Luxury Hospitality Beyond Hotels: The Rise of Private Members’ Clubs in the US
Franck Salama
There is a particular moment that happens when you enter a good private members’ club.
You may have been in the same city all day. Traffic, meetings, emails, noise.
Then you walk through the door.
The atmosphere changes. Someone recognizes you. The service feels familiar without being intrusive. You know where to sit, where to work, where to have a drink or simply where to disappear for an hour.
The value of the club is not necessarily in any one of these things.
It is in the feeling of belonging somewhere.
That is one of the reasons private members’ clubs have become such an important part of the luxury hospitality landscape in the United States.
What is driving the growth of private members’ clubs?
The concept itself is not new. Exclusive clubs have existed for centuries, traditionally built around social, professional or cultural communities.
What is changing is the format.
Modern members’ clubs increasingly combine elements of a hotel, restaurant, workspace, wellness destination and social venue. They are designed around how members spend their time rather than around a single service.
In the US, this model has expanded considerably, particularly in cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Miami, where demand for curated social and lifestyle experiences is strong.
The appeal is clear: members are not simply paying for access to a building.
They are paying for access to a particular experience and community.
Private clubs are competing on hospitality
A members’ club can have beautiful interiors, an impressive restaurant and an excellent cocktail program.
But those things can be found elsewhere.
What makes the experience difficult to replicate is often the service.
A staff member remembering your usual table. A host knowing when you are expecting someone. A favorite drink appearing without you having to order it twice.
These details create familiarity.
And familiarity, when combined with exclusivity, is a powerful form of luxury.
Personalization is at the heart of the club experience
Hotels have traditionally had to personalize experiences around individual stays.
Members’ clubs have a different advantage: they see the same people repeatedly.
This creates opportunities for a deeper relationship between the member and the team.
The more the club understands its members, the more naturally it can anticipate their preferences.
But personalization does not have to mean constantly collecting information or making every interaction highly customized.
Sometimes, it is simply about noticing.
And this is where small hospitality rituals can become valuable.
The power of a welcome ritual
Imagine arriving at a members’ club after spending the afternoon outside in the summer heat.
At reception, instead of immediately being asked for your membership details, you are offered a chilled oshibori.
You take a moment to refresh your hands and face.
It is a tiny gesture.
But it changes the transition between the outside world and the club.
This is the essence of the oshibori: a small damp towel inspired by Japanese hospitality, traditionally offered warm or chilled as a gesture of welcome.
For a members’ club, it can become a subtle expression of the level of service members expect.
Why oshibori fit naturally into private members’ clubs
A discreet luxury
An oshibori does not require a large installation, elaborate presentation or additional furniture. It can be integrated into existing hospitality rituals without disrupting the environment.
A sensory experience
Temperature, texture and fragrance make the gesture immediately experiential rather than purely functional.
A flexible amenity
The same concept can be used in different areas of a club: reception, dining rooms, private lounges, wellness spaces or VIP events.
A branded touchpoint
The packaging can be personalized with the club's identity, allowing a simple towel to become part of the overall brand experience.
Beyond the lobby: creating hospitality throughout the club
The value of a members’ club lies partly in its variety of spaces.
A member might start their day in a workspace, have lunch in the restaurant, attend a meeting in a private room and finish the evening at the bar.
Each transition is an opportunity to reinforce the club's hospitality.
An oshibori can therefore be used selectively rather than everywhere.
A chilled version might be offered at an outdoor event. A warm one could accompany a winter welcome. A personalized version might be reserved for a private dinner or VIP occasion.
The objective is not to create another standard amenity.
It is to create moments that feel appropriate to the context.
Wellness is becoming part of the members’ club model
Many contemporary clubs have expanded beyond dining and social spaces to include gyms, spas, recovery areas and wellness programs.
This creates another natural environment for sensory hospitality.
A warm towel after a treatment or a chilled oshibori after a workout can provide a simple transition between activity and relaxation.
In this context, the towel is not simply something to clean your hands with.
It becomes part of the ritual.
Exclusivity is about how members feel
There is an important difference between exclusivity and luxury.
Exclusivity determines who has access.
Hospitality determines how those people feel once they are inside.
A club can restrict membership, but that alone does not create a premium experience.
The strongest clubs understand that exclusivity needs to be supported by service: thoughtful, discreet and consistent.
This is why small details matter so much.
They reinforce the idea that the member is not simply another customer.
They belong there.
Private clubs are becoming brands in their own right
The most successful members’ clubs are not simply venues.
They have their own identity, aesthetic and culture.
Their members choose them partly because the environment reflects how they want to live, work and socialize.
This makes branded amenities particularly relevant.
An oshibori with generic packaging may be useful.
An oshibori designed specifically for the club — with its colors, logo and visual language — becomes something else entirely.
It becomes part of the brand.
A new hospitality model for the US
The rise of private members’ clubs reflects a broader evolution in luxury hospitality.
People are increasingly looking for places that combine service, community and experience rather than simply providing a product or physical space.
For clubs, this creates both an opportunity and a challenge.
As more concepts enter the market, the experience needs to become more distinctive.
That does not necessarily mean adding more amenities.
It means making the existing ones more thoughtful.
Japanese hospitality, Made in France
At Oshibori Concept, we adapt the Japanese oshibori tradition for contemporary luxury environments.
Our oshibori are Made in France, made from 100% cotton and available in scented versions. They can be offered warm or chilled and personalized to reflect the identity of a private members’ club.
Discover our oshibori collection now!