30 Oct Private Members’ Clubs: How They Work and How to Join (2026)

Private Members’ Clubs: How They Work and How to Join (2026)

To join a top private members’ club, you usually apply through the club’s own application route with a recommendation from one or two existing members, pass a committee review, then pay a one-time joining fee plus annual dues, which at the clubs that publish them run from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars a year. This guide explains the types of club, how admission works, what leading clubs in London, New York and Miami charge, the house rules to expect and the red flags to avoid, as of October 2026.

Fees, rules and ownership change often. Prices below are as published or reported on the dates shown. Confirm everything with the club before you apply or pay.

What a Private Members’ Club Is

A private members’ club is a place to eat, drink, meet and often stay, open only to members and their guests. They come in several kinds:

• Social and dining clubs, such as Annabel’s, which calls itself a “Private Members’ Club in London,” or ZZ’s Club from Major Food Group in Miami and New York.
• Arts and creative clubs, such as The Arts Club at 40 Dover Street in Mayfair, founded in 1863.
• Hotel-linked clubs, such as The Twenty Two, a club and 31-room hotel on Grosvenor Square that opened in April 2022, now also in New York.
• Multi-location networks, such as Soho House, which offers members “48 Houses in 19 countries.”
• Traditional clubs, such as the Union League Club of New York (1863), where membership is “accessible solely through member sponsorship.”

How Joining Works

Application and recommendations

At the most sought-after clubs, the route is narrow. Spear’s reports that Annabel’s “only official method for joining is by using its online application form,” with a recent photo and a letter of recommendation from a member of any Birley club. For 5 Hertford Street, Spear’s reports two letters of recommendation and a short interview. Other clubs are more open: Soho House takes applications online and its membership page does not ask for proposers, while Zero Bond’s Las Vegas partner page says it recommends applying with a recommendation from a current member, although one is not required.

Committee review and waiting lists

Most clubs review applications through a membership committee, and demand can be high. Soho House reported a waitlist of 102,000 in 2024, and in December 2023 it announced a pause on new memberships in London, New York and Los Angeles for 2024 because of crowding. Many clubs offer lower rates to younger members, typically under 27, 30 or 35.

Local, global and reciprocal access

Check what your membership covers. Soho House sells “Every House” and “Local House” tiers; Casa Cipriani’s “Global” membership covers New York, Milan “and all future clubs”; The Twenty Two sells Global and Local Patron tiers. Some traditional clubs, including the Union League Club, offer reciprocal privileges at partner clubs elsewhere.

What Membership Costs

Few clubs publish full price lists. These are the figures available, with their sources and dates.

Ask about costs beyond dues: minimum spends, event charges and room rates can add up. None of the clubs we reviewed publishes a refund policy for its joining fee, so ask before you pay.

Leading Clubs in London, New York and Miami

London

Annabel’s opened in 1963 under Mark Birley and reopened at 46 Berkeley Square in 2018. Mark’s Club on Charles Street opened in 1972. Both are part of the Birley Clubs group, which Richard Caring controlled until April 2026, when he sold a majority stake in his hospitality group, including these clubs, to DIAFA, an Abu Dhabi investment platform, in a deal reported at £1.4 billion; Caring remains executive chairman. 5 Hertford Street and Oswald’s are separate clubs owned by Robin Birley. The Arts Club and The Twenty Two round out the Mayfair field.

New York

Casa Cipriani opened in 2021 in the Battery Maritime Building, pairing a club with hotel rooms, and is known for a no-photos policy. Zero Bond in NoHo opened in 2020 and added Las Vegas in early 2026. ZZ’s Club at Hudson Yards opened in late 2023 and includes the members-only Carbone Privato. Soho House and The Twenty Two also have New York houses.

Miami

ZZ’s Club opened in the Design District in 2021. Casa Cipriani is planning a Miami Beach club at 3611 and 3621 Collins Avenue, with a hotel and 23 condominiums, which its website lists as “coming soon.” Miami’s club history runs deep: Four Seasons notes that The Surf Club in Surfside opened on New Year’s Eve 1930; today it is the Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, with private residences covered in our Surf Club guide.

House Rules to Expect

Most clubs protect members’ privacy with strict rules. Soho House’s house rules say “No cameras, video or other recording devices,” limit members to “up to three guests” at a time, and say phone calls and laptops are allowed only in designated areas. Zero Bond and Casa Cipriani are both reported to ban photography. Dress codes vary from none at Soho House to jacket rules at traditional clubs. The Twenty Two states that guests under 21 are not permitted in the club.

Red Flags

• Anyone selling “access” or a membership. Memberships are personal. Soho House’s rules say a non-member using a member’s card “shall be denied access,” so buying or borrowing a card is worthless.
• Look-alike websites. While researching this guide we found that a web address matching one well-known club’s name was for sale, and another matched a fitness studio. Apply only through the address in the club’s own materials or one given to you by a member.
• The operator’s finances. A joining fee is only as good as the club behind it. In August 2025, the companies behind New York’s Core Club agreed to pay $360,000 to settle a federal civil fraud case over COVID-relief loans and a grant they were not eligible for, and admitted the conduct, according to the US Attorney’s Office; in 2026 the club was still fighting its landlord’s attempt to evict it over alleged unpaid rent, which the club disputes. Ask who owns and operates a club and whether its lease is secure.
• Ownership changes. Soho House was taken private in early 2026 and the Birley clubs changed majority owner in April 2026. New owners can change prices and policies.

Questions to Ask Before You Join

1. What is the official application route, and who must recommend me?
2. What is the joining fee, and is any of it refundable if I am declined, resign or the club closes?
3. What are this year’s dues, how have they changed, and does membership renew automatically?
4. Is my membership local or global, and which sister or reciprocal clubs can I use?
5. Who owns and operates the club today, and has that changed recently?
6. What are the rules on guests, phones, photos, dress and age?
7. Are there minimum spends, event charges or room rates on top of dues?

The Bottom Line

Choose the club for the people and places you will actually use, apply only through the club’s official route, get the fee, dues and refund terms in writing, and check who owns the club before you pay a joining fee.

More From Everything Luxury

• Concierge at Everything Luxury
• Luxury hotel preferred-partner programs
• The Surf Club Four Seasons Residences, Surfside

Last updated October 30, 2026. Facts come from the sources listed above, checked on that date, and may change. Not legal, financial, tax or investment advice. Full disclaimer