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Once seen as stuffy, boys-only spaces shrouded in cigar smoke, private members’ clubs have undergone a chic transformation in recent decades.
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Post-COVID, creatives and entrepreneurs have turned these third spaces into their offices, with an after-dark programme of events and discussions meant to bring these like-minded souls together.
With more than 40 clubs in cities around the globe, Soho House has long dominated the conversation, but that hasn’t stopped a new challenger entering the mix: Luxury hotels.
Already home to many of the amenities you’d expect, like a gym and a pool, it’s seemingly an easy side step into the world of private members’ clubs for many of these brands.
Yet building a community that meshes well together, both day and night, and one that matches the hotel’s personality, is no easy task.
Hotels as community hubs
It wasn’t so long ago that hotels were exclusively the reserve of in-house guests. But as uninspiring all-day dining restaurants have been switched out for Michelin-star meals, and lobby lounges have become an alternative to coffee shops, properties are increasingly becoming spaces for locals, not just out-of-towners.
“I think that lifestyle hotels are becoming a destination for people in the city that they’re located in, whether that means restaurants and cafes inside, or events going on there,” Margo Ford, European membership manager at The Cover, a private members’ club that is part of the Sircle Collection, told Euronews Travel.
“The Sir Hotels brand within the Sircle Collection in particular has been making an effort for years already to choose locations that aren’t as touristy, that really reflect the city’s sort of soul and where locals would actually enjoy going.”
The Cover first opened its doors in Barcelona’s Sir Victor hotel in 2021, with its second club following at Vienna’s Max Brown 7th District hotel in November 2025. The group will soon be joined with clubs in London and Amsterdam.
While the facilities at the clubs differ – in Vienna, there’s a private cinema, while Barcelona boasts an extensive spa area – members can expect engaging events no matter which they join.
“The original driver for our members’ club, The Cover, was to create a space where people could connect in person and have a bit of human touch after being in isolation for so long after COVID,” Ford added.
“We want people that want to connect with each other and that genuinely are looking to collaborate professionally and hang out socially.”
This emphasis on events is something shared by the team behind Six Senses Place at the newly opened Six Senses London in Bayswater.
The brand, founded by British hotelier Sonu Shivdasani in 1995, is best known for its retreats across Asia, with stays centred around wellness. The new property, found within the former Whiteley’s department store, is its first foray into city hotels.
Programming follows the almanac, with plenty of events around healing and self-development as well as sustainability.
For example, Place hosts weekly Sanctum classes which involve a mix of breathwork, meditation and cardio, while one-off events for members have previously included a nightingale safari at Knepp, the rewilding project in West Sussex.
“Six Senses already taps into so many elements around wellness and sustainability and nature-based connections, given that most of the properties today are in remote, wild destinations around the world,” Nico Eden, director of Six Senses Place, said.
“We pioneer values around connectivity, nourishment and movement, and as Six Senses moves more and more into urban markets, Place offers an opportunity for the group to enhance this.”
With more than 130 members clubs across the British capital, Six Senses Place is entering a crowded market. But Eden is confident that the club’s mix of social and wellness is filling a gap.
“What I’m excited most about is this combination of data-led driven science that meets the esoteric,” Eden added. “It’s not blurring the two, but it’s honouring the fact that these two exist sometimes side by side.”
The hotel’s spa spans 2,300 square metres, with a 20-metre indoor swimming pool, London’s first dedicated magnesium pool, a 325 square metre fitness centre, plus 13 wellness spaces and six treatment rooms that cover cryotherapy, flotation and red-light therapies.
There’s a Biohack Recovery Lounge that offers sound loungers, compression boots and lymphatic suit, and an outpost of the HUM2N longevity clinic that can provide advanced blood diagnostics, IV nutrient therapy and hormone optimisation.
At the Alchemy Bar – a staple of Six Senses resorts – you can work with the head alchemist to create tinctures and tonics using seasonal medicinal herbs that are customised to your needs. The hotel even has an in-house crystal reader.
Private members’ clubs in hotels to join across Europe
Six Senses Place, London
Part of what makes Six Senses London so unique is that many of the features from the iconic Whiteley’s department store have been restored, from the Grade II-listed façade to the grand staircase in the lobby. It’s these steps that you’ll have to ascend to reach Six Senses Place, which is found on the first floor.
Members have access to three spaces here: Dome Bar, Place Restaurant and Scala Bar. Dome Bar, so named for its skylight, is the perfect spot for coworking, with a mix of long tables (with plenty of plug sockets) and cosy corners for meetings, while Scala Bar hosts many of the evening events.
There are different membership tiers offering varying levels of access to the wellness spaces. Aside from all the facilities mentioned above, the gym here is easily one of the best I’ve seen in a hotel and comes complete with yoga and reformer pilates studios.
The Cover, Barcelona and Vienna
As we already mentioned, the spaces at The Cover Barcelona and Vienna differ (as they will for the soon-to-open clubs in London and Amsterdam).
In Barcelona, you have access to The Club, a members-only bar, restaurant and lounge; a private area in The Rooftop, which overlooks Gaudi’s Casa Milà, and The Den, which hosts many of the club’s events.
As for Vienna, there’s The Club, cosy socialising spot Le Separé, bar and restaurant The Terrace, as well as The Theatre.
Both clubs have private phone booths you can book should you need to join calls, as well as a co-working spot called The Study.
In Barcelona, you have both a spa and a gym, while Vienna only has the latter. Both offer a mix of fitness, yoga and meditation classes.
You can apply for annual memberships, but there is also an option for digital nomads where you get access for three consecutive months. Members get access to other clubs, invites to events and curated trips, and discounts on hotel stays and dining.
Club Woodward, Geneva
Auberge Collection made its first move into the private members’ club space with the opening of Club Woodward in Geneva in March.
Located in The Woodward, a Belle Époque mansion turned hotel which opened in 2021, the club offers three different membership tiers.
Salon Membership, aimed at foodies, includes invites to private dinners, tastings and other events throughout the year, as well as priority access to Le Jardinier and Bar 37 as well as L’Atelier Robuchon, Geneva’s only two-Michelin-star restaurant.
Essence Membership grants you access to the Guerlain Spa, which has Geneva’s longest indoor pool, saunas, steam rooms, snow and ice showers and Swedish baths. You’ll also have access to the gym and classes offered there.
Premier membership includes access to all of the above.
Auberge Collection is set to open Cambridge House in London’s Mayfair later this year, and the hotel will also feature a private members’ club.
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