In the know Londoners are obsessed with Mortimer House and 1 Warwick – two new members’ clubs that combine work, wellness and much more alongside food, drink and socialising. We meet Guy Maslow, the 45-year-old Londoner behind the capital’s most-sought-after membership.
London has always been the home of the members’ club – how are you building on that history?
Guy: Historically, members’ clubs originated from London, but it’s important to highlight that we’re not trying to make a play on the London members’ club scene. There is already an abundance of London clubs, but with an overwhelming majority of them being for pure social satisfaction. We came at this from a different angle, offering everything under one roof which is something very rare for a lot of clubs, in order to satisfy the personal and professional needs of all types of people.
Members have the ability to work in a beautiful environment, enjoy a delicious lunch on the rooftop in Soho, host meetings in our charming private rooms or attend a specialist fitness class with one of our in-house practitioners.
What do members want from a members’ club in 2024?
Guy: Some London members’ clubs are very exclusive and elitist, however we aim to be inclusive but selective. We try not to use the word ‘club’ and instead prefer to say members’ house instead as the word is very much associated with exclusivity and social hierarchy, therefore we aim to steer away from that perception. We are still curating, however we wanted to create a space that brings people together from different professional and personal backgrounds. In fact, what people really want is a simpler way to harmonise their life.
1 Warwick’s workspaces
This moves onto our next question, you offer wellbeing, workspaces, food and drink, socialising… was the idea always to be a full service offering? Or is this just about work/life balance?
Guy: 1 Warwick and Mortimer House offer the harmonising of people’s needs, without compromising any aspect of your life; especially with changing lifestyles and new working patterns. Therefore, the members’ houses enable you to achieve all your personal and professional aspirations all in one place, focussing on a much healthier work/life balance. The wellbeing aspect is also very important to us, which we showcase with our dynamic wellness programmes, as well as our brilliant fitness facilities.
Mortimer House’s roofdeck
Mortimer House’s ‘Den’ (Picture: Ed Reeve)
We came at this from a different angle, offering everything under one roof which is something very rare for a lot of clubs, in order to satisfy the personal and professional needs of all types of people.
Business students are all well aware of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – was that the inspiration for the name and the offering?
Guy: Before COVID-19, I started observing how working patterns and styles were changing and how the traditional office model was no longer serving the future of how we work. Many co-working spaces began to open, however I knew these spaces could be elevated; particularly coming from a background in hotels and hospitality. We designed a space to offer and satisfy all of our member’s needs in one place and ultimately allow them to advance and reach self-actualisation. This concept of reaching your full potential is the whole philosophy behind Maslow’s as well as reflected in the name.
Talk us through the past few years – it’s been a tough period for hospitality. Was there ever a doubt that London would bounce back?
Guy: I think everybody had some form of doubt that London would bounce back during the worst period of Covid. Hospitality businesses were unable to operate as it took away the opportunity to provide hospitality at the level we would have wanted. To recover, it was important for us to be flexible in adapting to changes, both operationally and meeting the needs developed during Covid. Our model allowed us to adapt very well and take advantage of the changing needs, with the high demand to merge the home and the office. We focussed on providing a unique environment that combines all the elements you would like in your own home with facilities that most people wouldn’t be able to incorporate into their house.
Yasmin at 1 Warwick
Breakfast at Mortimer House, lunch at 1 Warwick…what does a perfect London day look like for Guy Ivesha?
For me, I cycle to work and start the day with breakfast at Mortimer House Kitchen, usually I have the granola and yoghurt and a cold pressed green juice from the menu. Then I go to the fifth-floor lounge of Mortimer House and catch up with members, before reviewing designs for our new expansion projects in our beautiful private meeting rooms.
I will then head to 1 Warwick in Soho for a reformer Pilates class with our in-house practitioner, before heading to Yasmin, the rooftop restaurant for a Mediterranean lunch. Something healthy and flavoursome, like the sumac smoked duck and the strawberry and feta salad. I would spend the afternoon working in the Drawing Room on the first floor as I love the interiors there! Finally, attending one of our members’ events such as the How To Spend It event with Tim Spector or a talk with Victoria Beckham and then finishing with a drink at Nessa is the perfect way to end the day.
Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, Fitzrovia
1 Warwick, 1 Warwick Street, Soho