OLD VS NEW
Chinmai Sharma, Chief Revenue Officer, Taj Group, agrees that the new- age luxury clubs have brought in a certain newness and wow factor. “However, we have a timeless formula, and that is the select criteria for exclusive guests who are invited to be a part of the Chambers. Across the six Chambers we have in the world there are only a few thousand members. That’s the level of exclusivity we offer.”
However, the Chambers, says Sharma, has evolved over time in terms of demographics and profile of members. “We also have CEOs of new-age technology companies as members. We have also made the Chambers more accessible and less formal. Now, the spouses of our members can go to the Chambers as well, and we also do extended menu offerings and informal events.”
As the older clubs evolve to compete with the newer ones, there is no doubt that there is a distinct market for luxury clubs in India. But the question is, how easy or difficult it will be for the standalone clubs to scale up? On the face of it, it seems that the clubs that are part of large hospitality chains have a distinct advantage as they offer network privileges. ”We don't treat them just as high-valued guests but also offer them services such as priority reservations across all Marriott hotels in the world, airport assistance, and so on,” says Bhatnagar of St. Regis.
The standalone clubs, says Jatia of Provenance Land, will have to go the extra mile for the right membership profile and, more importantly, the service level. “If there is a standalone club in a business district or near the airport, there may be some micro-market demand, but they can’t offer facilities such as multiple cuisine restaurants, laundry, concierge, etc, which a hospitality chain is better equipped to offer. So, their success will be depend a lot on their location and, of course, the consistency with which they curate members’ list. If I don’t see value as a member, if I don’t find like-minded people to network, I won’t renew my membership.” However, Thawani is confident that his club would be operationally profitable by the end of this calendar year.
Apart from Soho House & Co, there are talks of other global standalone clubs also looking at India. Like any other business one will have to wait and watch how many of them manage to get the recipe for success right. ~