When private members’ club, housed in a hotel that doubles up as a cultural space for discerning travellers, 1880 abruptly shuttered today, its demise echoing a broader truth about the shifting role of private members’ clubs in a post-pandemic world.
Once the hallmark of sophistication and exclusivity in Singapore, with a failed recent expansion in Hong Kong, smaller lesser known clubs like 1880, and global known giants such as Soho House, are grappling with a paradox: as they chase growth, would they be mucking around with the magic that made them desirable.
The appeal of private clubs has always been in offering a “third space” — neither home nor office, but a realm where connections spark, ideas flow and social hierarchies are affirmed. This formula saw Soho House’s meteoric rise: in just two years between 2021 and 2023, the chain grew from 30 to 41 houses worldwide, expanding membership from fewer than 112,000 to over 176,000. New venues cropped up across the US, Europe, and Asia, and the model inspired a wave of entrants: Zero Bond, Aster, Heimat, Core Club, The Gathering Spot, and Chief. Each promised tailored communities, whether for creatives, executives, or changemakers.
How we socialise has changed and clubs must keep up
Part of the strain on the traditional members’ club model comes from changes in how people connect. The pandemic didn’t just pause social rituals, it rewired them. While people eagerly returned to concerts, restaurants, and travel, they have been far more selective about spaces that feel performative or transactional. Pizza served out of a driveway and coffee rave parties are the latest trends, as part of global movements.
In today’s hybrid world, where “work” is something we do rather than a place we go, clubs that once offered an escape from the office find themselves competing with co-working chains, cafés, and even hybrid offices. What members increasingly crave is not just access to swankier spaces, but experiences that feel bespoke, intimate, and hard to replicate elsewhere. Would it be a panel engagement, with a crowd that seeks out unique or one-of-a-kind experiences, and what would be the takeaway from such transcendental type of events, with hopes to develop a cult-like following for socialisation at more exclusive members’ clubs targeted at all segments, whether content creators, various service sectors, the arts & culture creative class, aspirational lifestyle seekers or the general professional class.
Microsoft’s recent Work Trend Index highlights this well: 85% of employees say they’d be motivated to go into an office to rebuild team bonds; 84% want to socialise with colleagues. It is not about the place, rather, about the people. And this truth applies as much to the office as it does to members’ clubs. If a club fails to facilitate genuine connections or memorable experiences, members will drift away.
The future: niche, hybrid, human-centric spaces
Newer entrants seem to understand this. NeueHouse caters to creatives with podcast studios and art galleries; Chief fosters peer mentoring for female executives; The Gathering Spot builds community among Black professionals. These clubs don’t simply rent out beautiful spaces, they offer highly curated experiences, programming and communities that feel personal, not generic. Though the flip side then is counteracting group-think, that arises as a result of such grouped communities, defined by a few particular characteristics.
Physical design reflects this shift too. Whether in clubs or in the most forward-thinking offices, you’ll find hybrid-friendly spaces: private phone booths, podcast rooms, flexible lounges, wellness suites. The focus is no longer just on glamour, but on facilitating the many ways we work, create, and socialise today.
Staying with the plot and not losing it
For clubs that see scaling as a badge of honour, here is a pro tip: exclusivity does not scale that easily. As Soho House’s expansion shows, the very act of becoming more increasingly accessible can strip away the allure. Members notice when the experience feels diluted, when waiting hours for a table or jostling for attention at the bar becomes the norm rather than the exception, whilst standard for concerts or high-profile nightlife joints, it is simply not the standard of service some are expecting at a higher-end private members’ club.
1880 Singapore’s Founder, a Canadian based in Singapore, Marc Nicholson, alluded to this in his parting message, leaving behind a pile of unpaid creditors, salaries owing to tons of employees and a abrupt exit in Hong Kong, even with a self-professed bullish 2025 start, in the end, citing “opportunities for expansion that I could not resist” on 17 June 2025 and admitting that the overly ambitious dreams of scaling up contributed to the club’s downfall barely seven months into operations. Coupled by a lack of financial restraint and the disinterest of some business leaders in elite legal spheres, businesses or various professional communities in Hong Kong to support 1880 at the tail end of 2024, to take interest in a ‘free’ lifetime membership or attend 1880’s events. It were a reminder that the soul of a club lies not in its size, but the connection touch points and the quality of its community, of which this is something the CEO Jean Low, would have been acutely aware of, having managed JustCo, a co-working space and had various stints at real estate commercial trusts.
The future of private members’ clubs is in doubling down on authenticity. As urbanites become choosier about where they spend their time and money, the clubs that thrive will be those that stay nimble enough to feel special, and flexible enough to serve a hybrid, human-centric world. In short: it is not about how many members you have, the numbers you are trying to justify, but how many feel they truly belong and what they are willing to give energy into that circle that can be a metric for success.
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