RR Recommended: The Private Members' Clubs Worth Belonging To, According to Vivek Narain

Back in 2018, when Vivek Narain launched The Quorum in Gurugram, India had no language for what the space was trying to be. Neither a gym, a club in the old sense, nor quite co-working, it was a third space where the same chair could hold a laptop in the afternoon and a glass of something boozy by evening. Now with locations across Gurugram, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Goa in the pipeline, The Quorum has built a network of 270+ reciprocal clubs across 50+ countries.

Narain holds a finance and economics degree from American University in Washington D.C., spent years in investment banking and real estate. Below is his list of the private members' clubs from around the world that are worth belonging to.

The Groucho, London

Founded in May 1985 on Dean Street in Soho by literary agents Liz Calder, Carmen Callil, Ed Victor, and Michael Sissons, The Groucho was conceived as a deliberate antidote to the male-dominated gentlemen's clubs of its era. Its name, borrowed from Groucho Marx's famous line about refusing to join any club that would have him as a member, set the tone immediately. The membership draws from arts, publishing, film, music, and advertising, and the walls carry an impressive collection of British works from the late 20th and early 21st century, curated by Director of Art Nicky Carter, including pieces by the Young British Artists. For Narain, the Groucho remains the original rule-breaker and the benchmark for creative clubs everywhere.

The Battery, San Francisco

Founded by Michael and Xochi Birch at 717 Battery Street in San Francisco's financial district, the Battery occupies a 58,000-square-foot building that previously housed a candy warehouse and marble mill. It opened in 2013 and quickly became the gathering point for venture capitalists and tech executives, growing to over 5,000 members who each pay USD 2,800 a year through a nomination-only process. The Battery is also a reciprocal partner of The Quorum through the Sonato Alliance, a network of over 40 clubs worldwide. Narain is direct about what it means to him: this is the club that most inspired The Quorum's own DNA.

St. James, Paris

A Belle Epoque chateau in the 16th arrondissement, which Narain counts among his favourite corners of Paris. The Saint James Paris is a private members' club and hotel housed in a 19th-century mansion originally built in 1892, later converted into the first private members' club in Paris. It sits behind gates on the Avenue Bugeaud with a private garden and library that retain the atmosphere of a country house in the heart of the city. The address alone is worth the membership.

Estelle Manor, Oxfordshire

Founded by Sharan Pasricha, the entrepreneur behind Ennismore, which he sold to Accor in 2021 in a deal valuing the company at one billion dollars, Estelle Manor is a country house hotel and private members' club set across 55 acres of Oxfordshire countryside. The Grade II listed manor house opened in 2023 as an adults-only retreat with a strong emphasis on food, wellness, and cultural programming. The recommendation comes down to the people behind it. Narain describes Sharan and Eiesha Bharti Pasricha as tastemakers with a real discerning eye, redefining modern British hospitality one dream property at a time.

Faena Rose, Miami

This private members' club within the Faena District in Miami Beach, founded by Argentine developer Alan Faena, whose 2015 project transformed a six-block stretch of Mid-Beach into one of the most distinctive cultural and hospitality destinations in the United States. The programming calendar spans art, performance, music, and culinary events. For Narain, it is one of the few clubs whose programming truly matches The Quorum's, with great attention to cultural relevance.

Zero Bond, New York

Opened by Scott Sartiano in October 2020 at 0 Bond Street in Manhattan, Zero Bond occupies a former Brooks Brothers factory built in 1874, with interiors by designer Bill Sofield that retained the Victorian Gothic structure's oversized arched windows, open-beam ceilings, and exposed red brick walls. A second location opened at Wynn Las Vegas in March 2026. The art collection includes works by Warhol, Haring, Miro, Chagall, and Mapplethorpe. The paradox it has pulled off is not lost on Narain: it perfected the art of being everywhere and impossible to get into at the same time. Despite the hype and its status as the backdrop for everything across fashion, politics, and entertainment, it has maintained a strong sense of exclusivity.

Carlyle and Co., Hong Kong

Founded by Sonia Cheng, CEO of Rosewood Hotel Group, Carlyle and Co. occupies 25,000 square feet across three levels of Rosewood Hong Kong, its membership hand-picked for personality, passion, and story rather than status or profession. Designed by Ilse Crawford of Studioilse, the space features a Music Room, Games Room, Barber, Tailor, Wine Cellar, and the Cafe Carlyle, which brought the 65-year-old cabaret supper club concept from The Carlyle in New York to Hong Kong for the first time. The club runs 150 cultural events a year and houses a library with 2,000 literary works and a music room with over 1,000 vinyl albums. The Rosewood connection seals it for Narain, who calls it his favourite hotel chain in the world.

CORE Club, New York

Founded in New York in 2005 by Jennie Enterprise, the CORE Club was built around the idea that a private club should serve as a platform for its members' professional and personal development. Membership is capped, and an application requires sponsorship from existing members alongside a review process that assesses contribution to the broader community. It sits within The Quorum's reciprocal network. Narain describes it as private, contemporary, and seriously well-connected, and it remains a consistent favourite among Quorum members travelling to New York.

The Arts Club, London

Operating since 1863 on Dover Street in Mayfair, The Arts Club was founded as a gathering place for those involved in literature, painting, and the performing arts. Today, it occupies a five-storey townhouse and counts a significant food and beverage programme as one of its most consistent points of distinction, alongside an exhibition programme and a regular cultural calendar. Narain leaves no room for qualification: simply the best in the food and beverage game, globally.

Yellowstone Club, Montana

Founded in 1999 by businessman Tim Blixseth, the Yellowstone Club is a private ski and golf community in the Madison Range of the Rocky Mountains near Big Sky, Montana. Spread across 13,600 acres of private mountain terrain, it offers 2,900 acres of private ski trails, a golf course, and a residential community of privately owned homes and ski-in, ski-out lodges. Membership is by invitation only. Narain puts it simply, "Sometimes exclusivity means 8,000 acres of mountains, lakes, and wilderness".