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Inside the swanky 'Hospital Club' owned by a Microsoft billionaire

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hospital club

The Hospital Club, located on Endell Street in London's Covent Garden neighborhood, has quite the interesting history.

Previously a 19th-century women's hospital, the seven-story building now functions as a members-only club, hotel, TV studio, art gallery, and event space. The club also just added 15 bedrooms so visiting members have a place to lay their heads at night.

Microsoft's billionaire cofounder Paul Allen bought the club in 1996, shortly after he and musician Dave Stewart discovered the building while having a drink nearby. They renovated it and opened the Hospital Club in 2004.

An annual membership costs 8oo pounds, or roughly $1,200, though those based outside the U.K. and under 30 years old can take advantage of a slight discount. 

The Hospital Club is located in a seven-story building that was completed in 1849. Its name was inspired by the building's previous roles, first as a women's hospital and later as a secret, government-funded treatment center.



Inside, the decor is funky and eclectic.



Detailed woven rugs and bold walls give off an artistic vibe.



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Yale Club member loses it in dress code complaint letter about T-shirt-wearing law student

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Yale Club

A member at the historic Yale Club of New York City is not happy.

In a memo to the club's staff — which was later obtained by the New York Post — the disgruntled member called out a young man, identified as a Yale Law student, who wore a T-shirt reading "F--- Forever" in the men's locker room.

In the member's words, it was "a horrifying example of this denouement, this sad decline in the atmosphere and spirit of the club."

The member goes on to ask who will be held accountable for upholding the club's standards of dress. 

Assuming that the Yale Club's member dress code is similar to its guest dress code, this type of clothing is not allowed in public areas of the club. The policy states that while traditional business dress is "always welcome," business casual dress is "required in all public rooms except for the athletic facilities at all times." 

So the athletic areas may be a bit of a gray area where the normal dress code (which specifically bans T-shirts) doesn't apply.

Of course, it was more the content than the vehicle that the member took issue with. According to the memo, he told the law student that his shirt was "offensive and inappropriate" and that the facility was "a club for ladies and gentlemen."

The student merely smirked in reply. 

SEE ALSO: The 70 coolest new buildings in the world, according to architecture fans and experts

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Magnises, a private club for elite millennials, is now offering its members access to swanky nightclubs and hotel stays for $79 a night

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magnises penthouseMagnises, founded in 2014 by twenty-something Billy McFarland, wants to help you build the perfect network. 

With the use of a personalized black card, the private club gives young professionals access to special events and deals in some of the biggest cities on the East Coast, most notably in New York City and Washington, DC. 

By flashing your Magnises card, you can get discounts at restaurants, bars, or clubs and reserve experiences like private concerts and luxurious getaways.

The black card can be linked with your bank or credit card for payment purposes, but its main draw is definitely the perks that come along with it.

"We're building a complete platform that connects millennials with new businesses, online and offline. One thing that everyone carries with them at all times is their debit or credit card," McFarland told Business Insider last July. "So we tied it to that." 

The club's membership has swelled to 12,000 people, and as McFarland shared with Business Insider Wednesday, they're adding a bunch of new benefits. 

For just $99 a month, New York-based Magnises members can access the co-working facilities at Alley, where Magnises also maintains its corporate offices. Desks at co-working spaces typically rent for about $500 a month, McFarland said. Magnises is calling this new membership feature WorkPass.

"We're just trying to take all of our members' lives to the next level — equally professionally and socially," McFarland said to Business Insider. magnises penthouse party

The startup is also introducing a feature called ClubPass, which allows Magnises members to pay $65 a month for guaranteed access to the most exclusive nightclubs in New York.

With a third new feature, HotelPass, Magnises members can stay at The Dream Hotel's New York locations for $79 a night. Rooms at The Dream typically start at $245.

"These are places our members want to go, but maybe they can't, or if they can, they'd have to pay for an expensive table, in the case of the ClubPass," McFarland said.  

It's a good deal for the club and hotel brands, too, Magnises says. The club is made up of working professionals between 21 years old and 35 years old, most of whom work in industries like finance, fashion, and tech.

"The Dream Hotel is opening a bunch of properties around the world. They want our members to think of The Dream first when they vacation or travel for business," McFarland said. "We're basically giving them access to their target demographic and getting them inside the door."

SEE ALSO: A 23-year-old created a club for elite millennials where everyone gets a black card and parties in a New York City penthouse

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Inside the lavish private club for New York City's creative elite

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Alan Linn Norwood Club

There are few things more exclusive than a private club. 

After years of working within the members-only club scene in London, Alan Linn saw a space in the market for a club that catered specifically to New York City's abundant creative community.

In 2007 he came to the US and opened Norwood, a now-bustling five-story club with more than 1,000 members ranging from 21 to 80 years old. Its ranks include architects, fashion designers, musicians, media moguls, and art collectors.

Linn's number-one tip for making it through the selection process is simple: "Be curious."

We talked to Linn about the history of Norwood, and what it's like to be a part of one of New York's top creative communities.  

SEE ALSO: We went to New York City's most expensive neighborhood — home to Wall Streeters and celebrities like Taylor Swift — and saw why it's so popular

The club is located in an unassuming brownstone near the corner of West 14th Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan. Built in 1874 by Andrew S. Norwood, the building was, at the time, an extravagant mansion with a total 13 fireplaces, mahogany doors, and intricate plaster crown molding.



To be accepted to the club, you must prove your involvement with the creative arts, and go through an extensive hour-long interview, which gets reported to the board of directors. "It's as much as what are we going to get out of them as members, as what are they going to get out of us," Linn said. There's a $800 membership joining fee, and an annual fee of $2,200 a year — or $1,250 if you're under 30.



"When we take on new members, it’s not always about everyone knowing everyone," Linn said. "It's about creating an alchemy, so to speak. It's nice to combine various professions and backgrounds at one dinner table."



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What it's like inside the ultra-exclusive club that counts Roger Goodell, Anthony Scaramucci, and Wall Street billionaires as members

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CORE: Club isn't easy to get into.

The Manhattan club counts bigwigs from the city's major industries as members, including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, billionaire fashion entrepreneur J. Christopher Burch, former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, and Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman.

But don't mistake it for the stuffy Upper East Side clubs that have defined New York City's 1% for more than a century, founder Jennie Enterprise told Business Insider. CORE: Club seeks to be "the anticlub."

We recently spent the day at CORE to see what it's all about.

CORE: Club is located in midtown Manhattan, a short walk from Fifth Avenue, Grand Central, Rockefeller Center, and dozens of corporate HQs. A perfect location for the 1% who form the club's core membership.



The entrance is tucked into a building. When you walk in you're greeted by a rotating selection of contemporary art, curated by New York Times columnist Bee Shapiro and others. To join, you'll have to pony up a $50,000 initiation fee and approximately $17,000 in annual dues.



Next to the elevators are iPads listing the club's upcoming events — there are more than 350 per year — along with various membership perks offered by partners like Bulgari Hotels, yacht charter app YachtLife, and private aviation company Wheels Up.

The club also offers what Enterprise calls "experiential installations."

A recent excursion ferried members via Rolls Royce upstate to renowned chef Dan Barber's Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Members then took a tour of art collectors Raymond Learsy and Melva Bucksbaum's private art collection, which features works by Henri Matisse, Andy Warhol, and Robert Mapplethorpe. 

 

 



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What it’s like to eat at the elite spot frequented by Wall Street billionaires where you have to pony up $50,000 to walk in the door

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A93A3757 Bar and Woods 5

The restaurant at CORE: Club isn't easy to get into, but its certainly a place you want to be — particularly around lunch time.

For starters, you'll need to pony up a $50,000 initiation fee and approximately $17,000 in annual dues to join the elite club's ranks, which include NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, billionaire fashion entrepreneur J. Christopher Burch, former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, and Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman.

When we visited on a recent Tuesday around lunchtime, the restaurant was bustling with bigwigs dining on the fine Italian and French-inspired cuisine. 

Luckily, CORE: Club founder Jennie Enterprise invited us to join her for lunch. Here's what it was like.

CORE: Club is located in midtown Manhattan, a short walk from Fifth Avenue, Grand Central, Rockefeller Center, and dozens of corporate HQs. A perfect location for the 1% who form the club's core membership.



We headed upstairs to the lounge to meet CORE founder Jennie Enterprise and Greta Giordano, the club's director of member experience, for lunch. CORE's restaurant was originally designed by celebrity chef Tom Colicchio.

Much of CORE's senior management is "steeped in high-end food and beverage experience," Enterprise told Business Insider.

Michael Franco, the club's general manager, used to work at Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia, once considered the best French restaurant in America. Other members of the management team have worked at The Dorchester and three-Michelin star restaurant Per Se.

 



The restaurant, like all of CORE, is filled with contemporary art. While most pieces in the club change every couple of months, "Flood," the red piece in back by painter Barnaby Furnas, is one of the few pieces that never changes.



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The $35,000 ‘meditation pod’ showing up at high-end spas makes the hardest part of meditation mind-blowingly easy

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CoreClub (17 of 45)

Meditation is a challenging but rewarding experience.

When I was in college, I used to meditate often, and found it was a highly effective way for me to quiet my stress and reset my mind.

But as I've made my way through the always-on world that we live in today, it's become a lot harder to find even 10 minutes to disconnect. There's always that nagging inner voice: what if that important person responded to your email? 

That's why I was intrigued when I heard about the Somadome on a recent tour of CORE: Club, the ultra exclusive social club frequented by New York's elite. 

The Somadome, a spaceship-like pod that retails for $35,000, promises to make meditation easy by enveloping users in a combination of  LED color therapy, guided meditation, binaural beats, and energy healing.

I decided to give it a try.

I first encountered the Somadome at the Institute of Skinovation, a high-end skincare clinic located in CORE: Club, an exclusive social club in Midtown Manhattan.



I was told that the pod is made up of "microcrystalline tiles" developed by French geophysicist Pierre Nicolas to channel healing energies. I cannot attest to how grounded in science the tiles are.



The pod uses guided meditation or binaural beat meditation (or a combo). I've done both before. The idea behind binaural meditation is that you listen to some admittedly strange sound patterns to induce your brain to output certain wavelengths associated with a certain mental state.

You can try out binaural sound meditation for yourself at Square Eater. There's not a ton of scientific evidence examining the effects of binaural beats and the studies that exist are mixed at best.

I've had some success with it, but that amounts to a big ¯\_()_/¯ because it could just be a placebo effect.



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Inside the mysterious LA sex club that costs up to $75,000 a year and is rumored to have hosted Gwyneth Paltrow as a guest

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Snctm

  • Snctm is an elite members-only sex club.
  • Rumored guests at Snctm's events have included Gwyneth Paltrow and Bill Maher.
  • The club's founder is currently feuding with its first member, Phuong Tran.

 

Snctm, a members-only elite sex club that hosts international events, is in hot water — and it could potentially jeopardize the privacy of its wealthy members.

The club — where a basic membership costs $20,000, while the special "Violet Key membership" for male members is a one-time payment of $1 million — centers itself on the idea of exploring the boundaries of what sex means, and how it makes its members feel. Snctm has reportedly hosted high-profile guests at its parties including Gwyneth Paltrow and Bill Maher.

Referred to as "erotic theater" by its founder, Damon Lawner, the club hosts masquerades, pool parties, classes, and dinner events for its male members, as well as approved female guests, all with the ability for attendees to either participate, or simply act as voyeurs. 

This week a feud erupted between Lawner and the club's first and most notorious member, Phuong Tran — also known by his character name, "Bunnyman" — when it was announced that Tran's membership had been revoked.

Tran posted an Instagram in November to say he believed "The pillars (privacy, safety, and exploration) that sustained the Club have crumbled." He has also accused Lawner of leaking names of celebrity guests to the media. The Dominus membership — the type Tran lost — is available to only 20 people worldwide and costs $75,000.

While no photography is allowed inside a Snctm event, HBO and Showtime have both aired documentaries exploring the parties the club hosts. Below are scenes from their recordings that show a small glimpse into the private and exclusive world of Snctm. 

SEE ALSO: I went to a decadent, $450-a-ticket party inspired by the Illuminati — and it was a totally surreal experience

DON'T MISS: Hollywood's elite $75,000-a-year sex club that claims to have celebrity members is embroiled in scandal after evicting one of its own

A majority of Snctm's events are hosted in Holmby Hills, California — at a private residence that's on an acre of land.

Source: Goop



In an interview published on Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle site Goop, Lawner said his inspiration for creating Snctm was to have "a meaningful conversation about sex, relationship, erotica, fetish, love, pain, and ultimately pleasure of the highest vibration that we might reach together."

Source: Goop



Becoming a member is a competitive, and expensive process. In terms of what they're looking for in members, Lawner told Goop: "Beauty, intelligence, wit, success, sexiness, wisdom, openness, non-judgment, desire to explore, fearlessness."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

This Colorado ski resort is open to just 13 members who pay upwards of $2.8 million for private access to 1,750 acres of untouched powder

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private ski resort

  • A new private club in Colorado may be one of the most exclusive ski resorts in the world.
  • The Cimarron Mountain Club is only open to 13 members who pay at least $2.65 million plus annual fees of $62,000 for private access to the 1,750-acre wilderness area.
  • Members also get a 35-acre piece of land on which they can build a chalet — but no "mega-mansions" are allowed.
  • The membership will also include access to a lodge with dining areas, a bar, an outdoor spa, a fire pit, and a warming hut.

 

At one of the world's most exclusive ski resorts, a lucky 13 members pay an initial fee of at least $2.65 million for private access to the 1,750-acre wilderness area — plus a spot to build a personal chalet.

The Cimarron Mountain Club in Colorado was founded by Jim Aronstein, a retired natural resources lawyer, and his wife, Patsy, with the goal of creating "a sanctuary for 13 families who want to ski untracked powder and preserve a beautiful wilderness setting for future generations to enjoy," a representative for the Club told Business Insider.

"I was simply tired of the ski resort experience and dreamed for decades about creating the world's only, intimate and private wilderness club with skiable terrain to rival the best," Aronstein told Business Insider. "My wife and I identified more than a dozen potential sites, located in six Rocky Mountain states and provinces, and visited every one. In the end, just one met all the criteria."

The Aronsteins bought the property in 2004 and the Club officially launched in July 2018, with six member families already signed up and seven remaining spots.

"What has and continues to make CMC so special is our commitment to preserving the powder, protecting the wilderness, and sharing it all with just 13 member families and their friends," Aronstein added.

Here's a look at the super-exclusive resort.

SEE ALSO: This luxury resort on Maine's largest island costs up to $2,000 per night and is a gateway to one of the country's most stunning national parks

DON'T MISS: Are 'luxpeditions' the new glamping?

Cimarron Mountain Club sits in the San Juan Mountains, a rugged mountain range in southwestern Colorado that makes up part of the Rocky Mountains. It's about a 4.5-hour drive from the winter resort town of Aspen.

Source: Cimarron Mountain Club, Colorado Encyclopedia, Google Maps



So far, six families have paid $2.65 million for their memberships and cabin sites, leaving seven memberships up for grabs at $2.8 million each. The annual fees are between $62,000 and $67,000 and include 115 days of skiing per member family, Club labor, operations, and other fixed expenses.

Source: Cimarron Mountain Club



The current members are all "powder hounds," according to a resort representative. "Highly successful entrepreneurs or titans of industry. They all have kids and they all want CMC to be a place to impart lasting memories and values. Skiing has been a part of their families' lives for some time."

Source: Cimarron Mountain Club



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

An iconic LA hotel known for its celebrity clientele might be converted into a private residential club. It's one of many signs the pandemic has thrown the hotel industry into chaos.

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chateau marmont los angeles

  • The celebrity-beloved Chateau Marmont hotel in Los Angeles may be turned into a private residential club, Craig Karmin reported for The Wall Street Journal.
  • The owner, hotelier André Balazs, told the Journal that the coronavirus pandemic had sped up his plans to transform the iconic Hollywood hotel.
  • The proposed transformation is a sign of the uncertain future of the hotel industry, which has scrambled to adapt to the coronavirus era.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Chateau Marmont, an iconic Los Angeles hotel beloved by celebrities, may be converted into a private residential club by the end of the year, its owner told The Wall Street Journal.

Hotelier André Balazs said the coronavirus pandemic had sped up his plans to transform the hotel, which he'd been considering for three years. 

Like hotels across the US, the Chateau has suffered during the pandemic. The hotel laid off most of its staff without severance — more than 200 employees — in late March. Page Six reported that Balazs himself created a GoFundMe relief fund for the staffers— but by May 1, many of them said they hadn't yet received the funds. A spokesperson for Balazs told the Journal that the hotel's lack of severance pay was consistent with other non-union properties. A Chateau spokesperson told Business Insider that, on May 4, more than $250,000 was distributed from the GoFund Me to laid-off staffers in order of seniority.

Although Chateau Marmont has been a traditional hotel that can be booked online, its exclusivity means it wouldn't be such a stretch to turn it into a members-only club, according to the owner.

"We have always screened our guests," Balazs told the Journal. "Guests are never more than one degree of separation away."

chateau marmont michael b jordan elizabeth olsen

Chateau Marmont has built up a reputation as an iconic Hollywood destination. Over the years, the hotel's guests have included writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Doors musician Jim Morrison, and countless other celebrities. Late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain once said the Chateau was his favorite hotel in the world.

In 2012, actress Lindsay Lohan was reportedly banned from the Los Angeles property after skipping out on paying a more than $46,000 tab following her 47-day stay.

lindsay lohan chateau marmont

Through his André Balazs Properties, Balazs also owns the Mercer Hotel in New York City, the Chiltern Firehouse hotel in London, and Sunset Beach, a beachside property near the the Hamptons. The hotelier told the Journal that depending on the response to Chateau Marmont's transformation, he may open up members-only clubs around the world in places like Milan, Paris, Tokyo, and the south of France or a private island in Greece.

An uncertain future for hotels

The upcoming transformation of Chateau Marmont is just one example of the shifting landscape of the hotel industry, which has been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic. 

On May 20, seven out of 10 hotel rooms in the US were sitting empty and thousands of hotels were completely closed, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA). Hotels have lost billions in room revenue since the start of the pandemic, and at least 70% of hotel employees were laid off or furloughed, per the AHLA. 

To make guests feel safe and attract desperately-needed business, the industry scrambled to implement creative solutions. Hotels started offering contactless check-in, limiting capacity, and cutting out daily housekeeping in order to reduce person-to-person interaction. 

In the long-term, some top travel and hospitality CEOs expect the pandemic to prompt a shift toward smaller, boutique hotels. Hotel designers and architects predict that amenities like gyms will be replaced by in-room fitness offerings, meetings and conference space swill be reconfigured, and the hotel breakfast buffet will be no more, as Alesandra Dubin reported for Business Insider.

SEE ALSO: Hotels, motels, and resorts are never going to be the same. What you can expect the next time you plan a vacation.

DON'T MISS: This is the future of hotel design after coronavirus, according to hospitality architects

Join the conversation about this story »

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The rise of private members' clubs, reimagined by a virus

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Summary List Placement

 

For centuries, private clubs have been attracting powerful businessmen and dignitaries — often exclusively males — for business and social purposes. Private clubs were extremely popular in London, which, in the late 19th century, had more than 400 clubs. In 20th century America, golf and country clubs, which often required a strict dress code, also gained popularity among upper-class individuals.

Today, many private members' clubs have chosen to abandon this old-fashioned model in favor of attracting young creatives and entrepreneurs. Gone are the hallmarks of old members' clubs, like strict dress codes and no workspaces. Those have given way to new members' clubs, which offer a stylish, contemporary space to work and network.

Nick Jones, founder of Soho House, was one of the first to do this with the opening of the club in London in 1995. As of 2020, Soho House operates more than 27 clubs worldwide, with locations slated to open in Tel Aviv, Rome, Paris, Nashville, Austin, Canouan, and another in London, in 2021 and 2022. 

Henry Wallmeyer, President and CEO of the National Club Association, whose members include 400 clubs like the prestigious Yale Club of New York City, New York Athletic Club and New York Yacht Club, said within the last five years clubs have become a "third place." 

"Everybody's first place is their home, second is work and the third place is their personal refuge," he told Business Insider.

A hospitality magnate makes a pivot into private members' clubs

Scott Sartiano is a hospitality magnate and the founder of some of the world's hottest nightclubs, including New York City's 1Oak, favored by celebrities like Drake and Paris Hilton, and Up & Down. This month, he's slated to open his first-ever private members' club, Zero Bond.

Located at 0 Bond Street in Manhattan's NoHo neighborhood, Zero Bond is a work and social club for individuals in the art, entertainment, media, fashion, and literary industries.

"I wanted to create an elevated environment," Sartiano told Business Insider of the decision to open the members' club. "I thought the 28- to 50 year-old bracket was kind of underrepresented in New York when it came to social options. People want to know who they're associating with, but also want their own space and more control over their experiences."

Zero Bond

Membership fees are $3,000 annually, with a $500 initiation fee. And while it's not the most expensive members' club in the city, it's also not easy to get in: Those who apply are required to have a reference by a current member. It has a roster of high-profile celebrities, athletes, and designers on board as founding members, including Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, Liev Schreiber, Tom Brady, Zac Posen, and Caroline Wozniacki.

"There's no one type of person that Zero Bond is looking for," Sartiono said. "I want a mixture and diversity. That's New York City. When you go out in New York and meet someone you wouldn't have ordinarily met, that's the makings of a great night."

"My goal is to create the safest place in New York to work and socialize," Sartiano said of Zero Bond. He's implemented technology to automatically take the temperature of anyone who walks through the door. Staff's temperature will be taken hourly and upon entry. There will also be dividers and separators to ensure social distancing. 

The 20,000-square-foot, high-ceilinged space spans two floors with several lounge areas, two restaurants, five private rooms, and a bar. Design aficionados will love Zero Bond's contemporary aesthetic, designed by William Sofield and Studio Sofield, which designed store interiors for Gucci and Tom Ford. The building, built in 1874, retains much of its original structure, including red-brick archways and large windows. 

The building was formerly the second-ever Brooks Brothers store and factory; in a nod to the building's past, the staff will wear custom-designed Brooks Brothers uniforms. Zero Bond will also hang artwork by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Keith Haring, whose former studio was next door.

"I'm trying to tie things back into the neighborhood," Sartiano said.

The office landscape is shifting, and private clubs serve as remote workspaces

As the pandemic swept the US, companies across the country shut their offices and instructed employees to work from home. But even during the pandemic, it's not uncommon to see a sea of laptops at a given Soho House during the day. In an effort to give members a more dedicated workspace, the company launched its first shared workspace for creatives, Soho Works, in London in 2015.

Its first New York City outpost opened earlier this year, and a Los Angeles location is slated to open later this year. Existing Soho House members and non-member creatives alike can apply for a membership. Members have access to work amenities like printers, phone booths, meeting rooms, and podcast equipment that they might not have at home.

Zero Bond will also be a place to work, complete with quiet areas and phone booths to take calls without disturbing members.

"I want to create a place where people can come to work, have a meeting, have an after-work cocktail or come on a date," Sartiano said, adding that many members' clubs in New York often feel overcrowded. "There's always going to be space for people, and they're always going to know your name and who you are," he said.

Private clubs are also finding new ways to engage with members

With the pandemic limiting in-person meetings, some private clubs are turning to digital programming to keep guests entertained and connected. 

Soho House, which is known — in pre-pandemic times — for programming that includes off-site trips and mixology classes, is finding new ways to engage with members. Since April, Soho House has hosted digital events, including speakers, musical performances, meditations, and virtual screenings via its app.

Copyright Soho Works Water Street Lounge 202002 JI LR 001

CORE: Club in New York City is another club implementing digital events for members to access remotely. The club opened its doors in New York City in 2005. It has 1,600 members and doesn't come cheap: Initial members' fees cost $50,000 and annual dues are $17,000.

CORE: Club Founder Jennie Enterprise told Business Insider that membership is "highly curated," and they search for those seeking "intellectual challenges." While privacy is of the utmost importance, members include leaders, entrepreneurs, and CEOs. What differentiates CORE: from other clubs is the wide range of industries from which they select members, including science and academia, hospitality and culinary, and sports and technology, among others.

COVID-19 inspired Enterprise to launch CORE: Connects, a digital platform featuring cultural programming. Sessions are recorded, uploaded to the website, and made available for members only. One speaker series, called Minds & Mavericks, includes sessions by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Abigail Disney, documentary filmmaker, philanthropist and social activist. CORE: is slated to open its second location in Milan in 2021.

CORE: Club Terrace

A public hotel turned private members'-owned hotel

Hotels, too, are pivoting to a private membership model. Chateau Marmont, the historic Los Angeles hotel,  first opened in 1927 and was bought by André Balazs Properties in 1990. It's known for glamorous parties that attract actors, writers, musicians, and artists. This summer, Balazs announced his plans to rebrand it as a members'-owned hotel, meaning members will own a piece of real estate at the hotel.

This decision stemmed from the fact that 70% of guests were repeat customers and the top 100 guests generated the majority of the room revenue. In addition to the investment, owners will be able to leave personal belongings, stay for extended periods of time, and have access to private dining areas.

Chateau Marmont

Only one restaurant and a few common areas will be available for public access. When owners aren't staying there, the hotel will only accept guests personally recommended by owners.

"What's been amazingly surprising, but good, is how quickly clubs turn[ed] on a dime once COVID-19 hit," Wallmeyer of the National Club Association said. "Historically, clubs have been notoriously slow in changing. A lot of it is because some are 100 years old."

SEE ALSO: Inside the wild world of luxury RV travel in America, where an RV site can cost up to $3 million and business is booming amid the pandemic

Join the conversation about this story »

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