Private members clubs London

[Felloffthehedonictreadmill]

Talk to me about private members clubs in London....

Do you or your spouse use one? I'd like to get my husband membership as he commutes three times a week and he'd be better off doing it twice and stopping over. I want it to enhance his wellbeing, not deplete it.

Im looking for something reasonably priced preferably with a gym but thats not essential. Somewhere he can take clients, sleep comfortably and get a meal.

Please give me advice....this is not my world at all!

TIA

I have colleagues who are members at 5 Hertford St. I don't know if they have rooms though

Home House
Lansdownd club

Hi OP! I get this completely as I've been in the same position and finding the perfect 'base camp' in London can be tricky. This is a lovely idea to support your DH and find a bolt hole for yourself as well (although might you need to be with him as his guest if you haven't got your own membership? Worth thinking about.) I've been a member of several clubs in London but still haven't found my perfect place where I can work, entertain, and stay over – but I am on a bit of a budget. Since it doesn't sound like you are, I asked ChatGPT for you and this is their shortlist, many of which have been suggested by others on this thread:

1. The Ned. (Bank) A luxurious club with 250 hotel rooms, a rooftop pool, multiple restaurants, and a fully equipped gym. Membership includes access to all facilities. No nomination required.
2. Home House (Marylebone), This club offers elegant bedrooms, a boutique gym with a health spa, and a vibrant social calendar. Membership provides full access to all amenities. Nomination required but they do offer a 'new member' initiative where you might be able to bypass this for a trial period during which you can get to know other members to nominate you.
3. The Lansdowne Club (Mayfair). It features 73 rooms, a 25-yard swimming pool, gym, and various fitness classes. Membership includes accommodation and wellness facilities. No nomination required.
4. White City Soho House. A creative hub with 45 bedrooms, a rooftop pool, gym, and daily member events. Membership includes access to all facilities and events. (my note - Soho House don't let you get laptops out after about midday so it's not suitable as a work space.) Nomination required.
5. The Sloane Club (Chelsea). 66 refurbished bedrooms, a gym, and a chic mid-century ambiance. Membership includes accommodation and wellness facilities. No nomination required.
6. RAC (Pall Mall). Grecian-style indoor pool, gym, 108 bedrooms, and multiple dining options. Membership includes access to all amenities. Nomination required but they do offer 'Country' membership (ie for people based outside London) which might have fewer requirements.

Good luck finding a perfect place for your DH - and where you can hopefully get some respite too!

I think it’s a lovely idea
You should also try ChatGPT for ideas, you may be able to specify how much you want to pay on that and put in some non negotiable requirements

Soho House
Shoreditch House
I’d find somewhere near to his office. Shoreditch House has a pool, if that sways things.

A friend is a member of the Lansdowne. A club is so much nicer than staying in a hotel. It gives familiarity, friendship, and a firm base. If I had my time working in London again I’d join one.

Is no-one else thinking that this is opening the door to him having an affair? 🤔Or am I just super cynical and untrusting? 😆

When I had to travel to London regularly I took advice from a colleague after some disasters, and stayed almost always at the club quarters which was a really short walk from our office from then on. The beds were comfortable, the rooms were large and you can even do laundry…it’s totally set up for business travelers.

Location is really critical - what station does he come in and out of and what parts of London does he need to be in - many clubs are in Pall Mall which isn’t always going to be convenient- but I know someone who uses Soho House which has more locations. I would recommend looking at club quarters if that’s convenient for him until you get a membership club sorted.

Just be thankful you didn't ask for a private school/dog breed/£10,000 holiday recommendation.

I've only been to Groucho and the Soho House group. Both are fine, but have waiting lists and you need to be recommended. Not really something you can buy someone as a present.

I'm a member of the RAC, they were absolutely bloody marvelous when the fiesta conked out on the M6.

Union's not the kind of club where you stay over afaik, it's a bar/restaurant where you can hang out and work away from the hoi polloi, same as Bafta, Groucho, Century Club etc. The older more exclusive places tend to be the ones with rooms so you can stay over in town, although it's not always easy to join.

Soho House has accommodation and lots of branches internationally as well as a few across London. That might be worth considering as it's more modern and hotel-like. https://www.sohohouse.com/en-us/bedrooms

There's also the civil service club, which isn't delightful but is affordable and has rooms, though of course he'd have to have worked for the cs at some point - www.civilserviceclub.org.uk/accommodation/

Private members clubs - I was going to reel off the names of some swingers clubs. My mistake.

A decade ago, I was introduced to https://www.lansdowneclub.com/ by colleagues in a very similar position to you. They do require two members to sponsor but seem to be quite amenable to introducing you to people and making discrete enquiries to find mutual acquaintances. Great idea. Hope you find one that suits you.

There are a huge range- I’m a member of the Civil Service Club and the Royal Overseas League, fees are hundreds not thousands. For some proposers are needed for others not, but via corporate memberships. ROSL has discounted memberships for Durham alumni. My DS can’t wait to join the East India Club when he finishes school. They are great to use.

Lansdowne Club - I’ve never heard bad reviews only happy experiences

I’m a member of the Farmers Club. Love it and it’s like a home from home when I have to work in London. If he has any connection to food, farming, veterinary practice etc it might be worth a look. No pool though. That’s a bit swish for us farmers!

Home House is a kind of younger version of this. It's a beautiful building, really fun and the outdoor terrace restaurant is lovely in summer. Bit amusing people suggesting a Premier Inn as an alternative, the beds might be fine but it's not exaclty a lovely place to feel at home, relax and enterain clients.

Definitely not soho house! It’s full of wannabe influencers pouting and selfie-ing all over the place. Vapid nonsense. I gave up my membership because the “networking opportunities” promised didn’t materialise.

I see someone beat me to it, but Shoreditch house is nice, and not too far from Liverpool St Station. Depends which line he would come in on, and where in London he needs to be?
I've been to the restaurant a few times, and the pool looked lovely. Can't comment on the rooms, fees etc.

Its affiliated with Soho house and I think membership entitles you to use both places, along with many others. I've also eaten there a few times, but don't know what facilities soho house has. This one felt more snooty that the Shoreditch one

I would strongly advise against a pied a terre in your shoes, unless you have long term plans to use it a lot. The cost, maintenance, time suck, taxes, cleaning, shopping, laundry of sheets and towels, security. Just stay in a hotel.

A club would be good but really there’s a big gap between a grotty hotel and a nice private members’ club. In your shoes, I’d find a nice, small/boutique hotel where he becomes a standing customer who is known by staff and after a while can maybe negotiate a standing-order deal.

looked at these recently with a friend. the posh ones are still men only I think. Garrick is one. I like the fact the member can have guests eg for dinner but settles their bill. Some amazing locations.

Today, there are about 40 gentlemen's clubs in the capital, according to the Association of London Clubs. To some extent they have been supplanted by a new breed of private members' clubs, such as Soho House, The Groucho Club and 5 Hertford Street, which are more glitzy, and run as commercial operations, not member-owned organisations. Such clubs also, of course, admit women. Many of the remaining gentlemen's clubs have changed, to a certain extent. The first of the old breed to admit women on an equal basis was The Reform Club, in 1981. The Athenaeum followed in 2002. Most now do so, although membership remains overwhelmingly male. Pratt's has admitted just two or three women since changing the rules last year.
Which clubs don't admit women?
Only a handful are still male-only: The Travellers Club, the Savile Club, The Beefsteak Club, Boodle's, Buck's, Brooks's, The East India Club and White's. The right to remain single- sex institutions is protected by law, in the Equality Act 2010, but pressure is mounting: the East India and the Savile are reportedly wavering. Even the Beefsteak Club, where waiters are all addressed as "Charles" to save members the bother of remembering their names, is said to be considering it. Several are holding out, though. The Travellers rejected the idea of female membership in 2014, with one member noting that a single-sex club allowed them to enjoy "male banter, without having to bother with the etiquette that one inevitably must adhere to in female company (whether it be offering her drinks, waiting for her to eat, or standing when she arrives or leaves)".

The RAC looks fantastic. Dont even know these places are there, in the very heart of (expensive) London

Some of the bars/functions might be like that but not all across the branches, and OP wants accommodation not networking opportunities. I know what you mean, but it's possible to use these places and avoid that side. Or enjoy it, who knows, it could be their cuppa!

Landsdown is reasonable, lovely, good food, team and well located.

The Other House in Kensington is nice if that works out being convenient. I’d steer clear of the Ned it has a very influencer demographic (or has had the few times I’ve been).

To clarify: if you actually read my post, I suggested client entertaining in a restaurant not at a premier inn.

Additionally, OP has expressed that eg the RAC is a bit pricey, and that DH having respite from a disabled teenager is part of the purpose. Premier Inn fine for both of those points.

But thanks for the snark.