Soho House has announced it will stop accepting new members at its clubs in New York City, Los Angeles and London after complaints that they are overcrowded.
Founder Nick Jones sent a letter to members on Friday saying he was working to “ensure our homes don't feel too crowded.”
It comes after Soho House was criticized for accepting too many new members and led to complaints it was losing its exclusivity.
The company was launched in 1995 from a townhouse in Soho, London, and has worked to attract creative clients rather than the bankers and financiers who dominated other social clubs.
In the United States, it costs approximately $4,900 per year to join all 42 Soho Houses around the world. The pause in memberships for New York City, Los Angeles and London is expected to last until at least the end of next year.
Soho House has announced it will stop accepting new members at its clubs in New York City, Los Angeles and London after complaints that they have become overcrowded
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A view of the lobby entrance to the members-only club at Soho House in West Hollywood
An exterior view of the famous hotspot SoHo House in the meatpacking district of Manhattan, New York City.
Founder Jones sent an email to members after complaints that city center spaces were overcrowded.
“For that reason, we will be closing our doors to new members next year at our homes in London, New York and Los Angeles, and only accepting members at locations where we have capacity,” he wrote.
Between October 2022 and 2023, the company hired 21 percent more people.
As of October 1, the organization had 184,542 members, a huge jump from 118,000 just two years ago.
There have been complaints on TikTok about how busy the Soho House clubs are and how bad the service can be.
An Instagram account called Soho House Memes has 120,000 followers and captioned one post: 'I love it when £200 comes out of my bank account then I have to wait four hours for a table at 3pm.'
There are three Soho House clubs in New York City, four in Los Angeles and nine in London.
The company also has offices in Miami, Austin, Chicago, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Barcelona and Paris.
The clubs often include communal areas, restaurants and cafes, some of which have cinemas and swimming pools.
Movie stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie have been spotted in Soho Houses.
Soho House founder Nick Jones sent a letter to members on Friday saying he was working to “ensure our homes don't feel too crowded.”
The company was launched in 1995 from a townhouse in Soho, London, and has worked to attract a creative clientele rather than traditional bankers and financiers.
There have been complaints on TikTok about how crowded and overrated Soho House clubs are
Access to pool beds during the summer months can be a challenge for members, who complain about overcrowding in the clubs
The New York location was once featured in an episode of Sex and the City, when Samantha Jones, who couldn't get off the waiting list, posed as a member to gain access to the pool for her and her friends.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had their first date in July 2016 at a Soho House restaurant in London.
Founder Jones resigned from day-to-day management of the company at the end of last year when he recovered from cancer.
He said he has been “spending a lot more time in our homes” because he has “the space to pay more attention to the clubs themselves.”
Soho House previously paused new memberships during the coronavirus pandemic to allow people to socially distance in its clubs.
An attempt was also made to cut some members to preserve the founding spirit and attract more creatives.
The company announced it would remove 1,000 members from its New York home in 2010, with Jones saying he was “trying to return the club to its creative roots.”
“When I went there it didn't have the right feeling anymore. It has always been a creative, friendly place with a relaxed atmosphere,” he said.
'If there are too many business types, that atmosphere doesn't exist.'
DailyMail.com has contacted Soho House for comment.