Bloomberg line – despite the definition A company like Soho House offers exclusivity and enforces filters to “select” its membersat its imminent opening in Mexico City The iconic private club is in full swing To attract hundreds of new clients in a city that does not lack meeting places for the business and business class.
This has been the case for a few years. Many executives, from the old guard and their heirs and many from Mexico City’s new entrepreneurial class, have reinvigorated the elites’ meeting place model.Private clubs.
Before opening Soho House in the Mexican capital (scheduled for September 2023, the company says), the database of applicants for membership has opened, and a relevant number has already been registered to make the initiative commercially meaningful.
diverse movers and shakers In consultation with Bloomberg Linea they say they have already begun the process of acquiring, if approved, a Soho House Membership.
Indeed, some of them pay hundreds of dollars a month to belong to private clubs in Mexico City, but are looking forward to the arrival of an option with a more international “cache”.
“It’s a good option for more personal issues than other concepts offer,” said one of the applicants, who declined to be named so as not to hamper the application process.
Mexico City has, over the decades, provided many private forums for the business, political and social communities.
From the university club to the industrial club or the various golf clubs, there has always been a wide range of meeting places for business to be done or closed or for members to ‘spoil’ partners or friends.
“In my experience, these types of clubs, if they are good, are in professional and commercial networking,” says Carlos Herrero, business consultant and co-president of Extrategia.
However, there are those who take issue with a very common element of these clubs: they all offer privacy, but sometimes you meet the same people from one place to another.
“It’s always good to have options, but private club openings can reach saturation levels and suddenly one of them will be like ‘Flavor of the Day’, or the trendy restaurant, where you’ll see your entire network so feel Alex Spencer, an asset manager who’s already introduced to Soho House. bored and they jump to another one.”
Herrero agrees: “As a place for meetings or events, these clubs are often seen as something to frequent.”
According to Spencer, the additional advantage offered by a club such as Soho House is that the community to which it is directed belongs above all to the so-called “creators”; That is to say, artists, intellectuals, writers… “That could give a freshness to a circle of houses similar to that which goes mainly to politicians, always businessmen, always artists,” says Spencer.
According to Garrett Stoll, COO of Soho House Americas, opening the location at CDMX will provide the same level of quality that the company offers its members at other locations of the iconic brand.
Soho House has homes in the United Kingdom, various European countries, Israel, the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean.
In the case of Mexico City, it is the spearhead for Latin America and after opening in September, expansion efforts will move to Brazil.
With an initial payment of MXN 20,500 (about $1,200) plus monthly payments of $11,750 (about $710), the cost of membership is higher than other clubs in the city, but much less than the most exclusive golf clubs in the capital. which can cost up to $150,000 annually).
“I think Soho House prices are quite high, but it depends on who is willing to pay them,” Amilcar Olivares, an expert on the gourmet movement in Mexico City, told Bloomberg Línea.
Like other observers consulted, Olivares says that though The Soho House offering highlights the brand’s global flavor along with promoting proverbial Mexican hospitality.the European company is betting on removing customers from traditional private clubs, as many companies continue to operate in Mexico.
Interestingly, Soho House offers special benefits to members under the age of 27 who are seeking membership. Among other things, minors of this age will pay a reduced rate and discounts on services, food and drinks.
But the secret, Herrero says, is that Soho House can stand up to the offer of “clubs, restaurants and meeting centers in Mexico City, which are so numerous and of such high quality that it makes going to these places both cheaper and more interesting.”
Luxurious bedrooms
One of the attractions offered by Soho House’s home-away-from-home possibility in the Juárez neighborhood (a once considered enclave of pedigree in the capital) is the four-room hotel service for members and their guests.
In this sense, it will compete with other concepts that have become noticeable in the city, such as Casa Polanco, in the upper-class neighborhood of the same name, or The Alest, in the same zip code.
Like Soho House, Casa Polanco, The Alest, and Campos Polanco next doorThey are boutique hotels with restaurant and bar services. They are not private clubs, but they feel like one.
What these institutions have in common, and Soho House itself, is that they are also presented as art galleries with works by both local and international artists.
In the case of Soho House, says Stuhl, more than 100 works by artists born, stationed, or trained in Mexico will be proudly displayed.
Some of them are duo Celeste (Gabriel Rosas Alemán and María Fernanda Camarena) as well as loans in collaboration with galleries in the city.
Lots of offers, exclusives
These are some of the private clubs in the Mexican capital:
Soho House
- The famous private club opened this year at CDMX.
- Like other locations, Soho House CDMX offers spacious rooms, a swimming pool, gym, bars, cinema, spa, restaurant … among other areas to encourage communication between its members and guests.
- As in other latitudes, members of the creative communities are a priority for the committee to approve their applications. With this, Soho House seeks to change the notion that a private club should be dominated by politicians or businessmen.
- Dress Code: No suit and tie required and never explicitly take photos.
Hap project
- Like Soho House, it targets creatives, but broadens the concept to include “innovators and leaders,” attracting many of the new breed of digital nomads, as well as people transitioning into their political careers.
Club 51
- It is perhaps the highest private club in the capital as it is located on the 51st floor of the Torre Mayor. It is a highly sought after site by politicians, businesses and journalists.
University Club
One of the oldest private clubs in the capital, it also offers a large network of collaborations with more than 100 similar locations in the world.
“Creator. Devoted pop culture specialist. Certified web fanatic. Unapologetic coffee lover.”