains that gave references to the continent or culture – and on the other hand, the more places I visited, the harder it got by looking out each window to tell where I was.”

To emphasize this point-of-view in “Standard,” Eberhard purposefully withheld city names of the respective room-and-view pairs until the end of the book.

“It’s raising a question, talking about standardization both in the way we live and in regards to cities,” Eberhard says.

“It’s not about inciting change, but rather an observation.”  

He acknowledges that some of the cities in his book deviate from the “standard” look and stand out among the others.

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‘Touristy view’

Eberhard says standard hotel rooms can offer more clues to location than the view out of the window.
Eberhard says standard hotel rooms can offer more clues to location than the view out of the window.
Courtesy Roger Eberhard

“Nairobi looked extremely authentic to me, with these colorful buses and all these people on the streets and older buildings. [The window view of] Venice has a postcard, touristy kind of view…I think it’s the #1 city that people recognize in the book.”

And though the room view of bustling Bangkok was among Eberhard’s more monotonous images, it remains his favorite from the project.

“It was the most insane view I had… being at the center of the metropolis, it looked ginormous. So dense, so many high-rises, so much stuff is happening.”

Eberhard insists that while we’re living in an ever-globalizing world, the unique essence of each of our global cities remain intact.  

“Even if a city changes, it always remains authentic. It’s evolving…it never becomes a fake.”

Think you can correctly identify each city from Eberhard’s “Standard” images? Test your cityscape knowledge in the gallery above before taking a peek at the captions.

“Standard” by Roger Eberhard is published by Schiedegger & Spiess

Travis Levius is a globetrotting writer, editor and photographer for the likes of BBC Travel, Business Insider and The Daily Meal. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and his travel/inspiration blog MisterLevius.com.