"We're at an interesting inflection point for private members' clubs," Hugo Campbell-Davys, founder of Urbanologie, the lifestyle app for the world's jetsetters, told CNBC.
"While most want to move away from providing a simple and undifferentiated food and drink service, some are now focused on creating a continuous space where like-minded folks can work by day and play by night. This as other new launches are seeking to distinguish themselves by catering to niche passions, such as wine."
CNBC takes a look at the newer private members' clubs where people flocked to this year and hotspots set to join the agenda in 2017.
Soho House, Barcelona, New York and California
Build it and they will come. But only if they're one of the lucky 56,000 or so who have made it through the notoriously tough membership approval process for Soho House, rather than the 33,000 who reputedly still linger – indefinitely - on the waiting list. Or those who have been culled in the regular reviews of its membership base to guard against the ever hip venues being overrun by 'corporate types'. Build it has indeed been the mantra, with new openings in Barcelona, Malibu and New York's Lower East Side during 2016. Founder Nick Jones has applied his fastidiously detailed personalized touch to each venue to ensure the vibe and décor remains familiar but with localized tweaks. Highlights of the Spanish venue include a open air rooftop lounge with heated pool and an outpost of global restaurant favorite Cecconi's. 2017 will bring another spate of openings for the club – get set for Mumbai and Amsterdam joining the circuit, as well as new openings in L.A. and London.
THIRTY NINE, Monte Carlo
It may not get much more exclusive than a private members' club within the tiny principality where super prime property prices can fetch about 100,000 euros ($104,000) per square meter. Launched in Autumn 2016, THIRTY NINE is an aesthetically dazzling ode to both holistic wellness and Monte Carlo's adored Princess Grace. Indeed, the design centerpiece is an eight-foot long glass chandelier said to be inspired by the legendary actress's wedding bouquet. London design maestros Morpheus have teamed up with ex-rugby talent Ross Beattie to offer four floors of dining and bar space, top-notch workout equipment, art-enhanced outdoor space, entertainment and business facilities. You can even get your own personalized perfume created by the club's resident 'nose'.
67 Pall Mall, London
What to do if you are burdened with too large a stock of your own wine? Open a wine club to share it with fellow oenophiles, thought 67 Pall Mall founder, Grant Ashton. It could also then be a space where the practice - so irritating to Ashton but so common in restaurants - of marking up wines by around 200 to 300 percent is abandoned. Unlike many clubs which only welcome so-called creative types, the key criterion for joining the beautiful space located within a grade II listed former bank is a devoted love of wine. The 1,200 initial membership slots were snapped up even before the club opened so those hoping for a second crack at joining will be pleased to know another 1,000 members will soon be welcomed as it expands onto an additional floor. While the club's cuisine is highly regarded, the real draw is the 500+ wines available by the glass and 5,000+ available by the bottle as well as an ability to store some of your own collection in the underground cellar which has capacity for 32,000 bottles.
Devonshire Club, London
The proverbial Jack warned us in the 17th century of the dangers of "all work and no play" - a mantra the Devonshire Club's founders have taken to heart in designing an impressive two floor space for both business and pleasure in the heart of London's City. The Club has been pulling out the stops to attract high flying women as members – a tough task in an area filled with financial services companies dominated by men in the top ranks. However, an Elemis spa and a full service beauty salon are two of the key draws with the overall health offering a strong focus for the venue. The club also announced this week it will be opening a cryotherapy chamber in early 2017 – for those brave enough to stand in a -90 degree Celsius tank for a couple of minutes, the cosmetic rewards are said to be numerous, including rosier, firmer skin and weight loss.
Spring Place, New York
Another disciple of the trend to provide a fluid and elegant space for both work and play landed in New York's TriBeca enclave this June with the opening of Spring Place. However, only creative types need apply as the venue takes its commitment to the arts very earnestly and aspires to function as a gathering place for pacesetters in the fiercely competitive worlds of fashion, art, design and culture. While many clubs have made a push towards injecting freshness into membership bases in recent years by making the fees and offering more compelling to a younger crowd, Spring instead seeks out the most influential to share its top-notch office facilities. In addition to standard club features, the venue boasts a music room where karaoke is very much permitted and a private screening room with a floating fireplace as well as regularly hosting cultural events.
Bigger and better: 5 Hertford Street and Annabel’s, London
Such is the enduring popularity of Mayfair's 5 Hertford Street, that its opulent 18th century townhouse frequently found itself fit to burst with members and their guests who couldn't keep away from the canopied courtyard or riotous nightclub Loulous. Luckily it was able to expand this summer, reaching for the sky, literally, by opening two higher floors boasting additional lounge space, a ritzy new bar with adjoining terrace and a new Mediterranean restaurant. Meanwhile, Annabel's, the legendary London venue said to be the only nightclub to have ever have been graced by the Queen, will very soon unveil its stunning new premises a stone's throw from its current party haunt. For those wishing to work off the excesses of the previous evening, the club is helpfully expanding its remit from a nighttime-only dining, drinking and dancing den, to also include a daytime offering complete with a gym, lounge and meeting rooms.
2017 and beyond
Wine buffs are in for another treat with Ten Trinity Square, a collaboration between hotelier Four Seasons and the renowned wine estate Château Latour, set to open by the banks of London's River Thames in early 2017. The Chess Club will make a splash in Mayfair on a site formerly host to a famed poker and backgammon club and the place where Ringo Starr tied the knot in 1981. The nearby Arts Club, a favorite haunt of Charles Dickens in days of old, is working on expanding to East London's Canary Wharf in a venture known as The Quay Club. And last but not least, the newly refurbished Lanesborough Hotel opposite Hyde Park, will open a luxurious wellness club taking design inspiration from ancient Roman baths.