Bloomberg Línea — Soho House, the private club that originated in London and has outposts in major cities worldwide, including New York, Paris and Tokyo, will open its first branch in Brazil in December, in São Paulo, and which will be the second in Latin America, following the confirmation of its opening in Mexico City in September.
Situated within the complex known as Cidade Matarazzo, which houses the Rosewood Hotel in the Paulista Avenue neighborhood, Soho House São Paulo will occupy a portion of the building that once housed the Maternidade Condessa Filomena Matarazzo, alongside the Hospital Matarazzo, both dating back to the first half of the 20th century and designated as historical heritage.
The development of Cidade Matarazzo, involving the restoration of 10 listed buildings on a 30,000-square-meter plot, has been a decade-long endeavor, conceived by French entrepreneur Alexandre Allard of Groupe Allard.
When approached by Bloomberg Línea, Soho House didn’t comment on its arrival in Brazil.
The facility will offer 36 rooms, a gym, a spa, a rooftop bar with a pool, as well as restaurants and exclusive spaces for members. Admission will be granted through nomination by existing members and subsequent approval by a Soho House committee, mirroring the process used in other locations worldwide, along with the payment of an introduction fee to the club. For instance, in New York, this fee is close to $1,100.
Additionally, there is an annual membership fee, which amounts to $2,667 at Soho House New York, granting access solely to that branch. For global access, the price is $4,899.
The space at Cidade Matarazzo is currently undergoing construction. The Soho House design team collaborates with local artisans to acquire locally crafted furniture and interior decor with Brazilian design. The club will also showcase a collection of works by Brazilian artists.
“The choice of location for the Brazilian unit, alongside the Rosewood Hotel, aligns with Soho House’s personality,” a club member who asked not to be named told Bloomberg Línea, referencing Soho House’s partnership with the luxury Scorpios Hotel in Mykonos, Greece.
In a post on its Instagram profile, Soho House shared a link for individuals interested in becoming members of Soho House São Paulo to register and receive notifications when applications open.
Currently, interested individuals can sign up to become members of “Cities Without Houses,” an existing community of Soho House members in São Paulo who have access to local events organized by Soho House in the city. Membership to “Cities Without Houses” also grants access to all Soho House locations in the Americas and globally.
In Mexico City, Soho House will be located in the historic neighborhood of Colonia Juárez, with an annual membership price of 47,000 pesos ($2,786), more expensive than in New York and nearly double the cost of the original Soho House in London. For comparison, the annual cost at the Istanbul branch is $1,692.
The London-based club was founded in the Soho district in 1996 and has since expanded to 38 locations worldwide, becoming a symbol of status in cities like Miami, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Istanbul, Chicago, Rome and Mumbai. Soho House also has partnerships with hotel networks.
From Harmonia to São Paulo Golf Club
São Paulo already boasts exclusive clubs like Sociedade Harmonia de Tênis, or simply Harmonia, in Jardim América, frequented by wealthy families and financial market executives. Another example is São Paulo Golf Club, located in the Santo Amaro neighborhood, the oldest and one of the most traditional in the country, where gaining access through a membership requires more than just money.
Harmonia itself describes on its website as “recognized as one of Brazil’s most exclusive clubs.” Founded in 1930, in addition to the membership fee, Harmonia requires the endorsement of current members in the admission process for new members.
São Paulo has had other non-sport private club versions, such as Gallery in the 1980s. In 2009, TV host Amaury Junior founded Clube A, a nightlife society that, at the time, charged 4,000 reais ($844) for men and 1,500 reais ($317) for women, with new members accepted only by invitation.
The 1,000-square-meter space for events, with a restaurant and bars, was located at the Sheraton Hotel in the World Trade Center and had ambassadors like Dimitri Mussard, one of the Hermés heirs, who decided to live in Brazil and is the CFO of Abacashi, a crowdfunding company.
However, according to a Soho House member abroad, the club is much more than just a venue for parties and explores a concept that is incomparable to any private club in São Paulo.
“The Soho proposal has nothing to do with anything that has been done in Brazil,” said the member who spoke to Bloomberg Línea on condition of anonymity. “I’ve been to all these other clubs in São Paulo, which I honestly think can’t even be compared because they were just restaurants charging a subscription, but everyone ended up getting in anyway.”
According to the member, Soho is a club that was created among friends who wanted to have fun on weekends, meet up, and have dinner, and it grew by partnering with hotels and restaurants in London. “There’s a sort of rule inside: they don’t want any kind of money. It’s not like what I’ve seen in São Paulo sometimes, where having money is enough to get in. It’s not like that at Soho,” he said.
According to the member, Soho demands that the member “have something to add to the community”. The club is divided into local house members - who can access what’s available in the city - or global access members, who can visit houses worldwide.
“They want the members to be interesting people and have a strong focus on creativity, art, and sports, on people who have a story to tell. It will be important for such people living in São Paulo.”
According to the member, the club has a board that approves who gains membership, after researching the person’s background - meaning that the recommendation of members is necessary but not enough.
