Members-only clubs tend to have a particular image – that of straight-laced suits and unerring corporate businessmen. Soho House takes a different spin on members clubs: it welcomes a city’s creative community – including artists, film-makers, writers, designers – and offers them an exclusive place to mingle with like-minded visionaries in a plush, curated space.
Founded in London in 1995 for mavens of the creative industry, Soho House has grown to have outposts in major metropolises around the world, including in Istanbul, Barcelona, the UK – and now, Mumbai. Each House is designed distinctively for the city that it resides in, and in the newly opened Mumbai outpost, things are no different.
Situated in an 11-storey townhouse in Juhu with 38 bedrooms, the Soho House Mumbai offers 38 bedrooms for hotel guests, a rooftop bar and pool, as well as two restaurants on the ground floor for visitors, Cecconi’s Mumbai and The Allis. The rest of the building is restricted to members-only: that includes an exclusive lounge area and a state-of-the-art screening room.
Every room recalls elements from Indian culture and design, including sisal carpets, lampshades draped in sari fabric, and meticulous woven-cane furniture. Much of the fittings in the new Soho House Mumbai are locally sourced, some vintage, some custom-made for the property.
Founder Nick Jones noted that visiting any Soho House around the world allows members to experience the locality of the area, and to feel like they are part of an established local community, rather than to feel like a tourist in a foreign country.
Jones said that one of Soho House’s main aims was to create a welcoming home away from home for its international community of creatives – and judging by the luscious balconies, homey rooms and swaying palm trees that line the beachfront Soho House Mumbai, we’d say he’s hit the mark. www.sohohousemumbai.com ◼
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© This article was first published online in Nov 2018 – World Travel Magazine.
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