How Soho House became the chicest venue for high society hedonism! Private club was Kate Moss' party spot of choice, hosted Harry and Meghan's first date and even turned away Kim Kardashian
Opened in 1995 in London by Nick Jones, who is married to TV and radio presenter Kirsty Young, the private members' club worked on attracting creative clientele instead of the bankers and financiers that dominated other social clubs.
It appeared to be a huge success, and Jones's brand of louche luxury combined with great service has seen famous faces such as Tom Cruise, Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa, rush to be a part of the ever-expanding club.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle even had their first date at a Soho House in London in July 2016, while before her wedding in 2018, the Duchess of Sussex was said to have enjoyed a stay at Soho's Cotswolds Farmhouse, dubbed the 'Butlins for toffs'.
A membership at the club, priced at around £1,500 for global access, is thought to be a must-have for many of the world's elite - yet the chain is known to 'highly selective' about who it accepts as members.
For instance, Kim Kardashian was famously thought to have been denied membership at the brand's West Hollywood venue (after they enforced a 'creativity over net worth' policy). It's unknown whether the reality TV star has since been made a member.
Now with locations in New York, Miami, Austin, Chicago as well as Bangkok, Hong Kong, Barcelona and Paris, the brand shows no signs of slowing down.
Further proof that the club's glory days are far from behind them is the announcement that the company is going private again in a $2.7billion (£2billion) deal led by New York-based MCR Hotels.
A raft of existing shareholders, including Ron Burkle, Ivy Collection boss Richard Caring and founder Nick Jones, will retain their stakes in the company.
A-list actor-turned-tech investor Ashton Kutcher will also invest in Soho House as part of the deal and will join the firm's board of directors.
Founded by Nick Jones, the entrepreneur husband of Desert Island Discs presenter Kirsty Young, Soho House has for two decades been held up as the epitome of louche British cool.
Formed in 1995 on London's Greek Street, the club started as a single space for local artists and actors to gather above Jones's restaurant Cafe Boheme.
It has since turned into a sprawling global empire whose fans include socialites and celebrities from George and Amal Clooney to Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
'We wanted it to be creative and like-minded, and, for people who were at ease with themselves,' Jones said in a 2017 interview.
It quickly expanded to clubs elsewhere in London, and opened its first US club in New York in 2003.
In 2008, Jones sold an 80 per cent stake in the club to British businessman Richard Caring for $144 million. Four years later in 2012, US billionaire Ron Burkle bought 50 per cent of the company from Caring and Jones.
Since then, the company has ramped up its expansion plans, and began offering workspaces and health products under its lifestyle brand Cowshed.
In 2010, it opened its first Los Angeles club, and immediately became a celebrity spotters paradise.
The Hollywood Reporter called it 'the most important club in Hollywood - a high-wattage magnet for A-listers and dealmakers', in 2015.
The club forbids the taking of photos of VIP celebrity guests with phone cameras. One couple who surreptitiously tried to get guests David and Victoria Beckham into the background of their selfie had their memberships revoked.
Now boasting 46 Soho Houses, the clubs often include communal areas, restaurants and cafes with some boasting cinemas and swimming pools.
Movie stars including Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie have been spotted at the venues, while Kate Moss is reportedly a member.
One of the New York locations was once featured in an episode of Sex and the City, when Samantha Jones, unable to get off the waiting list, posed as a member to gain pool access for her and her friends.
Members are forbidden from identifying fellow members on social media. (They're not even allowed to describe Soho House events on social media.)
Soho House previously paused new memberships during the coronavirus pandemic to allow people to socially distance at its clubs.
There was also an effort to cull some members to capture its founding spirit and attract more creatives.
The company announced it was purging 1,000 members in 2010 from its New York house with Jones saying he was 'trying to get the club back to its creative roots.'
'When I went there, it didn't have the right feel anymore. It has always been a creative, friendly place with a relaxed feel,' he said. 'If there are too many corporate types around then that atmosphere doesn't occur.'
The application process to become a member is comprehensive, requiring prospective members to provide a biography, explain what they can contribute and whether they already know existing members.
The club has a membership committee of those who already have access which make the call on who may join.
Membership at the venues is famously exclusive and is now seen as a coveted status symbol for jet-setting international 'creatives'.
The Soho House website explains: 'Unlike other members' clubs, which often focus on wealth and status, we aim to assemble communities of members that have something in common: namely, a creative soul.'
Founder Jones stepped down from the day-to-day running of the company in 2022 as he recovered from prostate cancer.
Staying on in a founder role, he said at the time he had been 'spending a lot more time in our houses' as he has the 'space to focus more attention on the clubs themselves.'
Jones said: 'Over the last 27 years I have run Soho House and more recently MCG by always putting members at the heart of everything we do. I am so proud of what we have achieved and grateful to all the teams who have helped us get to where we are today.
'I am going back to doing what I did for many, years, which is the reason I went into business, giving people a good time, getting people to meet new people and creating lovely spaces.'
Jones grew up in Cobham, Surrey, and went to Shiplake College, a boarding school in Oxfordshire. When he left school at 17 he decided on a career in catering as he was 'obsessed with food'.
He is married to Kirsty Young, the former presenter of Desert Island Discs who was forced to step down for health reasons. Young has spoken about the 'severe, relentless' pain that forced her off the air waves having been struck by a combination of rheumatoid arthritis and chronic pain disorder fibromyalgia.
She delighted fans with a return to screens during the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Yesterday, it was announced that Soho House has been sold for £2 billion in a deal backed by a Hollywood A-lister.
The celebrity hotspot is being taken over by a group of investors, including Ashton Kutcher, in a deal worth around $2.7 billion (£2 billion).
The hospitality group, which is based in London but listed on the New York Stock Exchange, confirmed shareholders in Soho House & Co will receive $9 (£6.64) per share in the business.
New York-based hotel giant MCR Hotels is leading the consortium, also including private equity firm Apollo, which struck the deal to take the company private.
It will pay £2 billion to snap up the business, including its $700m (£5.1m) debts.
A raft of existing shareholders, including Ron Burkle, Ivy Collection boss Richard Caring and founder Nick Jones, will retain their stakes in the company.
A-list actor-turned-tech investor Mr Kutcher will also invest in Soho House as part of the deal and will join the firm's board of directors.
MCR boss Tyler Morse will also join the board as vice chairman following the takeover.
The business currently runs 46 Soho House sites, eight Soho Works and Scorpios Beach Clubs in Mykonos and Bodrum. It also owns the Ned and numerous other hospitality businesses.
Andrew Carnie, chief executive of Soho House & Co, said: 'This transaction reflects the strong confidence our existing and incoming shareholders have in the future of Soho House & Co, and the transformation we've led since becoming a public company.
'Since our IPO (initial public offering) in 2021, we've focused on building a stronger, more resilient business.
'I'm incredibly proud of what our teams have accomplished and am excited about our future, as we continue to be guided by our members and grounded in the spirit that makes Soho House so special.'
Mr Morse said: 'All of us at MCR are excited to be part of the Soho House journey, helping to create more experiences, interactions and memories alongside friends and members.
'We have long admired Soho House for bringing together cultures from around the world into a global network of 46 houses, and we look forward to the continued growth of that fabric, starting with four new houses opening soon.'
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