Applying to Soho House

[Awlondoner]

Hi everyone! I am trying to apply to Soho House London at the moment, and have the backing of two proposers. I was wondering if anyone was a member, knew what the process was like? How long should I expect to wait to hear whether I have got in?

Thank you!

@Sparechange

All the posters saying ‘Ask your proposers’

The chances are the proposers will have been members for years and years and have absolutely no clue how long the approvals process is at the moment, unless they’ve recently proposed someone and have seen how long it takes.

For most members, you have little to no contact with the membership process once you’re in, so that’s a truly dumb suggestion

Not ‘truly dumb’.

The proposers have the advantage over the whole of Mumsnet that 100% of them are members of the same organisation the OP wishes to join. I don’t know the figures but I’ll wager that fewer than 100% of Mumsnet members are Soho House members. Ergo, asking the proposers has a far greater chance of success than asking Mumsnet on the off chance that one of many thousands of strangers might just be able to help.

Plus they are less likely to think the OP is being a sneaky boasty pants, despite this mot really being something boastworthy.

I picture Soho House as Center Parcs for people with loads of money and no personality. I didn't think it was the thing anymore.

@WhatAShilohPitt

Some of the posters here sound unpleasantly jealous that someone else can afford to spend a grand or two on a member’s club. Some of these nasty comments will no doubt come from people buy plenty of shite that I’d consider a bigger waste of money.

OP, just ask the club direct.

Jealous of something that costs less than a decent gym membership? No, I don't think so.

I don’t even know what it is?

Is it a gym membership? Or is it a toilet queue Jump?!?

@WomanStanleyWoman

I wondered how long it would be before the ‘jealousy’ argument was trotted out…

Yes, it's so tedious and not very bright in terms of responses

@grasstreeleaf

Hahah. I thought that when I heard all bright too!

@Nocutenamesleft

I don’t even know what it is?

Is it a gym membership? Or is it a toilet queue Jump?!?

Private members club, so food, drink, leisure, but you pay a fee to join and there's membership hoops to get in.
This one try to market themselves as trendier/younger compared to other members clubs. In normal London private clubs "Hugo's doings spiffing at polo and hes off to Eton soon, pass the port please" In soho house "Windchimes is doing ahmazing at rainbow rhythms top of her class, pass the organic soy milk please"

Just looked it up
1800 per year for membership

🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

Thank you, super helpful!

Do you know which houses are ‘quieter’ in the UK?

Guess it is just sit tight! I didn’t know proposers wrote a letter.

@Goawaymuppet

Doesn't Rose Van Cutsem decide. Or Rose Astor by her maiden name. She is always hanging out in Lidl in Peckham so I'll ask her for you. Private members club where you have to be wealthy and we'll connected sounds absolutely delightful. So relaxing. My mate works at the lido in Charlton and come sometimes get me in half price in December. It's chilly but exclusive

This is a genius reply!

Proper made me chuckle

@meyi

But they've all paid to get in there? Isn’t that a bit cringe? It’s not exclusive really is it? As long as you can afford it?

What other benefits does it have? Someone said A gym. Or a pool?

@meyi

Wind chimes. Pass the soy milk. Bloody brilliant. This thread has been awesome

@Awlondoner

Thank you, super helpful!

Do you know which houses are ‘quieter’ in the UK?

Guess it is just sit tight! I didn’t know proposers wrote a letter.

High Road House, Probably 180 strand but that’s a guess All the ones without a pool or many facilities But you have to apply to your ‘local’ house so you can only game the system so far

But once you’re in to one house, wait for the required time and then convert your membership to ‘all house’ and you can use anywhere

Although tbh if you didn’t even know your proposers have to write something in your support, you really need to go away and do some more research before you put your application in, because they are quite clear in what they need/want, and your application will get rejected if you don’t play the game

@meyi Windchimes

[quote Nocutenamesleft]@meyi

But they've all paid to get in there? Isn’t that a bit cringe? It’s not exclusive really is it? As long as you can afford it?

What other benefits does it have? Someone said A gym. Or a pool?[/quote]
The other benefit is it allows one to rub shoulders with some wanky minor celebs and thereby feel terribly superior and special. If you consider that a benefit.

@Handsoffstrikesagain

mrstulip surely you could apply that logic to a great many posts on MN?

Why so many bitchy, nasty comments? Who cares if OP wants to join Soho House. It’s not affecting anyone 🤷🏽‍♀️

Well exactly, who DOES care ? OP thinks we do apparently

I haven't a clue what Soho House is. I wondered if it was a Prep School.

About 20 years ago I went to The Ivy for my 25th birthday. I thought I was IT. Even mentioning to people I dared to even them and had to book months in advance. I stealthily boasted bout it at the time. Even though the only time we could get in was about 5pm and it was absolutely dead when we actually went. I think I had bang bang chick3n and cottage pie. The bragging rights were way better than the experience. I cringe a bit now looking back, I thought it was THE BEST place to go in London and I would be rubbing shoulders with Madonna.

[quote Nocutenamesleft]@meyi

But they've all paid to get in there? Isn’t that a bit cringe? It’s not exclusive really is it? As long as you can afford it?

What other benefits does it have? Someone said A gym. Or a pool?[/quote]
It’s not the Bullingdon club
It was conceived as somewhere that people in creative sort of jobs, which are often freelance and/or rely on networking, could go for drinks and meals, get a table for dinner easily in soho, and get access to other people in the industry

It’s somewhere for people to go for a nice drink not surrounded by city suits and escorts, which might sound odd to people not from London, but go to most naice bars in central London, especially those in hotels, and that’s often the reality..!

None of this will make plausible sense if your local is a provincial Wetherspoons, but it’s been hugely successful because it addressed a need, which was for people to go out and get shitfaced on nice cocktails without the risk of a sleazy city bloke cracking on to you, a Russian prostitute propositioning you, or someone trying to steal your phone/wallet/bag from your table

Members are responsible for guests and their behaviour, and get temporary or permanent bans if they break the house rules, so by and large, they are really pleasant places to go for drinks and dinner, and organise interesting networking, socialising and cultural events, exhibitions etc

It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but the wonderful thing about this country is there is something for everyone, and the existence of Soho Houses doesn’t prevent anyone from enjoying a pint of ale in their village pub or a litre of WKD in a Yates’s

Not sure why all the reverse snobbery about this, frankly

None of this will make plausible sense if your local is a provincial Wetherspoons

therein lies the problem!

SW1amp - the irony of your complaining about the reverse snobbery on this thread, while your own post drips in snobbery, is glorious.

I lived and worked in just that sphere in London for a number of years, and managed a joyous social life very well, without cramming into a series of ‘naice’, expensive, exclusive venues with the sort of people who thought it was necessary to have the likes of Soho House. (Or frequenting Wetherspoons, ffs). All industries do better with a wide cross section of members, and the arts and creative industries should not be the preserve of wealthy, middle class people who flock together and maintain the borders so that everyone they work and socialise with is just like them.

**None of this will make plausible sense if your local is a provincial Wetherspoons
creative people are allowed in Wetherspoons too

Thanks! I had applied to the central Soho House London but may alter to 180 house - live centrally and it’s probably actually closer…

My friends nominating me said that they had been contacted to confirm they wanted to propose me.

Thanks for all your help :)

When did you last go the through the process?

“I wouldn't want to belong to a club that would have me as a member”

― Groucho Marx

Nah, no jealousy here. I could afford it and am even encouraged and sponsored to belong to a members’ club by my firm. But everyone I know who belongs to one is an elitist idiot and Covid has made me even less tolerant of our societal inequities than I was before. These are typically places people go to be ‘seen’, or where business connections are made by the privileged few. They aren’t just something that anyone can choose to spend their money on as suggested by some PP - the whole point of OP’s post is that membership has to be sponsored by other members and there is a vetting process at least of sorts, you can’t just sign up online or whatever.