How Soho House lost its cool, will it get it back again?

Lydia Spencer-Elliott, The Independent

When Soho House first opened in 1995 on London’s Greek Street, the member’s club, nestled inside a Georgian House above founder Nick Jones’s restaurant, Cafe Boheme, was intended to provide a home away from home for the creative elite who worked in the area. “I just wanted people to go in, have fun and meet each other,” Jones said of the founding ethos for the club.

Today, things look wildly different from Jones’s original vision. Soho House is now an international a chain — a sort of Prezzo of “you’re not on the list” institutions — with more than 40 locations worldwide. New Houses are opening imminently in Tokyo, Milan, Madrid, and Sydney and the brand is also set to venture to California’s Coachella Valley; handily nearby to the influencer-heavy musical festival that takes place there every year and has previously been lampooned for charging $64 (£48) for two coffees and two burritos.

While Soho House was once the epitome of cool — in the Nineties if you weren’t bumping into Jude Law in The Circle Bar were you even there — grumbles about the club have been building for years now. Overcrowding (over 210,000 members), long waits for tables (despite annual fees that can reach up to £4,500), and uninterested staff have all been common gripes — to the point where the group was forced to temporarily halt new members in New York and London entirely in 2024.

It looked like punter frustration had them on the rocks, careering towards a fate of further losses. Yet, just two years later, a £2 billion sale of the public share of the company to return it to private ownership has former members questioning whether its on the brink of a return to its Nineties heyday. The £2 billion sale was spearheaded by MCR hotels group, withThe Butterfly Effect star Ashton Kutcher also joining the board of directors. The actor-turned-investor hasn’t been seen in a Hollywood film since 2023 — the same year he made headlines for writing a letter of support for hisThat 70’s Show co-star Danny Masterson, claiming he was an “exceptional character” while he was on trial for the rape of two women. Kutcher later expressed regret for vouching for the actor, alongside his wife Mila Kunis, in a video fans branded “incredibly insulting“.

Kutcher was also criticised by fans for his historic association with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, after the rapper was found guilty of transportation for the purposes of prostitution. Existing Soho House shareholders, including Ron Burkle (an American businessman who reportedly injected millions into Diddy’s clothing line Sean John), Ivy Collection boss Richard Caring and Jones have also retained their stakes in the company.

Thirty-three year-old writer Grace has been enjoying the club feeling a bit quieter of late. “There used to be a literal queue for the treadmills at Shoreditch gym in the mornings and now there isn’t,” she says. “I wouldn’t say it feels ‘special’ in London — but the Houses are convenient and a good option — you will have a solid time at Greek Street or 180 on a Friday night...but it might not be one for the memory books.”

“The pool is still hectic — not as bad as it was,” she adds. “But there are still too many rules in place: you need to book ahead in summer, and then when you get there they give you a lame wristband for your time slot. I think this misses the whole point of a members club,” Grace reflects on the strict system. “You should be able to rock up when you want.”

Pools are often a point of contention. Twenty-nine year-old Lauren was accepted as a member at London’s White City house during one of the most intense London heat waves. “I thought, ‘Great. I can go and use the rooftop,” she says. “But you had to join the queue and then wouldn’t necessarily get a sun lounger. It was just too busy. Everyone had the same idea and it was not a big enough pool.