Soho House to stop admitting new members in New York, London and Los Angeles
You'll be waiting a long time to get into Soho House in some of the world's largest cities.
Soho House plans to stop admitting new members to its New York, London and Los Angeles locations (the company operates multiple properties in each city), according to an email from company founder Nick Jones sent to all Soho House members Friday. The move comes amid swelling criticism in recent years that the private clubs were too crowded and members weren't finding value in their membership.
"Over the last 12 months I have been spending a lot more time in our Houses. Stepping back from the day-to-day running of the business has meant that as Founder I've had the space to focus more attention on the clubs themselves," Jones, who stepped back from a CEO role late last year, wrote in the email. "I've been talking to our members and the teams in all our Houses, which I've really valued. We continue to be very focused on improving service, as well as making sure our Houses don't feel too busy.
"For that reason, next year we're closing the doors to new members across our Houses in London, New York and Los Angeles, and will only be accepting members in locations where we have capacity."
There has been a litany of social media posts over the years jeering the company for its overcrowding at the tony properties, but that doesn't appear to be deterring people from wanting to get in.
Soho House & Co., Soho House's parent company, noted a nearly 21% jump in overall membership across its variety of brands, which also includes The Ned and Scorpios Beach Club, from a year ago during a third-quarter earnings report. Soho House specifically grew its membership levels at a slightly higher rate (21.3%), and the parent company's overall waitlist to get in stood, as of the end of October, at 98,000 — an all-time company high.
Given the high concentration of members in each of the cities affected, it appears the move to halt admitting new members is a permanent one. In his email, Jones cited other ways the company is working to improve the membership experience, from new menus to upgraded fitness and wellness facilities.
Company leaders have hinted on multiple earnings calls in recent quarters that there would be an enhanced focus on food and service going forward. Soho House & Co. CEO Andrew Carnie also hinted during an interview with TPG earlier this year that an initiative like this was in the works.
"We have got a bunch of things that we'll do to improve the member experience throughout all our houses next year, and that'll include making our Houses slightly less busy when they're overcrowded," Carnie said at the time without providing specifics. "We're very conscious of that and will improve it."
It's unlikely Soho House is going to face the same kind of criticism Delta Air Lines did when it announced significant cutbacks to its Sky Club eligibility and lounge access. If you're in, you're in at Soho House.
And if you're not? There are plenty of options, like the new Soho House Mexico City or the upcoming Soho House Portland, that will still admit members.
Of course, you still have to make it off the waitlist.
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