Members’ club hotels are redefining exclusivity

When Groucho Marx said, “I don’t want to belong to any club that will have me as a member,” he wasn’t looking for a hotel room in high season. A new wave of members’ clubs with rooms are balancing exclusivity with cultural programming, creativity and impressive design, creating artful, socially-engaged boutique spaces where guests can feel right at home.

“Our philosophy is ‘one space, whole self’,” says Neena Jivraj Stevenson, managing director at The Sloane Club in Chelsea, London, which has freshly emerged from a £20m top-to-toe refurbishment. Founded in 1922 by Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Helena, the club was previously known as a stately, old-world residence. With spruced up design by Russell Sage Studio, it now places art and design at the fore. A hand-painted mural by Rosie McGuinness covers the dining room, while ceiling lampshades resemble open books. The rooftop restaurant has a £1m retractable roof for all-weather gatherings, while historic oil paintings in the lobby reflect the building’s rich legacy.

There are newly integrated opportunities for co-working and wellness, while a calendar of dinners, backgammon evenings and panel discussions bring members together. Around 700 new members have joined since the reopening, bringing the average age down from 75 to 42.

It signals a shift in the definition of membership and status. Guests want belonging and tangible community more than exclusivity. They are also looking to find their tribe, whether that’s focused on wellness (Equinox, New York), social change (The Conduit, London) or David Lynch-driven culture (Silencio, Paris).

“The new generation of members’ clubs is less about velvet ropes and more about shared values and enriching experiences,” says Myriel Walter, vice president of brand and membership at Sircle Collection, which operates a growing network of members’ clubs across its European hotels. Guests can join wellness experiences such as yoga, breathwork sessions sessions and longevity talks, while founders’ breakfasts bring entrepreneurs together.

Members are mostly 30 to 45 and include a mix of local and international professionals. “Digital life can be fragmented and isolating,” says Walter. “We aim to foster a connected community of members who travel, collaborate, and bring ideas from one club to the next.”

And it would be remiss not to mention the originator of the contemporary member club, Soho House. While the group has faced scrutiny in recent years from viability to guest trends, it remains the resilient leader and magnet for creatives, across all fields. Actor Ashton Kutcher was among investors who took the club private in 2025 to focus on its long-term strategy and growth. Soho Farmhouse Ibiza opened in July 2025 with 14 rooms, with upstate New York to follow this year, alongside openings in Tokyo, Palm Springs and Los Cabos.

The future of members’ clubs

The trajectory is clear: members’ clubs are evolving into meaningful spaces where guests can engage, collaborate and ideally book a room upstairs. Hushed corners are replaced by vibrant lounges and any club worth its Himalayan salt also includes a considered health and wellness offering. The future points towards ever-more personalised experiences, interlinking networks across reciprocal and sibling clubs. They must have a clear point of difference, through design, programming and a strong cultural identity. The tribe needs its wigwam so to speak, and among increasingly valued “third spaces” in general, members’ clubs are arguably the peak performers.

Historically, these institutions have served as hubs of influence, where political, industrial and cultural power converged. The new breed of members’ clubs is returning to this notion of driving ideas forwards and contributing to the places they inhabit, rather than existing solely behind closed doors. They enrich the fabric of the city by creating space for cross-collaboration and creative exchange.

And the good news for those of us on the outside, you don’t need to be a member to stay overnight in many of the world’s leading clubs (although the perks are tempting). From holistic wellness in Athens to modern glamour in Los Angeles, these are the members’ clubs worth checking into.

Our favourite members’ clubs with guest rooms

The Aster, LA

Why we rate it: Considered wellness and a destination Hollywood rooftop
Address: Erythraeas 22, Acharnes 136 77, Greece
Price: From 2,800 USD per annum

The Aster debuted in 2022 as a hybrid hotel and members’ club for the city’s discerning creatives. Reflecting LA’s predilection for wellness, there are Pilates and yoga classes, regular breathwork and sound bath sessions. The rooftop restaurant, open to the public, serves both keto and vegan options, against iconic LA views of Capitol Records building and the Hollywood Hills.

LA’s creative elite gather in the fragrant lemon tree-lined central courtyard for pool dips and shaded coffees, while spacious rooms have private balconies and Lather toiletries. Authority has it that scripts are bandied here, deals inked and collaborations sparked. Members and hotel guests can join exclusive dinners, film screenings, panel discussions and creative workshops, followed by late-night conversation beneath the balmy LA sky.

TATOΪ Club, Athens

Why we rate it: Sport and wellbeing in a lush Greek setting
Address: 22 Erythreas Road, 136 77 Tatoi, Greece
Price on enquiry. Membership is by referral by two existing members

TATOΪ Club, in the northern suburbs of Athens, focuses on deep, holistic wellbeing, combining movement, mindfulness and restorative therapies. Tennis and padel courts are wrapped in lush landscapes, alongside Pilates studios and a spa with Augustinus Bader facials. There is an emphasis on farm-to-table cooking, using vegetables, fruits and herbs from the onsite organic garden.

Engaging workshops and social clubs range from cooking and ceramics to reading groups and theatre. A Guest House offers two suites and six rooms exclusively for members and their guests, often booked for retreats or by visiting athletes. The only club of its kind in Greece, wellness and community come together in a peaceful, nature-driven environment – and the waiting list speaks for itself.

Carlyle & Co, Hong Kong

Why we rate it: Networking and nightly live jazz
Address: Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Price on enquiry

Carlyle & Co is owned and operated by the Rosewood Hotel Group, so you can expect a certain standard of unwavering, sleek luxury. Accessed via the Rosewood Hong Kong lobby, it has an additional eight members’ only guest rooms with floor-to-ceiling skyline views. There is a less of a wellness focus here, with balance more playfully, “a glass in one hand and a fork in the other.”

There is nightly live jazz, market-fresh seafood and rooftop views over Victoria Harbour. The club keeps things varied with guest chefs, pop-ups and panel discussions with esteemed cultural figures. For those who arrived in a hurry, the club offers bespoke tailoring, a barber and shoeshine service.

Carlyle & Co reflects a hospitality evolution from typical executive lounges or club floors, to considered members’ clubs that appeal to discerning locals and loyal Rosewood fans alike. It is an exclusive space that connects the two at the city’s heart.

Sloane Club, London

Why we rate it: Engaging art and design in a prestigious Chelsea address
Address: 52 Lower Sloane Street, London SW1W 8BP
Price: From 1,950 GBP per year, with a 30% discount for under 35s

Occupying a Victorian redbrick mansion in the heart of Chelsea, Sloane Club marries rich heritage with artful flair. A partnership with Thames & Hudson ensures an inspiring library of coffee table tomes and regular literary events, while works by British artists are curated throughout. A considered fitness and wellness programme includes daily classes and spa treatments, created in partnership with a clutch of London’s leading practitioners and fitness trainers, alongside workshops on journaling and mindful practices. The club recently also partnered with a matchmaking service, to connect likeminded solo members.

Rooms are exclusively for guests and range from cosy doubles to penthouse suites, which provide the perfect pied-à-terre while in London.

The Cover at Sircle, Barcelona

Why we rate it: A social enclave in the Catalan capital
Address: Carrer del Rosselló, 265, Eixample, 08008 Barcelona
Price: 1,920 EUR per annum (1,560 EUR for under 30s)

The Cover is the collective name for the Sircle Collection’s members’ clubs, located across Europe. In Barcelona, the club reflects the Mediterranean warmth and energy of the city. A packed social calendar includes reading groups, panel discussions, workshops and breakfasts, all designed to bring people together and foster collaboration. Expect a creative mix of locals and hotel guests, unwinding in the lounge or admiring the view of Gaudí’s Casa Milà from the rooftop bar.

Hotel Bardo Savannah

Why we rate it: Rotating art collections and bold, seductive design
Address: 700 Drayton Street, Savannah, GA 31401
Price: From 250 USD per month + 12,000 USD initiation fee

Occupying a turreted 19th century mansion, Bardo is an art-filled hotel and members’ club on the edge of leafy Forsyth Park. Social spaces unfold in soft sherbert tones, with a mural by local artist Juliana Lupacchino across one wall. Far more than a hotel amenity, the club is a living room for the city’s well-heeled creatives and travellers from across the US. Savannah regulars and weekend visitors mingle in the Green Room lobby bar, segueing from coffee to evening drinks.

There is a Camp Bardo kids programme for little visitors, cookery classes, and a considered spa and fitness offering. At the pool, laze under scalloped parasols while bartenders serve Mediterranean-leaning cocktails straight from Bar Bibi.

Twenty Two, New York and London

Why we rate it: Old school hospitality meets a creative guest list
Address: 16 E 16th St, New York, NY 10003
Price: From 2750 USD per annum (1,800 USD for under 30s)

Twenty Two launched in Mayfair, bringing a younger, fashion-forward crowd to central London’s members’ club scene. The formula was replicated in New York in 2025, transplanting British glamour to a historic brownstone in Union Square. Discretion, intimacy and candlelit corners are balanced by a genuine sense of community, with many members treating it as an extension of their home. A diverse, intergenerational membership brings local energy, while old school hospitality is never rigid.

Rooms channel classic British elegance, with functioning rotary phones, chocolate caramel leather, herringbone carpet (note, not wood) and marble bathrooms. Lebanese restaurant Cafe Zaffri is open to the public, while the lounges, garden and nightclub are reserved for hotel guests and members only.

Soho House Mumbai

Why we rate it: A creative base on the edge of Juhu Beach
Address: 16, Juhu Tara Road, Chandrabai Nagar, Juhu, Mumbai 400049
Price: From 343 USD for non-members

Soho House needs little introduction, with a global and growing portfolio of clubs and hotels. We’ve spotlighted Soho House Mumbai for its undisputed position as a creative magnet for local and visiting creatives, occupying an 11-storey whitewashed building on the edge of Juhu Beach. An impressive art collection showcases Indian talent, while interiors feature local craftsmanship, antiques and block-printed fabrics from Rajasthan. Many rooms have Arabian Sea views, as does the glass-walled gym. Guests gather poolside on the rooftop, where they can watch the sun set with a signature Picante in hand.

Also in Mumbai, Modernist at Four Seasons Mumbai is a luxurious members’ club with co-working and fitness facilities, alongside meeting rooms and a plush central lounge.