#Why Soho House West Hollywood Is Really Pressing Pause on New Members

Amid a boom in private membership clubs across Los Angeles over the past several years, the hunt for new blood to add to the ranks has been intense. In a surprising move, Soho House is shutting the gates to preserve the exclusive vibe.

In a letter to members obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Soho House founder Nick Jones said that locations in Los Angeles, New York and London will be closed to new members and other outposts will only add new members “where we have capacity.”

Jones wrote, “I’ve been talking to our members and the teams in all our houses, which I’ve really valued. We continue to be very focused on improving service, as well as making sure our houses don’t feel too busy.” A Soho House rep declined comment. It is understood that the only time a new member stoppage has occurred came during the pandemic. The three cities also represent locations where Soho House has had the longest presence. Overall, the club counts 184,000 global members with 98,000 currently on a waitlist.

Member-quality control might also be a factor. Since the expansion under newish owner Ron Burkle, “It’s all junior account execs and B-list publicists now,” sniffs a well-connected regular.

Pause aside, Jones praised recent openings in Mexico City and Bangkok and teased forthcoming openings in Portland, São Paulo, Brazil, and Manchester, United Kingdom as well as “something new and quite special in Mayfair, London.” He continued: “All of them will be places where you can connect, meet good friends, make new ones, relax, and have fun.”

A version of this story first appeared in the Dec. 15 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.