Soho House has earned a reputation world over for its eclectic properties, which might not be ‘grand’ in the traditional sense of the word, but quite unique in concept. You get to enjoy the lavish hospitality of Soho – a members-only hotel and club concept – while soaking in a rich environment of textures, colours, chandeliers and like-minded people who want to be seen among an intellectually-empowered crowd.
In India, they have had only one property hitherto – in Mumbai – which had opened five years ago. The country is finally going to see some expansion from this London-based company. Notably, the company confirmed it will open two new Soho Houses in the coming years – Soho House New Delhi and Soho House South Mumbai. They are also launching their Cities Without Houses (CWH) membership in six new cities: New Delhi, Jaipur, Goa, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata.
Cities Without Houses (CWH) membership connects creative-minded individuals in cities where there is no physical Soho House, curating special experiences and events for members to enjoy and be part of a community – as well as giving members full access to Soho Houses globally when they travel.
In this exclusive interview, Dominique Bellas, Membership Director of CWH, talks to us among other things about the Soho House lifestyle, its events, special experiences and plans for the future.
Soho House is reportedly launching two new properties in India (Soho House New Delhi and Soho House South Mumbai) in the coming years. Give us more details.
We are thrilled to announce our commitment to India with two new Soho Houses confirmed to open. These include a House that will open in New Delhi, in the area of Mehrauli, and a second House in Mumbai, in the south of the city. Both Houses will provide indoor and outdoor spaces for members to eat, drink, socialise and collaborate together. We’re looking forward to building our membership community of interesting and creative people in these areas.
Soho House is also launching the Cities Without Membership (CWC) concept in six Indian cities. Tell us more.
Cities Without Houses (CWH) is our membership type for creatives that travel. Living in cities where we don’t have any physical space, members have access to our 43 Houses around the world, plus can join CWH events in their city, as well as events held in global cities in line with cultural events happening. We have launched this membership across six new cities in India and we are looking to find creative-minded individuals who are doing interesting things and that want to enjoy our Houses when they travel.
Soho House Mumbai started over five years ago. What has been the response it has received and growth over the years?
We are so grateful for our journey so far in India. The House has been shaped by the members within it, and we have learnt so much about the thriving creative industries in the country from our existing community. So, two future Houses and launching Cities Without Houses really feels like the natural next step.
Tell us a little about some of Soho House Mumbai’s events.
We host over 30 events every month at the House across music, fashion, film, wellness, art and more. From intimate in-conversations, to panel talks, live performances, one night dinners and specially curated moments outside the House in line with cultural moments such as the Art Fair Mumbai and Jaipur Lit Fest, we’re continually evolving our events calendar in response to members’ feedback. Our annual Pride Party has become a bigger celebration each year, and we’ve evolved our wellness and fashion events. For instance, we hosted our first wellness retreat at Soho House Mumbai in February and have held fashion panel discussions with participation from pioneers such as Imran Amed [of Business of Fashion].
In addition to the 20 films shown each month in our screening room, our members value our film events offering – from Q&As with film talent, previews and events such as Pitch your Script and Alp, which create spaces for members to share knowledge and support each other’s progression.
Tell our readers more about the Soho House lifestyle.
Our Houses are designed to be a home away from home and provide comfortable spaces to eat, drink, socialise, work from as well as connect with other members. Our bigger Houses, such as Soho House Mumbai, also have bedrooms, gyms, rooftop pools and screening rooms, so that a member can start their day with a workout and breakfast, then take a few meetings, maybe attend a screening or event, then have dinner and drinks and have the option to stay overnight. A few years ago, we also introduced Soho Home, which enabled our members to take a piece of the House home with them. This came from our members asking where we bought our bed linen and lamps from and their desire to bring a touch of Soho House with them.
Tell us about the special experiences and events that members can enjoy with a Cities Without Houses (CWH) membership.
I’m passionate about creating experiences that happen for one night only that members value and remember. We work hard to curate a special programme of one-off events for our members. Often we collaborate with local creatives and brands to bring the Soho House experience to life, with events across different industries from music to wellness, art to fashion and everything in between. These moments take space in different forms from dinners, live music, talks, workshops, weekenders and more. I’m looking forward to creating some special events in our new cities in India.
Tell us about some of your recent and upcoming events.
For creatives that travel, some of our upcoming events during cultural moments include design fair Salone del Mobile in Milan, where we are hosting several events during the week including a One Night Only Dinner. If you work in art and are travelling for art fairs coming up, we are hosting an Art Party in Lisbon during Arco and will be popping up at Art Basel in Switzerland. Last week, we hosted a One Night Affair with fashion designer and member Tomo Koizumi in Tokyo with live performances and Japanese cabaret.
Give our readers more details about your membership plans.
India-based creatives that travel and want to be part of a growing creative community in New Delhi, Jaipur, Goa, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata can apply to join from now. Cities Without Houses membership is INR 3,10,000 annually or INR 1,56,000 INR for under 27s.
Tell us more about the recently launched Soho House magazine.
The Soho House magazine has been made for our members and is a window into our world. Inside, there’s a comprehensive, 40-page directory to Soho Houses around the globe, and a feature on the latest launch from Soho Home, along with architectural spotlights on our spaces in Stockholm, Mexico City and Amsterdam. Plus, updates on new openings in Manchester, London’s Mayfair and São Paulo. Elsewhere, actor Colman Domingo, Soho Warehouse member and star of Rustin and The Colour Purple, gives us a guided tour of our home in Downtown LA, whilst actor Ali Fazal takes us on a tour of Soho House Mumbai.
What are your plans for the future?
Soho House São Paulo is set to open this summer which will be our second house in Latin America (Soho House Mexico City opened last September) and the first Soho House in South America. Every House we open is always unique, and Soho House São Paulo is situated within a historic hospital building – with 32 bedrooms, a gym, spa, rooftop pool bar, restaurants and club spaces for members.
