00:00:00
Speaker 1: Hello, everyone, Welcome back to another episode of Clyde Confidential. It is Friday afternoon in Los Angeles, and I have hotelier Jeff Klein joining me this afternoon, and I feel so lucky that he's on.
00:00:12
Speaker 2: Thank you, Megan. I feel likely to be here.
00:00:14
Speaker 1: I'm so excited to chat. I feel like this chat is actually very long overdue. We've never really sat down. But I'm a member of one of your clubs for a couple of years now, actually, so I'm excited to learn about it.
00:00:28
Speaker 2: Thank you. Yes, excited to reveal myself.
00:00:32
Speaker 1: Yes, where are you right now? Jeff? I must ask.
00:00:35
Speaker 2: I'm in my chef's office in Santa Monica because I've had this crazy day and I wasn't able to make it back to my own office. So you see clipboards with orders of food expected and some chef uniforms on the other side. So and there's a big sign do not do not bother me jefly Well, I'm.
00:01:00
Speaker 1: Home and hopefully my dogs aren't too disruptive, but there in the background, so you'll you'll see both of them. I'm actually coming to your Santamonica location for dinner tonight, so maybe, yeah, maybe, we'll catch each other.
00:01:14
Speaker 2: I love that. Yes, yeah, cool.
00:01:17
Speaker 1: I mean literally there every weekend, so it is. It is the best. But okay, so you have a bunch of properties across the world. Let's go through them all for people who don't know who you are and you know what you're all about. So in La you have sense a Tower.
00:01:35
Speaker 2: I have the Sense of Tower. I also have Hotel eight fifty and uh Sanma Sente Bungalows in West Hollywood, Santa Sente, Santa Monica, and then in New York, I have Sana Cente West Village, and uh that's pretty much it. I mean, when I bought a building in New York, there were all these youth hostel rooms in that building that we still have. So I don't know if you noticed you've been to New York, right.
00:02:10
Speaker 1: Yes, I live between LA and New York. So I'm also a member of the West Village.
00:02:15
Speaker 2: So I don't know if you've ever seen the euro Hostel. It's called the West Village euro Hostel. It's a separate entrance. It's actually in the building. So when I bought the entire Jane Hotel, there were all these like permanent tenants and small rooms which shared bathrooms that we created like a separate entrance and separate elevator for and then we have the club on the other side. So it's almost like we put a wall through the center of the building and created two separate businesses. So I also have that youth hostel.
00:02:50
Speaker 1: Yes, how long had that been up and running? I'm sure there's a legal thing that you were walking through that when you were when you were building the West Village property. How did you do that?
00:03:00
Speaker 2: Well? So the building was I should really know. This was built in I think nineteen oh eight. It was created as a maritime hotel for sailors. In fact, when the Titanic, they brought a lot of the survivors of the Titanic to stay there. So it's a really interesting building. When I bought it, there was like all these hotel rooms scattered all over the building, and a lot of them had shared bathroom. All of them actually have shared bathrooms, and there's tiny rooms, which because they were really for sailors and there all are some people that live in those apartments on one floor. So I couldn't change it, is why I had to keep it the same. But then I took back all the space I could and turned it into club space. So if you had been to the Jain Hotel before I bought it, people are like, where's all this space? Well, it's former rooms that I took out of service and added to club space, like you know, I don't know, like the billiards room, for example, and that whole there's another dining room on the fifth four. We call it the tap room. That those were all hotel rooms when I bought it. And there's a kitchen on the fifth four which services the tap room and also the roof above it, because the roof is on the sixth floor.
00:04:24
Speaker 1: So you've done I mean, you've done such an incredible job at that place. When I was in my twenties, I used to go to the Jane Hotel and dance on the couches in the living room and stay out too late with all my friends. So it's nice to be back and feel a little bit more sophisticated in my thirties. But I love still walking up the stairs to go to SCB now and it feels like, you know, if I close my eyes, I'm almost going back to the Jain with my friends. It's the same exact stairwells.
00:04:53
Speaker 2: So funny.
00:04:55
Speaker 1: But yeah, I'm now sitting in that same living room having like a work dinner.
00:05:00
Speaker 2: It's just, you know, it's great. I love that one. Yeah, the woman who designed it rose in the I think she did such a fantastic job.
00:05:08
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, it's stunning. It's the best.
00:05:10
Speaker 2: Thank you, thank you.
00:05:12
Speaker 1: You really did such a good job.
00:05:14
Speaker 2: Thank you. I mean, I love all my children, the all the clubs. I'm in Santa Monica right now. It's like every time I walk in here, I have to pinch myself because it's like I feel like I'm on like the Italian coast every time I come here. I don't know if you can get that vibe, yes, but it's like I just think I'm on like the ca It's so lovely. I mean, right now i'm in the chef's office, it's not that lovely. But when I'm actually chef office, and as far as chef's office goes, it is actually really nice.
00:05:45
Speaker 1: Okay, So with all of your properties and clubs, do have a favorite one out of all of them?
00:05:53
Speaker 2: Well, I'm oh my gosh, God, he's gonna kill me. I'm really not allowed to have a favorite but I they're they're also different, which is like kind of part of my business model that they're all very unique to the space itself and to the location itself. But again I would say Santa Monica just does this thing to me. But I mean all of them have a massive effect on me. I mean, obviously they have to, like I created them all, but there is something about Santa Monica that I just find like really really kind of crazy special. I mean there, but New York does too, and West Hollywood man.
00:06:34
Speaker 1: That you know.
00:06:35
Speaker 2: I was at Lengthwood today and it's like remembering when I bought that place, and O G yes so and the sense of tower. I mean, I love them all, but I would have to say, if by like a centimeter, probably Santa Monica is.
00:06:53
Speaker 1: However, answer that, Okay, I wasn't expecting that, But I was expecting you to say Sunset Tower or or Weho because those ones are sort of staples.
00:07:02
Speaker 2: But those are definitely the ogs and fairness to both of them. You know, It's kind of like you get like the more you're with someone, the less you're like into them. I mean, I've been with my husband twenty two years and I still worship the groundy wox on, but like you know what I mean, it's like it we're like. So maybe that's part of it. Because, like some tower, I've now owned it for twenty two years, so it's kind of crazy. You look like you're like only twenty two years old. So maybe I bought it when you were born.
00:07:33
Speaker 1: Thank you.
00:07:33
Speaker 2: I'm not.
00:07:34
Speaker 1: I just am a very good dermatologist.
00:07:36
Speaker 2: I'm going to take that and run with it.
00:07:40
Speaker 1: So nice. Wow, Okay, Jeff Kine thinks I'm twenty two. Cool? Well, Jeff, you and I don't do very dissimilar things. I think you and I are actually quite similar in our line of work because what I do is I curate a community as well, but on teams and I match make people to be sort of business partners. And you also curate a community in your membership clubs, and you're at the same time interviewing people and getting to know their personalities and seeing, okay with this person, mesh, well at this club is this a fit for me? So I'm curious what your process is like when you are a trying to build that membership community and build your staff. What do you look for in each of those things?
00:08:33
Speaker 2: Well, it's really hard. I mean people think curating a club is about, you know, picking famous people are powerful people, but it's really actually more nuanced than that, and you're really curating energy, behavior and chemistry. We try to build a community with a balance of like ages, industries, personalities, and points of view. The goal is not saneness, it's interesting overlap. So you want people who are curious and engaged and respectful of the environment, and who contribute something intangible to the atmosphere. A great club should feel socially effortless, and it's hard to do. I mean, you know, people should feel comfortable having conversations with strangers and staying longer, and honestly, the hardest thing to do is to curate the culture. But what I you know to that point that that, you know, having everything from all walks of life is really as important as possible. I always say the greatest party is a wedding because it's three generations and it's like all sorts of people from all different industries, and I mean a good wedding. That can be a bad wedding, but usually those are the most fun parties, and that's what we're really trying to curate. The greatest dinner party every single day and night, you know. So I think that's what it is, and it's not me. Everybody's like, oh you you pick this. I'm like, I don't pick anything. There's a committee, there's an actual process. People go through the applications, which is really fun and really interesting.
00:10:14
Speaker 1: What is the interview process? Like, so I know that everyone does still out an application and then it gets taken up to the committee, and I guess there's a deliberation, but has it ever what's the voting process? Like I guess, and does it then get taken up A change to you or do you trust your committee enough to make those decisions on your behalf?
00:10:33
Speaker 2: I trust, I really trust my committee, and so in the beginning it did. I would try to get involved and be like, oh I know this person, and I no longer do that, and it's a little awkward, like sometimes actually a friend friends of mine have not gotten into the club, or even people I don't like do get into it. But I really don't put my thumb on the scale with the committee because they're doing a lot of work and I trust them, and so I want the processes it's really working well or doing a good job and I always say, like, you know, maybe there's two percent that they get wrong, but it's still in a plus, and ninety eight is still an A plus. So I think they're doing the night plus.
00:11:12
Speaker 1: I think they do an excellent job, and I think that in the in the era of members clubs in Los Angeles and New York, I not only because I'm biased, but I do think that Samasinde does the most amazing job at curating people. And I love being able to go for dinner on the weekend and always get a table and walk in and know all the staff and not feel like I'm the oldest person at the restaurant or at the bar, because I think of that as I get older and I go back to New York, there's a lot of places that I've actually aged out of. Going to your clubs doesn't make me feel that way, because I think that, unlike some other places, you guys are really thoughtful about not letting younger too many younger folks in and making sure that like there's different tiers of memos. That's right.
00:12:01
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're very purposeful about it, and you're absolutely right, And thank you for saying that, because I think it is important that everybody feels welcome, and that makes and that means I'm doing my job correctly and everybody, you know, so thank you.
00:12:16
Speaker 1: Yeah you are. And how do you select your membership team?
00:12:20
Speaker 2: Well, so there's a membership team that works for me, and then there's a committee that's really like your peers, and they remain anonymous, and we basically, once again, really try to pick people that represent all the people we want. So perhaps it's one woman who's in the music industry and one guy who's more business like, and you know, another person who's I don't know, you know, I mean in fashion, and you know, I mean Gabby, who's the head of membership, who is really brilliant and incredible, was a magazine editor. And I wish I could say I was smart enough to have like foreseen that she was going to be so brilliant at this, because of course now I'm like, oh yeah, of course, Like she was a magazine editor. She edited magazines. That's basically what she's doing here in private clubs, of course, you know, But I was just lucky. I just kind of was very drawn to her as a person and as a mind and her energy and I just knew she would do really well, and she has exceeded my expectations.
00:13:33
Speaker 1: I mean, she is the most fabulous person on the planet. And I tried to get her to come on this podcast and she's terrified, but maybe after.
00:13:40
Speaker 2: She listens, Yeah, well we could have done it together. That would have been really fun. Have you ever seen that together? We're like an old married couple, like you love it. No one can say to me like it's like hilarious.
00:13:53
Speaker 1: I mean, you could not ask for a better right arm she is. I mean I've known Gabby for years because I met her when she was at Sunset Tower, and when I was working as an assistant, I would always call an email to get my old Boston reservations and Gabby and your team above and beyond all of the time. And then one day I remember emailing and someone wrote back and said, oh, she's actually not here anymore. She's at Sambacinay West Hollywood. So and that is how I got into Samba Cinta West Hollywood. Yes, Gabby remembered me from my assistant days, and I think I've been a member now for four years. But it's the best. I mean, it's down the street from my house. I work out of there with my team. I take every single meeting in that poolhouse, and it's that one actually is my favorite, I think, though I.
00:14:44
Speaker 2: Know I was going to amend a and say, actually maybe we but it's so hard. It depends.
00:14:49
Speaker 1: It's so hard. I think during the week I'm a weeho girl, and I'm there Monday to Friday, and then on the weekend, since I'm the only person out of my friend group who lives in West Hollywood, I go to Monica.
00:15:01
Speaker 2: That's smart, that's good. That's actually a good way to do it too, because it delineates between work and you know weekend.
00:15:07
Speaker 1: Yes, exactly the separation. But back to Gabby. So Gabby was at all of your properties pretty much, so she was at a sense of tower. How did you find her originally?
00:15:21
Speaker 2: So, I mean i've been actually was you know, I did something that you really should never do. With one footnote, I would say I hired a friend. But when I met her it was twenty two years ago. She was the editor of w magazine and I just bought the hotel, and I really wanted her to work for me there and or with me there, I should say, and she I tried really really hard, and actually she said yes at one point and then she won like an award for best magazine edit. At her there was like some awards thing they did, and she's like, I just can't, you know, and she retracted her acceptance and then we I was kind of angry at her for a year or two after that, and then we just became friendly. And then as that world changed and it was much harder to work in that world, she was looking she didn't know what her next chapter was going to be. And I said, you know, we originally met fifteen years ago because I really wanted to work with you. That still stands, what you know, And she said, well, i'd love to. I've always been obsessed with hospitality. And I said to her what I say to everybody, which is, unfortunately you have to start like at the bottom. Like there's there's no way in hospitality to just kind of like come in and be start as like an owner or something. So she worked under Dmitri for like two years and she yeah, when you interview her, and hopefully you do, I'm going to try to convince her. She says it was the hardest of her life. She said, because Dmitri I mean, we love Dmitri and I think he's very exacting. I mean very yeah. So she you know, it was tough for her and she but she figured it out and she does a great job.
00:17:20
Speaker 1: So Demitri is actually your longest standing employee.
00:17:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, there's there's some others that have been there just because Demeter is there when we open. There's a couple of them, like Max in the server in the Tower Bar also was there at the opening, So there's a housekeeper. There's a couple. I think there's like four or five that have been which is very rare in my industry, quite frankly, especially now.
00:17:48
Speaker 1: Mine and mine.
00:17:51
Speaker 2: But yeah, I'm very proud of it. And you know, I think we I think I'm proud of the cultures that we create. It's an important part of the recipe, I would say.
00:18:03
Speaker 1: I think so. And I mean to go to the Tower Bar for a meal and to walk in and Tomitri is the first person that I see and he, you know, gives me the double kiss, walks me to my table. We chat for a second. That familiarity is it's unbelievable. And he has I think he's actually like the face of Sunset Tower, which you can't. You can't pick a better person he is.
00:18:26
Speaker 2: I know, I completely agree. And you know, for a while he and Gabby were flip flopped. Dmitri was at sam Macine and Gabby was it time?
00:18:34
Speaker 1: Yes, I remember, and then he.
00:18:36
Speaker 2: Went back yeah. And then he went back.
00:18:39
Speaker 1: Yes, and he didn't he come over to the New York Club to train some folks.
00:18:43
Speaker 2: He still does. Yeah, I mean, Dmitri is such a he's like a legend. I mean he's still He was just in New York like two months ago for like a refresh and he was there at the opening, and he'll probably be back, you know, in a few months as well.
00:19:00
Speaker 1: I mean to up, he's the best. How did you find him?
00:19:04
Speaker 2: Oh gosh, so Dimitri. So here's what happened when I opened up the Tower Bar. I did like a friends and family night where they came. You basically invite friends to like as guinea pigs, and you're like, we're going to screw up on you. It's free. Can you please just come? And both Mix Glazer the producer and Tom Ford were at I invited them both and they were together that night and Tom called me over. This is like a terrible story. I probably cann't say it. But Tom called me over. At the time, you could say things like this, let's just say Mix and Tom are the same table. And Tom was like, he called me over and he said, I love this place. It's the only restaurant I go to in La But if you if if I sit next to an ugly person again, I'm not coming back. This is like days of Devilwar's Product one. Not too This is you know, savage, and it was savage, and Mitch was like, you should hire Dmitri. He he'll help you with this, curate this or something. And I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, what does that even mean? I am I an ugly person? I mean, I'm like, you know, like doesn't mean ugly on the inside, doesn't mean I know. I was like very like, you know, and they're like, you need to understand how to see the room. He was totally right, because at the time, believe it or not, the Tower Bar is the very first restaurant I ever owned. My boss, who taught me everything I know in the hotel business, never let us open restaurants in his hotels because he hated the restaurant business so much. He would make us lease out the restaurants. I can get to that later. But anyway, so I had like hostesses and they were just seating everybody anywhere. So they'd see Tom Ford and somebody or mc glaser next to somebody, and mix Clazer would be like, well, why is you know, al Pacinos sitting on the other side of the room. You should be sitting next to me, I know, you know, And that's really part of the art of seating in a restaurant like that. And so we weren't doing that the first two or three weeks until he got Dmitri and then he understood how to really see the room.
00:21:22
Speaker 1: And what do you think it was about Dmitri that he was able to sort of be your guide to design the room. What struck you about Dmitri and what kind of skills were crucial for Dmitri to have in order to execute.
00:21:39
Speaker 2: I mean, it's interesting because Dmitri, so when they introduced me to Dmitri, he really was like a relic of the past, like nobody wanted to hire him. He represents it's so hard to believe now. I mean, it's kind of like the Sunset Tower itself. Nobody wanted to buy it. They were like, oh that place, like what is it? And you know, everybody thought like having a major d was just not cool. And I really was focused on making the whole experience of the Sunse Tower feel like an old Hollywood kind of you know, canteen, and I knew that.
00:22:20
Speaker 1: That's exactly what it is. By the way, that is that is the whole feeling when you walk in there, you put on a fancy outfit, you're if you're going to eat at the Sunset Tower versus San Facente, Santa Monica. It is a different wardrobe.
00:22:31
Speaker 2: Totally, totally, and it's very glamorous and very like old Hollywood and very you know, you just feel like, you know, Greta Garbo may step out from behind the curtain and sit down.
00:22:46
Speaker 1: There's always someone fabulous eating there. I must say, it's true.
00:22:51
Speaker 2: It is true. And I knew that his act would work. And I also knew that he understood especially coming from Tom Ford and make Glazer. You know, I knew he would understand stand Hollywood, which is very different today. But the great thing about Dimitri and Gabby too, they both are constantly educating themselves on who the players are, who you know, you said you were an assistant. A lot of people in my industry don't realize how important assistants really are and take care of them, because, like I will tell you, like I know so many assistants today that you know that today are like running companies and they were ten fifteen years ago. You know, Brian Lord's assistant or Kevin Vaine's assistant, or you know now both Brian and Kevin's assistance are like major players at CIA, and you know, right, and so it's really important to actually take care of the assistance and not piss them off, because they do, especially the good ones like you, they becut not everybody remains an assistant forever, and a lot of places forget that.
00:24:01
Speaker 1: I think, I think, I do think you are probably one of the rare individuals who really understands that. I mean, everyone I grew up with as an assistant a couple of years ago, they all now have these big boy jobs and big girl jobs, and they will be the ones running the studios and really the people in your restaurant for the next couple of years, bringing in their clients and making the calls and the shops. So I think it's you always have to be kind to.
00:24:26
Speaker 2: Assistant totally, totally, totally I agree one percent. Yeah, and you know it also, it's also human decency, like even if they didn't become important, it's just nice to be nice to be.
00:24:43
Speaker 1: I mean, I think, of course, yeah that I.
00:24:47
Speaker 2: Mean, I hate to sound like such a crystal wearing Maybe it's because I'm in Santa Monica. I'm really feeling the vibes. But it is true. Energy is reflected and mirrored, you know, so it is.
00:25:03
Speaker 1: Well, I'll tell you a story. I had a friend on this podcast, Jake Fleischmann, a couple months ago, and one of his core memories from being an assistant is when you upgraded his room at the Sunset Tower Hotel on one of his first trips to La and that stuck with him and he remembers that, and that is he will never forget how kind you were to do when he was not a manager yet and now he's a manager. And to your point, it doesn't matter if you know if they're going to be successful or not, but that human decency and the kindness and the fact that you were the owner of the hotel and you upgraded his room personally with a handwritten note. That's something that just sticks with people. It's so important.
00:25:49
Speaker 2: Well, I love that podcast, which I love all your podcasts, but I really loved that one. And I remember listening to that. I had such a big smile on my face when he said that, because again, it's just meant that I'm doing my job correctly or I let's say I'm not doing it badly, you know, because I do think it's important and I think being in a hands on owner goes a long way. There's just like Italian saying the garden of an owner grows better under the or a garden grows better under the shadow of an owner or something and I and you know really is referring to business as well or anything in life, like if you're if you own something, it's like you have that love and care that you give. And I write personal notes still to this day. Every morning I wake up, I go through all the arrivals since tower. Every single day I could be on vacation. I did it in South Africa over Christmas. I did it in Europe. I mean wherever I am. Every single day I go through the arrivals and it's the same with all three clubs. I'm looking at you know, who's coming in, who's you know I do after they get accepted, look at through the applications who's joining. I want to see. I want to know, you know, I want to introduce myself to people when they come into the club.
00:27:07
Speaker 1: I think it's so important and you actually or I can't actually name any other owners who do that. And whenever I'm at one of your clubs, I always seem to run into you. But you're also a face of the club. You're walking around, you're saying hi to people, you're shaking hands. You're so involved, and a lot of people would not be as involved or on location. I mean, you're literally taking this interview from the chef's office. You really care about what you've created, and you're still in it. A lot of people would just hang up the towel, thank you.
00:27:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, well I can't. I mean, I you know, my background is operations, so I can't let go of it. As a part of the gift and the curse, I would say.
00:27:49
Speaker 1: Yeah, what has been your favorite part about building these membership clubs and restaurants and hotels.
00:27:56
Speaker 2: That's such a great question. I mean I love that actual building of them, designing them, is really fun programming them, you know, finding them is really fun, staffing them, you know, really creating the whole vibe, the creative process of imagining how people are going to feel in a space before it even exists. To me, like magic, it's just worth a billion dollar. I'd rather that than if somebody said, here's a billion dollars, or you can create a club that or a hotel or a space that you know really speaks to you. I'd picked the club over the billion dollars. I love thinking about the psychology of the rooms, the lighting, the music, the flow, where people naturally gather, where conversations are going to happen, you know, where someone might unexpectedly meet a future husband or wife or boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever.
00:29:00
Speaker 1: I mean, I would love to be able to say that, so jury still out.
00:29:06
Speaker 2: And then once it opens, I love watching the behavior, you know, I mean, I'm obsessive about these details that shape these emotions. And then I love watching how it works once it's open and what people gravitate towards naturally. And you know, the clubs are always evolving, kind of like real life. And I don't know if you've noticed, like even in Santa Monica, for example. There's so many things that like were changed, constantly changing, and these are expensive changes. I mean New York I talked about that fifth for restaurant that was a co working space for the first two months.
00:29:42
Speaker 1: I remember I worked out of it many.
00:29:44
Speaker 2: Times and I was like, it's just not working. It's just not vibing, it's not feeling. It felt almost like it was separate. Like and I created this rest you know, this dining room that people just love and they can work out of it during the day. So it's not like I. And there's other spaces that can work out of. But most people, most operators would be like, I'm not going to now spend millions of more do I mean, by the way, in New York, I was like, already millions of dollars over budget. I'm probably not the smartest financial you know. I mean, I don't know, maybe I am in the end, because I do think it all pays.
00:30:21
Speaker 1: Off eventually, but it absolutely does.
00:30:24
Speaker 2: I really care so much about the experience that I'm willing to, you know, just go deeper into a hole, a financial hole, to make it perfect.
00:30:33
Speaker 1: I mean, I think the New York Club is spectacular, and I remember I was so impressed coming back after a couple months in LA and seeing that taproom just spring up. It was so I feel like you did that in five minutes. That was insane.
00:30:49
Speaker 2: Well, we did it over the summer, which is a slow period in New York City because everybody's like in the Hampton's and Nantucket and excuse me wherever eure ue. You know, they all kind of like fully the city. But because it does get awfully hot, it's not like LA, where like summer people stick around for.
00:31:05
Speaker 1: Somewhere, So people do stick around here.
00:31:07
Speaker 2: Yes, but I did it over the summer, and I had everything lined up, which was important. In fact, this summer, I have a couple of surprises in New York that you're going to be excited about when you come back in the fall.
00:31:20
Speaker 1: Yeah, very well, I'm actually probably the small percentage of LA folks who goes to New York for the summer.
00:31:26
Speaker 2: So I'll be back Santa Monica. I mean, like even like Sa Sana West, Sana, Coniti West Hollywood. Now I would say it's perfect, but I was constantly I am constantly tweaking little Actually that's not true. I might be changing one thing pretty significantly one room, but like the bar used to be a blue we would call it the Blue Bar. And then we got Grace Coddington to come and paint murals on the walls and completely change all the furniture in there because the Blue Bar just felt too cold. And I love that room in Sana. I love that room too. It's so magic.
00:32:00
Speaker 1: I always tell my friends, I say, if I ever make it in this life, I want a bar in my house with that exact hand painted wallpaper on it, and instead of the little cats will have my dogs. But that it reminds me of if the Carlisle had a baby with I don't know. Something is giving a lot of New York and I think, and I think as a New Yorker, going to have a drink at the Blue Bar makes me feel like I'm at home.
00:32:29
Speaker 2: So I love that, and that's exactly what we were going for, and it does, and then it works like next week you're going to see we're doing some stuff in Santa Monica. That's super cool. That's changing the dining room a little bit, and we're also changing the roof. You know, after being opened for a year, you start realizing mistake like flow is really important and little things that you can never know until people start using the spaces. And I think, you know, one of the mistakes other operators and owners make is like they build it and if it's not perfect, like Okay, it didn't work out, I'm like, no, no, tear it out, redo it until it's perfect.
00:33:14
Speaker 1: Well, I'm so curious to see what you're going to do. I mean, I really can't think of any notes I have for your jobs. I think they're they're spectacular. And I remember when Santa Monica opened, I was part of the crew in the first couple of weeks that would go and eat a free meal and fill out a report card and give feedback. But I never had any feedback.
00:33:34
Speaker 2: It was I mean, wow, I really I think it's you're too generous. I feel like I'm not. In the beginning, Pantamonica had some issues.
00:33:44
Speaker 1: No, well, I think every every members club, or every restaurant or every hotel has kinks that they need to work out in the beginning. And that's just that's the that happens everywhere. That's not you know, anate to to your club.
00:33:59
Speaker 2: So thank you for understanding that. But of course, honestly, a lot of people expect things to just be perfect, and it's hard.
00:34:07
Speaker 1: No, no, no, no, you have to know. But I'm curious, Jeff, So, before you started building out Santacente and obviously Sunset Tower, what were you doing and what inspired you to go down this path in hospitality.
00:34:23
Speaker 2: I always knew this was what I wanted to do with my life. I never knew I was going to own stuff. I started as a bellman. I graduated from college, I had to get a job. I became a bellman. I worked for this guy, Bernard Goldberg, who became my mentor, ended up teaching me everything I really know. He's the one who wouldn't let us open our own restaurants in his hotels, and he was one of the pioneers of the boutique hotel industry. There was really him, Ian Schrager and this guy Bill Kimpton out of northern California. No one else was doing small boutique hotels. And I worked my way up from bellman and I became a front desk manager and the housekeeping manager, and then I was in sales and marketing, and then I became a general manager. And then I you know, kind of was like mister Goldberg's like right hand, I would say, And he sold his company and me and my other boss who was like his CEO, and this other guy, we opened up our own hotel in two thousand and one in New York City on forty fourth Street, and that was the first hotel that I ever owned. Again. We leased out the restaurant and then I bought the Sense of Tower in two thousand and four. They couldn't give it away. They kept on lowering the price. Nobody wanted it, nobody had a vision for it. They at the time, it was all about being trendy in hotels, like the mandri On was the coolest hotel on earth, which was so funny now because Mandrion like can't like Hilton just took it over purely, and so you know, they said. Everybody was like, you got to paint it white and put a DJ in the lobby. And I was like, no, no, no, this is going to be like this old It's going to be like a West Coast version of the Carlisle bit younger, and you know, and they're like, that's so dumb. No one in la is sophisticated. And I mean, but I was. I'm glad that I stuck with my vision because it really did work. And then I bought the Samacente, and that was also something that nobody wanted. You know, I have to kind of find these spaces that nobody wants because I can't, you know, when you're looking at hotels unless they're really distressed. And usually when they're stressed, it's for a reason. You're competing with like Katari shakes and stuff. And you know, there's a lot of trophy buyers in my world. So I can't compete with them because it's really hard. I need to make money. I mean, I have investors to pay, I have employees to pay, you know, bank loans today, and so I need to find value where no one else can find it. And so part of that is seeing what no one else can see. So when I bought the Sanma Sente West Hollywood, it was a gay bath house. Trust me, there was not one cute guy. If there were, I probably would have just kept it what it was. It was like it was. It was really grim. It was really like a drug place, really grim.
00:37:29
Speaker 1: Yeah good, I'm sorry.
00:37:36
Speaker 2: And there was no trees or green or flowers. It was just like a concrete courtyard and all those bungalows which were really dilapidated, and so I brought all those trees in there, most of them are over one hundred years old, planted all those flowers everything, so I, you know, I had you have to have a vision. The same with Santa Monica. You know, Monica was a law office before.
00:38:02
Speaker 1: I was trying to remember what was there before and I couldn't.
00:38:06
Speaker 2: I mean nothing, it was a law office. It was you know, it was like really weird, cheap kind of like those what are those It's like a wall that doesn't go to the ceiling, but you have like like so you can fit like thousands of people, you know. Yep. But it had a gorgeous view of the ocean, which is ironically so rare in La so weird that we live on the Pacific Ocean and yet there's no real experiences, hospitality experiences on the ocean.
00:38:36
Speaker 1: The only time I look at the ocean and enjoy the ocean in La is if I'm having dinner at SCB.
00:38:44
Speaker 2: I love it. And the same with New York. You know, New York. I bought it during COVID. The owner, especially during COVID, was like I don't hear. You know, they owned lots of hotels, Sean McPherson, Richard Bourne, and Rucker, and they were like, we don't know what to do with this one because it's shared bathrooms and COVID no one wants to share bathroom and such tight quarters. And I was like, I'll take it, and I mean, it's a great location, is a great building, and it's historically protected architecturally, which I love. If you look at all my projects, they tend to have that Santa Monica doesn't because it's you know, it's just Santa Monica is such a new city, But the rest of them do have historic protections, which I love, and so I have to really find these kind of like jewels and understand how to polish them to make them shiny and amazing.
00:39:45
Speaker 1: Well, it's been doing a fantastic job. And I think having started off your career as a bellman and then working even in the housekeeping department and shadowing this huge hotelia at the time, you really did see every sector of the business and you spent time with people at all levels, and that is why you are so good at your job.
00:40:07
Speaker 2: Thank you, Oh my god, you and my mom are the only ones. I really feel that so strongly, but thank you. No.
00:40:14
Speaker 1: I think everyone across all industries, you have to start at the bottom. I think if you want to work in a people facing business, you have to go start at the bottom. Be a bellman, Go work in a restaurant, Go work in a hotel, Go babysit, go learn people, and go learn hard work. And that's those are the only areas you're going to really learn it in.
00:40:33
Speaker 2: And also it's important to see what doesn't work. It's like that's almost as important as what's seeing what does work so that you can learn to avoid those mistakes. And of course we still make mistakes because there's always new stuff to screw up, but I think it's really important, So I agree it's crucial.
00:40:51
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I want to ask, so, what are some green flags for employees versus red flags for employees? If you are hiring someone to come work with you.
00:41:04
Speaker 2: That's really hard green flags versus red flags. I mean, the employee thing is really tough, and it's only gotten tougher. The biggest green flag for me is emotional intelligent intelligence. You know, you can teach technical skills, but it's much harder to teach instinct and warmth, self awareness, how to read a room. Great hospitality people notice things before they're told, and they anticipate needs, and they stay calm under pressure and genuinely care about the guest experience without making it feel performative, which is why Gabby is so successful in this industry. I also love people who are naturally curious and observant. Hospitality is really about paying attention. And you know, the biggest red flags are entitlement. I mean that's a huge one, something that we deal with a lot today.
00:42:03
Speaker 1: And that can be true for an employee or a member, a member feeling really entitled.
00:42:07
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, anybody. Yeah. Absolutely, defensiveness ego, you know, gossip about their last job when you're interviewing somebody is always a red flag. People who blame everyone else for other things, you know, as a good red flag. I am a big kind of accountability person. I don't think there's anything wrong with making a mistakes, but I'd like to own them. Another red flag is when you know someone treats certain people better than others, Like we were talking about with assistance based on status. I think that's kind of not a good sign of someone, you know, but real hospitality should feel gracious and consistent with everyone.
00:42:50
Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree, and I think that also can be true across the board. You know, I think when anyone is interviewing someone on their team, they of course want them to feel like they want to be there. There's no ego. They aren't gossiping about who just is, who's just left the restaurant, who's coming in tonight because a celebrity. You know, that's obviously very important. Yeah, it's I think it's universal. What about for members? So when someone is applying to be a member, I guess who is the ideal member candidate?
00:43:25
Speaker 2: To you? I mean that's tough, because you know, we want such diversity with the memberships. I mean it's not it's definitely not necessarily the richest or the most famous or the most powerful person room. It's it's really again, it's someone who contributes positively to the energy. You know, I think we look for interesting people, curious, respectful, socially aware people who understand how to exist in a shared environment. I think, you know, I think kindness and emotional intent, emotional like intention and intelligence really matter a lot for a member application. The You know, it's nice to you have to be nominated by an existing member. So usually we do get to meet a lot of the members who are applying, and the membership team will write notes about the people they meet, so like, if they're gracious to staff, that says a lot, or if they're rude to staff, that says a lot. We don't want people there that are route to our team, you know.
00:44:37
Speaker 1: Biggest red flag. Oh my gosh, biggest red flag in the entire world. I think that's yeah, that's a big no no for me.
00:44:45
Speaker 2: But I mean, I think a great club should really feel like a living ecosystem, you know, not a monoculture. So it's like, we really want a mix of people, different industries, different ages, different perspectives.
00:44:58
Speaker 1: So okay, So and now I definitely understand the membership process better. And I really think that you and all of your employees do such a good job at making everyone feel welcome and curating a room full of people who are complete strangers. But somehow you just make it work. I mean, I remember I was at the West Village location last summer working and it was before or maybe it was last prying. It was pre tap room being turned into the tap room. When it was still a co working space, and I was sitting at a table right next to this guy Angelo, Justanto, who I'm sure you know, and he overheard me talking about my job and then he slithered over and said, I think we could work together. I'm a travel agent and now I send him a ton of clients. He's my own personal travel agent. We are friends all because of your club.
00:45:50
Speaker 2: Yes, I love that.
00:45:52
Speaker 1: It was a very lovely meet cute story about samasonte West Village.
00:45:57
Speaker 2: So that's great.
00:45:58
Speaker 1: I have you to thank for Angelo.
00:46:00
Speaker 2: He's wonderful. He is really great.
00:46:02
Speaker 1: Yes, but no, I think you guys are crushing it and I feel very privileged to be a member and keep doing exactly what you're doing.
00:46:10
Speaker 2: Thank you, Thank you.
00:46:12
Speaker 1: Of course, what do you think sets your clubs apart from the rest? So I mean I'm biased again, so I love them all, But what do you think it is personally that sets it apart from the rest of the clubs out there? Because there's so many membership clubs now in New York and Los Angeles.
00:46:30
Speaker 2: I think, you know, we just we don't want to be the biggest or the hottest club company. When I say biggest, like most clubs. We want to be the best and in select cities, and this means growing carefully, and so I'm very We're very careful. We know who our customer is, and we only want to open in places that they're going to be and we only want to deliver a product that they're going to really appreciate. And when I say product, I mean like the physical space. It's the location, the design, the menu, the level of service. To me, I always love saying this. I'm obsessed with ames. There's a really a really good podcast on amez if you ever want to listen to it, but they air mez is like this inspiration to me because they really protect quality and scarcity instead of casing scale and hotness. And I like to say to my team members all the time, I'm always like, we do the same thing with our membership and expansion, and this creates a very different business. It's more permanent and a more discerning members, a more discerning you know, base of members, higher retention, and a lot of clubs you know, are really about access or volume or status signaling. For me, the real luxury is privacy and trust and inacy and curation. And you know, we're just really careful about all these things, and I think that's probably what separates us most importantly. We protect the culture aggressively, and that's why the clubs feel different.
00:48:13
Speaker 1: Absolutely, And Gabby's monthly newsletter reminds everyone that if you step out of line, you're out of here.
00:48:20
Speaker 2: The rules are important. She loves following rules.
00:48:23
Speaker 1: I mean, I think that's also what sets it apart. Right, You guys actually care to the extent of, Hey, we take this really seriously. And if you come to my club and you take a photo of another guest dining, or misbehave or do something that's really disrespectful, you're out of here. And a lot of clubs, I think don't take it as seriously, and I really respect the fact that you do.
00:48:43
Speaker 2: I agree, I absolutely agree with that. And you know, privacy is part of what sets us apart. And so if we're not enforcing it, like, how could it work for the brand? So it's important to enforce and you know, but the rules are important just in general. I mean, you know, it's not just about taking photos or leaving your guests unattended. That's another big no no. And you know, every morning we get these reports and it's like if people violate some of these rules, some of them are just warnings. It depends what the rule is. I mean, if you know, somebody answered their phone at the table and then walked outside to take the call, we're not going to like suspend them, but we would send a warning, you know, just want to remind you. But if somebody took a video of or a photo at the table, we will absolutely supend them. We don't care who they are. They can be, you know, the most famous person in the world, but they still have to follow the rules.
00:49:42
Speaker 1: Everyone asked all the rules. Yeah, besides Dimitri and Gabby, do you have an assistant who helps you stay organized so you can organized for everyone else and be.
00:49:54
Speaker 2: Jeff Klein, Well, I do have an assistant, and I probably couldn't find and we're without her at this point. You know, she's What makes a great assistant isn't just organization. It's like judgment and discretion and calmness under pressure, and she's really great at that. I also have a CEO of this guy, Jess Wilner, who's wonderful and he's really great for me. We make a great team. I would say, I think one of the most important things as a founder is recognizing what you're good at and what you're not good at. And I'm very creative and instinctive and obsessive about experience, culture, design, atmosphere, all these things and the emotional side of hospitality. But to build something real and lasting, you also need operational rigor and systems and structure and execution. And Jess, I really love working with him. We really are a wonderful team, and I think the healthiest partnerships are, you know, when there's mutual respect and complementary strength, and we have that. Hospitality at this level, it's just incredibly complex behind the scenes, and so having a strong leadership around operations, communication and execution is critical. And so I'm really lucky to have him. I really really am fantastic. Yeah, I mean I feel really lucky with like almost every ninety seven percent of everybody that I work with. I'm really really lucky.
00:51:42
Speaker 1: It's absolutely still.
00:51:43
Speaker 2: I would be lying ifout it was like everybody's perfect, because they're not, but ninety But you know, I always say, like sometimes people are like, god, you know, this is tough, and I'm like, yeah, Harvard's tough, but it's one of the best schools. You know, if you want to work here, like, it's not going to be like a walk in the park where we if you know, somebody has to wait too long for their drink, We're going to get upset. Like that's not okay, that's not who we are as a company. And you know, if if something isn't right, if a sofa has a stain on it, like that's somebody's responsibility and it's important.
00:52:20
Speaker 1: Yeah, you really do care so much. I mean from the couch stain to the drink time, to knowing people's faces and saying hello and writing notes. I'm very impressed chefs line thank you. So what advice would you give someone who is, let's say, in their twenties figuring out their life, maybe wants to grow up and become a Jeff client, own a restaurant group, or own a hotel group one day, or a members club.
00:52:46
Speaker 2: I'd say, develop real taste and real conviction, and don't just chase trends or copy other people and what's working today, because everything that's working today, I promise you will not be working tomorrow. And you know, the people who build lasting brands usually have a very clear point of view and the patience to stick with it, and details matter more than you think, and tiny things compound, and the way you answer emails, how you treat staff, how consistent you are, whether people you know trust your standards. All that becomes your reputation over time. And you know, these are very important things. And finally, I would say, don't confuse attention with success. A lot of things become popular very quickly and disappear just as fast, and longevity is much harder and much more valuable. And you know, we're not trying to be the biggest, We're just trying to be the best. And a lot of clubs, you know, can't say that we're obsessive about atmosphere, every detail, lighting, all this stuff. But most importantly, we protect, you know, the culture. And I that's my advice to someone coming in this business. You know, protect the culture aggressively. And that's why the clubs feel different.
00:54:10
Speaker 1: I think that's so important. I mean, you guys really do such a good job at starting with the people and making sure that everyone has the same cares about the same things, and is aligned. And you crate amazing rooms. And I do think that your clubs will be around forever. I think SUV is gonna be is going to be the last one standing. Honestly, I think it is fantastic. It is my favorite. If anyone listening is curious about joining, couldn't recommend more. Seriously, it is my own way from home.
00:54:42
Speaker 2: I love that. I love that. Thank you. It really means a lot to me. It's like music. Man, I can't tell you, I never can get sick of hearing Matt No.
00:54:49
Speaker 1: I actually think I'm a Sanpa Sine poster child because I use it for everything, my meetings, my work, dinners and friends and family. It's whenever someone comes into town, whether that's New York or LA, always bring them there. And the SUV role is my favorite thing in the.
00:55:07
Speaker 2: World, in the world, and you're using it exactly how it was created to use. I mean, it's really supposed to be a second home. And that makes me so happy.
00:55:17
Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean, I don't have an office, so to be able to go there as as a young entrepreneur, to go to your club and to feel, oh my gosh, I have the most luxurious office in the world.
00:55:30
Speaker 2: That's great. That's great. Yeah, that's great.
00:55:33
Speaker 1: So thank you, thank you.
00:55:35
Speaker 2: I'm so much I'll see you in Santa Monica tonight.
00:55:37
Speaker 1: Yes you will. Well, thank you so much, Jeff Klin. I feel it is a total privilege, and I just think the world of you and what you've built.
00:55:47
Speaker 2: Is incredible and it's very reciprocal. I'm very at everything that you've created and built and your podcast is wonderful and really honored to be hon it.
00:55:56
Speaker 1: So thank you, thank you. All right, Well, I'll see you later.
00:55:59
Speaker 2: Thanks you alright, dok soon Bye.
Speaker 1: Hello, everyone, Welcome back to another episode of Clyde Confidential. It is Friday afternoon in Los Angeles, and I have hotelier Jeff Klein joining me this afternoon, and I feel so lucky that he's on.
00:00:12
Speaker 2: Thank you, Megan. I feel likely to be here.
00:00:14
Speaker 1: I'm so excited to chat. I feel like this chat is actually very long overdue. We've never really sat down. But I'm a member of one of your clubs for a couple of years now, actually, so I'm excited to learn about it.
00:00:28
Speaker 2: Thank you. Yes, excited to reveal myself.
00:00:32
Speaker 1: Yes, where are you right now? Jeff? I must ask.
00:00:35
Speaker 2: I'm in my chef's office in Santa Monica because I've had this crazy day and I wasn't able to make it back to my own office. So you see clipboards with orders of food expected and some chef uniforms on the other side. So and there's a big sign do not do not bother me jefly Well, I'm.
00:01:00
Speaker 1: Home and hopefully my dogs aren't too disruptive, but there in the background, so you'll you'll see both of them. I'm actually coming to your Santamonica location for dinner tonight, so maybe, yeah, maybe, we'll catch each other.
00:01:14
Speaker 2: I love that. Yes, yeah, cool.
00:01:17
Speaker 1: I mean literally there every weekend, so it is. It is the best. But okay, so you have a bunch of properties across the world. Let's go through them all for people who don't know who you are and you know what you're all about. So in La you have sense a Tower.
00:01:35
Speaker 2: I have the Sense of Tower. I also have Hotel eight fifty and uh Sanma Sente Bungalows in West Hollywood, Santa Sente, Santa Monica, and then in New York, I have Sana Cente West Village, and uh that's pretty much it. I mean, when I bought a building in New York, there were all these youth hostel rooms in that building that we still have. So I don't know if you noticed you've been to New York, right.
00:02:10
Speaker 1: Yes, I live between LA and New York. So I'm also a member of the West Village.
00:02:15
Speaker 2: So I don't know if you've ever seen the euro Hostel. It's called the West Village euro Hostel. It's a separate entrance. It's actually in the building. So when I bought the entire Jane Hotel, there were all these like permanent tenants and small rooms which shared bathrooms that we created like a separate entrance and separate elevator for and then we have the club on the other side. So it's almost like we put a wall through the center of the building and created two separate businesses. So I also have that youth hostel.
00:02:50
Speaker 1: Yes, how long had that been up and running? I'm sure there's a legal thing that you were walking through that when you were when you were building the West Village property. How did you do that?
00:03:00
Speaker 2: Well? So the building was I should really know. This was built in I think nineteen oh eight. It was created as a maritime hotel for sailors. In fact, when the Titanic, they brought a lot of the survivors of the Titanic to stay there. So it's a really interesting building. When I bought it, there was like all these hotel rooms scattered all over the building, and a lot of them had shared bathroom. All of them actually have shared bathrooms, and there's tiny rooms, which because they were really for sailors and there all are some people that live in those apartments on one floor. So I couldn't change it, is why I had to keep it the same. But then I took back all the space I could and turned it into club space. So if you had been to the Jain Hotel before I bought it, people are like, where's all this space? Well, it's former rooms that I took out of service and added to club space, like you know, I don't know, like the billiards room, for example, and that whole there's another dining room on the fifth four. We call it the tap room. That those were all hotel rooms when I bought it. And there's a kitchen on the fifth four which services the tap room and also the roof above it, because the roof is on the sixth floor.
00:04:24
Speaker 1: So you've done I mean, you've done such an incredible job at that place. When I was in my twenties, I used to go to the Jane Hotel and dance on the couches in the living room and stay out too late with all my friends. So it's nice to be back and feel a little bit more sophisticated in my thirties. But I love still walking up the stairs to go to SCB now and it feels like, you know, if I close my eyes, I'm almost going back to the Jain with my friends. It's the same exact stairwells.
00:04:53
Speaker 2: So funny.
00:04:55
Speaker 1: But yeah, I'm now sitting in that same living room having like a work dinner.
00:05:00
Speaker 2: It's just, you know, it's great. I love that one. Yeah, the woman who designed it rose in the I think she did such a fantastic job.
00:05:08
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, it's stunning. It's the best.
00:05:10
Speaker 2: Thank you, thank you.
00:05:12
Speaker 1: You really did such a good job.
00:05:14
Speaker 2: Thank you. I mean, I love all my children, the all the clubs. I'm in Santa Monica right now. It's like every time I walk in here, I have to pinch myself because it's like I feel like I'm on like the Italian coast every time I come here. I don't know if you can get that vibe, yes, but it's like I just think I'm on like the ca It's so lovely. I mean, right now i'm in the chef's office, it's not that lovely. But when I'm actually chef office, and as far as chef's office goes, it is actually really nice.
00:05:45
Speaker 1: Okay, So with all of your properties and clubs, do have a favorite one out of all of them?
00:05:53
Speaker 2: Well, I'm oh my gosh, God, he's gonna kill me. I'm really not allowed to have a favorite but I they're they're also different, which is like kind of part of my business model that they're all very unique to the space itself and to the location itself. But again I would say Santa Monica just does this thing to me. But I mean all of them have a massive effect on me. I mean, obviously they have to, like I created them all, but there is something about Santa Monica that I just find like really really kind of crazy special. I mean there, but New York does too, and West Hollywood man.
00:06:34
Speaker 1: That you know.
00:06:35
Speaker 2: I was at Lengthwood today and it's like remembering when I bought that place, and O G yes so and the sense of tower. I mean, I love them all, but I would have to say, if by like a centimeter, probably Santa Monica is.
00:06:53
Speaker 1: However, answer that, Okay, I wasn't expecting that, But I was expecting you to say Sunset Tower or or Weho because those ones are sort of staples.
00:07:02
Speaker 2: But those are definitely the ogs and fairness to both of them. You know, It's kind of like you get like the more you're with someone, the less you're like into them. I mean, I've been with my husband twenty two years and I still worship the groundy wox on, but like you know what I mean, it's like it we're like. So maybe that's part of it. Because, like some tower, I've now owned it for twenty two years, so it's kind of crazy. You look like you're like only twenty two years old. So maybe I bought it when you were born.
00:07:33
Speaker 1: Thank you.
00:07:33
Speaker 2: I'm not.
00:07:34
Speaker 1: I just am a very good dermatologist.
00:07:36
Speaker 2: I'm going to take that and run with it.
00:07:40
Speaker 1: So nice. Wow, Okay, Jeff Kine thinks I'm twenty two. Cool? Well, Jeff, you and I don't do very dissimilar things. I think you and I are actually quite similar in our line of work because what I do is I curate a community as well, but on teams and I match make people to be sort of business partners. And you also curate a community in your membership clubs, and you're at the same time interviewing people and getting to know their personalities and seeing, okay with this person, mesh, well at this club is this a fit for me? So I'm curious what your process is like when you are a trying to build that membership community and build your staff. What do you look for in each of those things?
00:08:33
Speaker 2: Well, it's really hard. I mean people think curating a club is about, you know, picking famous people are powerful people, but it's really actually more nuanced than that, and you're really curating energy, behavior and chemistry. We try to build a community with a balance of like ages, industries, personalities, and points of view. The goal is not saneness, it's interesting overlap. So you want people who are curious and engaged and respectful of the environment, and who contribute something intangible to the atmosphere. A great club should feel socially effortless, and it's hard to do. I mean, you know, people should feel comfortable having conversations with strangers and staying longer, and honestly, the hardest thing to do is to curate the culture. But what I you know to that point that that, you know, having everything from all walks of life is really as important as possible. I always say the greatest party is a wedding because it's three generations and it's like all sorts of people from all different industries, and I mean a good wedding. That can be a bad wedding, but usually those are the most fun parties, and that's what we're really trying to curate. The greatest dinner party every single day and night, you know. So I think that's what it is, and it's not me. Everybody's like, oh you you pick this. I'm like, I don't pick anything. There's a committee, there's an actual process. People go through the applications, which is really fun and really interesting.
00:10:14
Speaker 1: What is the interview process? Like, so I know that everyone does still out an application and then it gets taken up to the committee, and I guess there's a deliberation, but has it ever what's the voting process? Like I guess, and does it then get taken up A change to you or do you trust your committee enough to make those decisions on your behalf?
00:10:33
Speaker 2: I trust, I really trust my committee, and so in the beginning it did. I would try to get involved and be like, oh I know this person, and I no longer do that, and it's a little awkward, like sometimes actually a friend friends of mine have not gotten into the club, or even people I don't like do get into it. But I really don't put my thumb on the scale with the committee because they're doing a lot of work and I trust them, and so I want the processes it's really working well or doing a good job and I always say, like, you know, maybe there's two percent that they get wrong, but it's still in a plus, and ninety eight is still an A plus. So I think they're doing the night plus.
00:11:12
Speaker 1: I think they do an excellent job, and I think that in the in the era of members clubs in Los Angeles and New York, I not only because I'm biased, but I do think that Samasinde does the most amazing job at curating people. And I love being able to go for dinner on the weekend and always get a table and walk in and know all the staff and not feel like I'm the oldest person at the restaurant or at the bar, because I think of that as I get older and I go back to New York, there's a lot of places that I've actually aged out of. Going to your clubs doesn't make me feel that way, because I think that, unlike some other places, you guys are really thoughtful about not letting younger too many younger folks in and making sure that like there's different tiers of memos. That's right.
00:12:01
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're very purposeful about it, and you're absolutely right, And thank you for saying that, because I think it is important that everybody feels welcome, and that makes and that means I'm doing my job correctly and everybody, you know, so thank you.
00:12:16
Speaker 1: Yeah you are. And how do you select your membership team?
00:12:20
Speaker 2: Well, so there's a membership team that works for me, and then there's a committee that's really like your peers, and they remain anonymous, and we basically, once again, really try to pick people that represent all the people we want. So perhaps it's one woman who's in the music industry and one guy who's more business like, and you know, another person who's I don't know, you know, I mean in fashion, and you know, I mean Gabby, who's the head of membership, who is really brilliant and incredible, was a magazine editor. And I wish I could say I was smart enough to have like foreseen that she was going to be so brilliant at this, because of course now I'm like, oh yeah, of course, Like she was a magazine editor. She edited magazines. That's basically what she's doing here in private clubs, of course, you know, But I was just lucky. I just kind of was very drawn to her as a person and as a mind and her energy and I just knew she would do really well, and she has exceeded my expectations.
00:13:33
Speaker 1: I mean, she is the most fabulous person on the planet. And I tried to get her to come on this podcast and she's terrified, but maybe after.
00:13:40
Speaker 2: She listens, Yeah, well we could have done it together. That would have been really fun. Have you ever seen that together? We're like an old married couple, like you love it. No one can say to me like it's like hilarious.
00:13:53
Speaker 1: I mean, you could not ask for a better right arm she is. I mean I've known Gabby for years because I met her when she was at Sunset Tower, and when I was working as an assistant, I would always call an email to get my old Boston reservations and Gabby and your team above and beyond all of the time. And then one day I remember emailing and someone wrote back and said, oh, she's actually not here anymore. She's at Sambacinay West Hollywood. So and that is how I got into Samba Cinta West Hollywood. Yes, Gabby remembered me from my assistant days, and I think I've been a member now for four years. But it's the best. I mean, it's down the street from my house. I work out of there with my team. I take every single meeting in that poolhouse, and it's that one actually is my favorite, I think, though I.
00:14:44
Speaker 2: Know I was going to amend a and say, actually maybe we but it's so hard. It depends.
00:14:49
Speaker 1: It's so hard. I think during the week I'm a weeho girl, and I'm there Monday to Friday, and then on the weekend, since I'm the only person out of my friend group who lives in West Hollywood, I go to Monica.
00:15:01
Speaker 2: That's smart, that's good. That's actually a good way to do it too, because it delineates between work and you know weekend.
00:15:07
Speaker 1: Yes, exactly the separation. But back to Gabby. So Gabby was at all of your properties pretty much, so she was at a sense of tower. How did you find her originally?
00:15:21
Speaker 2: So, I mean i've been actually was you know, I did something that you really should never do. With one footnote, I would say I hired a friend. But when I met her it was twenty two years ago. She was the editor of w magazine and I just bought the hotel, and I really wanted her to work for me there and or with me there, I should say, and she I tried really really hard, and actually she said yes at one point and then she won like an award for best magazine edit. At her there was like some awards thing they did, and she's like, I just can't, you know, and she retracted her acceptance and then we I was kind of angry at her for a year or two after that, and then we just became friendly. And then as that world changed and it was much harder to work in that world, she was looking she didn't know what her next chapter was going to be. And I said, you know, we originally met fifteen years ago because I really wanted to work with you. That still stands, what you know, And she said, well, i'd love to. I've always been obsessed with hospitality. And I said to her what I say to everybody, which is, unfortunately you have to start like at the bottom. Like there's there's no way in hospitality to just kind of like come in and be start as like an owner or something. So she worked under Dmitri for like two years and she yeah, when you interview her, and hopefully you do, I'm going to try to convince her. She says it was the hardest of her life. She said, because Dmitri I mean, we love Dmitri and I think he's very exacting. I mean very yeah. So she you know, it was tough for her and she but she figured it out and she does a great job.
00:17:20
Speaker 1: So Demitri is actually your longest standing employee.
00:17:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, there's there's some others that have been there just because Demeter is there when we open. There's a couple of them, like Max in the server in the Tower Bar also was there at the opening, So there's a housekeeper. There's a couple. I think there's like four or five that have been which is very rare in my industry, quite frankly, especially now.
00:17:48
Speaker 1: Mine and mine.
00:17:51
Speaker 2: But yeah, I'm very proud of it. And you know, I think we I think I'm proud of the cultures that we create. It's an important part of the recipe, I would say.
00:18:03
Speaker 1: I think so. And I mean to go to the Tower Bar for a meal and to walk in and Tomitri is the first person that I see and he, you know, gives me the double kiss, walks me to my table. We chat for a second. That familiarity is it's unbelievable. And he has I think he's actually like the face of Sunset Tower, which you can't. You can't pick a better person he is.
00:18:26
Speaker 2: I know, I completely agree. And you know, for a while he and Gabby were flip flopped. Dmitri was at sam Macine and Gabby was it time?
00:18:34
Speaker 1: Yes, I remember, and then he.
00:18:36
Speaker 2: Went back yeah. And then he went back.
00:18:39
Speaker 1: Yes, and he didn't he come over to the New York Club to train some folks.
00:18:43
Speaker 2: He still does. Yeah, I mean, Dmitri is such a he's like a legend. I mean he's still He was just in New York like two months ago for like a refresh and he was there at the opening, and he'll probably be back, you know, in a few months as well.
00:19:00
Speaker 1: I mean to up, he's the best. How did you find him?
00:19:04
Speaker 2: Oh gosh, so Dimitri. So here's what happened when I opened up the Tower Bar. I did like a friends and family night where they came. You basically invite friends to like as guinea pigs, and you're like, we're going to screw up on you. It's free. Can you please just come? And both Mix Glazer the producer and Tom Ford were at I invited them both and they were together that night and Tom called me over. This is like a terrible story. I probably cann't say it. But Tom called me over. At the time, you could say things like this, let's just say Mix and Tom are the same table. And Tom was like, he called me over and he said, I love this place. It's the only restaurant I go to in La But if you if if I sit next to an ugly person again, I'm not coming back. This is like days of Devilwar's Product one. Not too This is you know, savage, and it was savage, and Mitch was like, you should hire Dmitri. He he'll help you with this, curate this or something. And I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, what does that even mean? I am I an ugly person? I mean, I'm like, you know, like doesn't mean ugly on the inside, doesn't mean I know. I was like very like, you know, and they're like, you need to understand how to see the room. He was totally right, because at the time, believe it or not, the Tower Bar is the very first restaurant I ever owned. My boss, who taught me everything I know in the hotel business, never let us open restaurants in his hotels because he hated the restaurant business so much. He would make us lease out the restaurants. I can get to that later. But anyway, so I had like hostesses and they were just seating everybody anywhere. So they'd see Tom Ford and somebody or mc glaser next to somebody, and mix Clazer would be like, well, why is you know, al Pacinos sitting on the other side of the room. You should be sitting next to me, I know, you know, And that's really part of the art of seating in a restaurant like that. And so we weren't doing that the first two or three weeks until he got Dmitri and then he understood how to really see the room.
00:21:22
Speaker 1: And what do you think it was about Dmitri that he was able to sort of be your guide to design the room. What struck you about Dmitri and what kind of skills were crucial for Dmitri to have in order to execute.
00:21:39
Speaker 2: I mean, it's interesting because Dmitri, so when they introduced me to Dmitri, he really was like a relic of the past, like nobody wanted to hire him. He represents it's so hard to believe now. I mean, it's kind of like the Sunset Tower itself. Nobody wanted to buy it. They were like, oh that place, like what is it? And you know, everybody thought like having a major d was just not cool. And I really was focused on making the whole experience of the Sunse Tower feel like an old Hollywood kind of you know, canteen, and I knew that.
00:22:20
Speaker 1: That's exactly what it is. By the way, that is that is the whole feeling when you walk in there, you put on a fancy outfit, you're if you're going to eat at the Sunset Tower versus San Facente, Santa Monica. It is a different wardrobe.
00:22:31
Speaker 2: Totally, totally, and it's very glamorous and very like old Hollywood and very you know, you just feel like, you know, Greta Garbo may step out from behind the curtain and sit down.
00:22:46
Speaker 1: There's always someone fabulous eating there. I must say, it's true.
00:22:51
Speaker 2: It is true. And I knew that his act would work. And I also knew that he understood especially coming from Tom Ford and make Glazer. You know, I knew he would understand stand Hollywood, which is very different today. But the great thing about Dimitri and Gabby too, they both are constantly educating themselves on who the players are, who you know, you said you were an assistant. A lot of people in my industry don't realize how important assistants really are and take care of them, because, like I will tell you, like I know so many assistants today that you know that today are like running companies and they were ten fifteen years ago. You know, Brian Lord's assistant or Kevin Vaine's assistant, or you know now both Brian and Kevin's assistance are like major players at CIA, and you know, right, and so it's really important to actually take care of the assistance and not piss them off, because they do, especially the good ones like you, they becut not everybody remains an assistant forever, and a lot of places forget that.
00:24:01
Speaker 1: I think, I think, I do think you are probably one of the rare individuals who really understands that. I mean, everyone I grew up with as an assistant a couple of years ago, they all now have these big boy jobs and big girl jobs, and they will be the ones running the studios and really the people in your restaurant for the next couple of years, bringing in their clients and making the calls and the shops. So I think it's you always have to be kind to.
00:24:26
Speaker 2: Assistant totally, totally, totally I agree one percent. Yeah, and you know it also, it's also human decency, like even if they didn't become important, it's just nice to be nice to be.
00:24:43
Speaker 1: I mean, I think, of course, yeah that I.
00:24:47
Speaker 2: Mean, I hate to sound like such a crystal wearing Maybe it's because I'm in Santa Monica. I'm really feeling the vibes. But it is true. Energy is reflected and mirrored, you know, so it is.
00:25:03
Speaker 1: Well, I'll tell you a story. I had a friend on this podcast, Jake Fleischmann, a couple months ago, and one of his core memories from being an assistant is when you upgraded his room at the Sunset Tower Hotel on one of his first trips to La and that stuck with him and he remembers that, and that is he will never forget how kind you were to do when he was not a manager yet and now he's a manager. And to your point, it doesn't matter if you know if they're going to be successful or not, but that human decency and the kindness and the fact that you were the owner of the hotel and you upgraded his room personally with a handwritten note. That's something that just sticks with people. It's so important.
00:25:49
Speaker 2: Well, I love that podcast, which I love all your podcasts, but I really loved that one. And I remember listening to that. I had such a big smile on my face when he said that, because again, it's just meant that I'm doing my job correctly or I let's say I'm not doing it badly, you know, because I do think it's important and I think being in a hands on owner goes a long way. There's just like Italian saying the garden of an owner grows better under the or a garden grows better under the shadow of an owner or something and I and you know really is referring to business as well or anything in life, like if you're if you own something, it's like you have that love and care that you give. And I write personal notes still to this day. Every morning I wake up, I go through all the arrivals since tower. Every single day I could be on vacation. I did it in South Africa over Christmas. I did it in Europe. I mean wherever I am. Every single day I go through the arrivals and it's the same with all three clubs. I'm looking at you know, who's coming in, who's you know I do after they get accepted, look at through the applications who's joining. I want to see. I want to know, you know, I want to introduce myself to people when they come into the club.
00:27:07
Speaker 1: I think it's so important and you actually or I can't actually name any other owners who do that. And whenever I'm at one of your clubs, I always seem to run into you. But you're also a face of the club. You're walking around, you're saying hi to people, you're shaking hands. You're so involved, and a lot of people would not be as involved or on location. I mean, you're literally taking this interview from the chef's office. You really care about what you've created, and you're still in it. A lot of people would just hang up the towel, thank you.
00:27:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, well I can't. I mean, I you know, my background is operations, so I can't let go of it. As a part of the gift and the curse, I would say.
00:27:49
Speaker 1: Yeah, what has been your favorite part about building these membership clubs and restaurants and hotels.
00:27:56
Speaker 2: That's such a great question. I mean I love that actual building of them, designing them, is really fun programming them, you know, finding them is really fun, staffing them, you know, really creating the whole vibe, the creative process of imagining how people are going to feel in a space before it even exists. To me, like magic, it's just worth a billion dollar. I'd rather that than if somebody said, here's a billion dollars, or you can create a club that or a hotel or a space that you know really speaks to you. I'd picked the club over the billion dollars. I love thinking about the psychology of the rooms, the lighting, the music, the flow, where people naturally gather, where conversations are going to happen, you know, where someone might unexpectedly meet a future husband or wife or boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever.
00:29:00
Speaker 1: I mean, I would love to be able to say that, so jury still out.
00:29:06
Speaker 2: And then once it opens, I love watching the behavior, you know, I mean, I'm obsessive about these details that shape these emotions. And then I love watching how it works once it's open and what people gravitate towards naturally. And you know, the clubs are always evolving, kind of like real life. And I don't know if you've noticed, like even in Santa Monica, for example. There's so many things that like were changed, constantly changing, and these are expensive changes. I mean New York I talked about that fifth for restaurant that was a co working space for the first two months.
00:29:42
Speaker 1: I remember I worked out of it many.
00:29:44
Speaker 2: Times and I was like, it's just not working. It's just not vibing, it's not feeling. It felt almost like it was separate. Like and I created this rest you know, this dining room that people just love and they can work out of it during the day. So it's not like I. And there's other spaces that can work out of. But most people, most operators would be like, I'm not going to now spend millions of more do I mean, by the way, in New York, I was like, already millions of dollars over budget. I'm probably not the smartest financial you know. I mean, I don't know, maybe I am in the end, because I do think it all pays.
00:30:21
Speaker 1: Off eventually, but it absolutely does.
00:30:24
Speaker 2: I really care so much about the experience that I'm willing to, you know, just go deeper into a hole, a financial hole, to make it perfect.
00:30:33
Speaker 1: I mean, I think the New York Club is spectacular, and I remember I was so impressed coming back after a couple months in LA and seeing that taproom just spring up. It was so I feel like you did that in five minutes. That was insane.
00:30:49
Speaker 2: Well, we did it over the summer, which is a slow period in New York City because everybody's like in the Hampton's and Nantucket and excuse me wherever eure ue. You know, they all kind of like fully the city. But because it does get awfully hot, it's not like LA, where like summer people stick around for.
00:31:05
Speaker 1: Somewhere, So people do stick around here.
00:31:07
Speaker 2: Yes, but I did it over the summer, and I had everything lined up, which was important. In fact, this summer, I have a couple of surprises in New York that you're going to be excited about when you come back in the fall.
00:31:20
Speaker 1: Yeah, very well, I'm actually probably the small percentage of LA folks who goes to New York for the summer.
00:31:26
Speaker 2: So I'll be back Santa Monica. I mean, like even like Sa Sana West, Sana, Coniti West Hollywood. Now I would say it's perfect, but I was constantly I am constantly tweaking little Actually that's not true. I might be changing one thing pretty significantly one room, but like the bar used to be a blue we would call it the Blue Bar. And then we got Grace Coddington to come and paint murals on the walls and completely change all the furniture in there because the Blue Bar just felt too cold. And I love that room in Sana. I love that room too. It's so magic.
00:32:00
Speaker 1: I always tell my friends, I say, if I ever make it in this life, I want a bar in my house with that exact hand painted wallpaper on it, and instead of the little cats will have my dogs. But that it reminds me of if the Carlisle had a baby with I don't know. Something is giving a lot of New York and I think, and I think as a New Yorker, going to have a drink at the Blue Bar makes me feel like I'm at home.
00:32:29
Speaker 2: So I love that, and that's exactly what we were going for, and it does, and then it works like next week you're going to see we're doing some stuff in Santa Monica. That's super cool. That's changing the dining room a little bit, and we're also changing the roof. You know, after being opened for a year, you start realizing mistake like flow is really important and little things that you can never know until people start using the spaces. And I think, you know, one of the mistakes other operators and owners make is like they build it and if it's not perfect, like Okay, it didn't work out, I'm like, no, no, tear it out, redo it until it's perfect.
00:33:14
Speaker 1: Well, I'm so curious to see what you're going to do. I mean, I really can't think of any notes I have for your jobs. I think they're they're spectacular. And I remember when Santa Monica opened, I was part of the crew in the first couple of weeks that would go and eat a free meal and fill out a report card and give feedback. But I never had any feedback.
00:33:34
Speaker 2: It was I mean, wow, I really I think it's you're too generous. I feel like I'm not. In the beginning, Pantamonica had some issues.
00:33:44
Speaker 1: No, well, I think every every members club, or every restaurant or every hotel has kinks that they need to work out in the beginning. And that's just that's the that happens everywhere. That's not you know, anate to to your club.
00:33:59
Speaker 2: So thank you for understanding that. But of course, honestly, a lot of people expect things to just be perfect, and it's hard.
00:34:07
Speaker 1: No, no, no, no, you have to know. But I'm curious, Jeff, So, before you started building out Santacente and obviously Sunset Tower, what were you doing and what inspired you to go down this path in hospitality.
00:34:23
Speaker 2: I always knew this was what I wanted to do with my life. I never knew I was going to own stuff. I started as a bellman. I graduated from college, I had to get a job. I became a bellman. I worked for this guy, Bernard Goldberg, who became my mentor, ended up teaching me everything I really know. He's the one who wouldn't let us open our own restaurants in his hotels, and he was one of the pioneers of the boutique hotel industry. There was really him, Ian Schrager and this guy Bill Kimpton out of northern California. No one else was doing small boutique hotels. And I worked my way up from bellman and I became a front desk manager and the housekeeping manager, and then I was in sales and marketing, and then I became a general manager. And then I you know, kind of was like mister Goldberg's like right hand, I would say, And he sold his company and me and my other boss who was like his CEO, and this other guy, we opened up our own hotel in two thousand and one in New York City on forty fourth Street, and that was the first hotel that I ever owned. Again. We leased out the restaurant and then I bought the Sense of Tower in two thousand and four. They couldn't give it away. They kept on lowering the price. Nobody wanted it, nobody had a vision for it. They at the time, it was all about being trendy in hotels, like the mandri On was the coolest hotel on earth, which was so funny now because Mandrion like can't like Hilton just took it over purely, and so you know, they said. Everybody was like, you got to paint it white and put a DJ in the lobby. And I was like, no, no, no, this is going to be like this old It's going to be like a West Coast version of the Carlisle bit younger, and you know, and they're like, that's so dumb. No one in la is sophisticated. And I mean, but I was. I'm glad that I stuck with my vision because it really did work. And then I bought the Samacente, and that was also something that nobody wanted. You know, I have to kind of find these spaces that nobody wants because I can't, you know, when you're looking at hotels unless they're really distressed. And usually when they're stressed, it's for a reason. You're competing with like Katari shakes and stuff. And you know, there's a lot of trophy buyers in my world. So I can't compete with them because it's really hard. I need to make money. I mean, I have investors to pay, I have employees to pay, you know, bank loans today, and so I need to find value where no one else can find it. And so part of that is seeing what no one else can see. So when I bought the Sanma Sente West Hollywood, it was a gay bath house. Trust me, there was not one cute guy. If there were, I probably would have just kept it what it was. It was like it was. It was really grim. It was really like a drug place, really grim.
00:37:29
Speaker 1: Yeah good, I'm sorry.
00:37:36
Speaker 2: And there was no trees or green or flowers. It was just like a concrete courtyard and all those bungalows which were really dilapidated, and so I brought all those trees in there, most of them are over one hundred years old, planted all those flowers everything, so I, you know, I had you have to have a vision. The same with Santa Monica. You know, Monica was a law office before.
00:38:02
Speaker 1: I was trying to remember what was there before and I couldn't.
00:38:06
Speaker 2: I mean nothing, it was a law office. It was you know, it was like really weird, cheap kind of like those what are those It's like a wall that doesn't go to the ceiling, but you have like like so you can fit like thousands of people, you know. Yep. But it had a gorgeous view of the ocean, which is ironically so rare in La so weird that we live on the Pacific Ocean and yet there's no real experiences, hospitality experiences on the ocean.
00:38:36
Speaker 1: The only time I look at the ocean and enjoy the ocean in La is if I'm having dinner at SCB.
00:38:44
Speaker 2: I love it. And the same with New York. You know, New York. I bought it during COVID. The owner, especially during COVID, was like I don't hear. You know, they owned lots of hotels, Sean McPherson, Richard Bourne, and Rucker, and they were like, we don't know what to do with this one because it's shared bathrooms and COVID no one wants to share bathroom and such tight quarters. And I was like, I'll take it, and I mean, it's a great location, is a great building, and it's historically protected architecturally, which I love. If you look at all my projects, they tend to have that Santa Monica doesn't because it's you know, it's just Santa Monica is such a new city, But the rest of them do have historic protections, which I love, and so I have to really find these kind of like jewels and understand how to polish them to make them shiny and amazing.
00:39:45
Speaker 1: Well, it's been doing a fantastic job. And I think having started off your career as a bellman and then working even in the housekeeping department and shadowing this huge hotelia at the time, you really did see every sector of the business and you spent time with people at all levels, and that is why you are so good at your job.
00:40:07
Speaker 2: Thank you, Oh my god, you and my mom are the only ones. I really feel that so strongly, but thank you. No.
00:40:14
Speaker 1: I think everyone across all industries, you have to start at the bottom. I think if you want to work in a people facing business, you have to go start at the bottom. Be a bellman, Go work in a restaurant, Go work in a hotel, Go babysit, go learn people, and go learn hard work. And that's those are the only areas you're going to really learn it in.
00:40:33
Speaker 2: And also it's important to see what doesn't work. It's like that's almost as important as what's seeing what does work so that you can learn to avoid those mistakes. And of course we still make mistakes because there's always new stuff to screw up, but I think it's really important, So I agree it's crucial.
00:40:51
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I want to ask, so, what are some green flags for employees versus red flags for employees? If you are hiring someone to come work with you.
00:41:04
Speaker 2: That's really hard green flags versus red flags. I mean, the employee thing is really tough, and it's only gotten tougher. The biggest green flag for me is emotional intelligent intelligence. You know, you can teach technical skills, but it's much harder to teach instinct and warmth, self awareness, how to read a room. Great hospitality people notice things before they're told, and they anticipate needs, and they stay calm under pressure and genuinely care about the guest experience without making it feel performative, which is why Gabby is so successful in this industry. I also love people who are naturally curious and observant. Hospitality is really about paying attention. And you know, the biggest red flags are entitlement. I mean that's a huge one, something that we deal with a lot today.
00:42:03
Speaker 1: And that can be true for an employee or a member, a member feeling really entitled.
00:42:07
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, anybody. Yeah. Absolutely, defensiveness ego, you know, gossip about their last job when you're interviewing somebody is always a red flag. People who blame everyone else for other things, you know, as a good red flag. I am a big kind of accountability person. I don't think there's anything wrong with making a mistakes, but I'd like to own them. Another red flag is when you know someone treats certain people better than others, Like we were talking about with assistance based on status. I think that's kind of not a good sign of someone, you know, but real hospitality should feel gracious and consistent with everyone.
00:42:50
Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree, and I think that also can be true across the board. You know, I think when anyone is interviewing someone on their team, they of course want them to feel like they want to be there. There's no ego. They aren't gossiping about who just is, who's just left the restaurant, who's coming in tonight because a celebrity. You know, that's obviously very important. Yeah, it's I think it's universal. What about for members? So when someone is applying to be a member, I guess who is the ideal member candidate?
00:43:25
Speaker 2: To you? I mean that's tough, because you know, we want such diversity with the memberships. I mean it's not it's definitely not necessarily the richest or the most famous or the most powerful person room. It's it's really again, it's someone who contributes positively to the energy. You know, I think we look for interesting people, curious, respectful, socially aware people who understand how to exist in a shared environment. I think, you know, I think kindness and emotional intent, emotional like intention and intelligence really matter a lot for a member application. The You know, it's nice to you have to be nominated by an existing member. So usually we do get to meet a lot of the members who are applying, and the membership team will write notes about the people they meet, so like, if they're gracious to staff, that says a lot, or if they're rude to staff, that says a lot. We don't want people there that are route to our team, you know.
00:44:37
Speaker 1: Biggest red flag. Oh my gosh, biggest red flag in the entire world. I think that's yeah, that's a big no no for me.
00:44:45
Speaker 2: But I mean, I think a great club should really feel like a living ecosystem, you know, not a monoculture. So it's like, we really want a mix of people, different industries, different ages, different perspectives.
00:44:58
Speaker 1: So okay, So and now I definitely understand the membership process better. And I really think that you and all of your employees do such a good job at making everyone feel welcome and curating a room full of people who are complete strangers. But somehow you just make it work. I mean, I remember I was at the West Village location last summer working and it was before or maybe it was last prying. It was pre tap room being turned into the tap room. When it was still a co working space, and I was sitting at a table right next to this guy Angelo, Justanto, who I'm sure you know, and he overheard me talking about my job and then he slithered over and said, I think we could work together. I'm a travel agent and now I send him a ton of clients. He's my own personal travel agent. We are friends all because of your club.
00:45:50
Speaker 2: Yes, I love that.
00:45:52
Speaker 1: It was a very lovely meet cute story about samasonte West Village.
00:45:57
Speaker 2: So that's great.
00:45:58
Speaker 1: I have you to thank for Angelo.
00:46:00
Speaker 2: He's wonderful. He is really great.
00:46:02
Speaker 1: Yes, but no, I think you guys are crushing it and I feel very privileged to be a member and keep doing exactly what you're doing.
00:46:10
Speaker 2: Thank you, Thank you.
00:46:12
Speaker 1: Of course, what do you think sets your clubs apart from the rest? So I mean I'm biased again, so I love them all, But what do you think it is personally that sets it apart from the rest of the clubs out there? Because there's so many membership clubs now in New York and Los Angeles.
00:46:30
Speaker 2: I think, you know, we just we don't want to be the biggest or the hottest club company. When I say biggest, like most clubs. We want to be the best and in select cities, and this means growing carefully, and so I'm very We're very careful. We know who our customer is, and we only want to open in places that they're going to be and we only want to deliver a product that they're going to really appreciate. And when I say product, I mean like the physical space. It's the location, the design, the menu, the level of service. To me, I always love saying this. I'm obsessed with ames. There's a really a really good podcast on amez if you ever want to listen to it, but they air mez is like this inspiration to me because they really protect quality and scarcity instead of casing scale and hotness. And I like to say to my team members all the time, I'm always like, we do the same thing with our membership and expansion, and this creates a very different business. It's more permanent and a more discerning members, a more discerning you know, base of members, higher retention, and a lot of clubs you know, are really about access or volume or status signaling. For me, the real luxury is privacy and trust and inacy and curation. And you know, we're just really careful about all these things, and I think that's probably what separates us most importantly. We protect the culture aggressively, and that's why the clubs feel different.
00:48:13
Speaker 1: Absolutely, And Gabby's monthly newsletter reminds everyone that if you step out of line, you're out of here.
00:48:20
Speaker 2: The rules are important. She loves following rules.
00:48:23
Speaker 1: I mean, I think that's also what sets it apart. Right, You guys actually care to the extent of, Hey, we take this really seriously. And if you come to my club and you take a photo of another guest dining, or misbehave or do something that's really disrespectful, you're out of here. And a lot of clubs, I think don't take it as seriously, and I really respect the fact that you do.
00:48:43
Speaker 2: I agree, I absolutely agree with that. And you know, privacy is part of what sets us apart. And so if we're not enforcing it, like, how could it work for the brand? So it's important to enforce and you know, but the rules are important just in general. I mean, you know, it's not just about taking photos or leaving your guests unattended. That's another big no no. And you know, every morning we get these reports and it's like if people violate some of these rules, some of them are just warnings. It depends what the rule is. I mean, if you know, somebody answered their phone at the table and then walked outside to take the call, we're not going to like suspend them, but we would send a warning, you know, just want to remind you. But if somebody took a video of or a photo at the table, we will absolutely supend them. We don't care who they are. They can be, you know, the most famous person in the world, but they still have to follow the rules.
00:49:42
Speaker 1: Everyone asked all the rules. Yeah, besides Dimitri and Gabby, do you have an assistant who helps you stay organized so you can organized for everyone else and be.
00:49:54
Speaker 2: Jeff Klein, Well, I do have an assistant, and I probably couldn't find and we're without her at this point. You know, she's What makes a great assistant isn't just organization. It's like judgment and discretion and calmness under pressure, and she's really great at that. I also have a CEO of this guy, Jess Wilner, who's wonderful and he's really great for me. We make a great team. I would say, I think one of the most important things as a founder is recognizing what you're good at and what you're not good at. And I'm very creative and instinctive and obsessive about experience, culture, design, atmosphere, all these things and the emotional side of hospitality. But to build something real and lasting, you also need operational rigor and systems and structure and execution. And Jess, I really love working with him. We really are a wonderful team, and I think the healthiest partnerships are, you know, when there's mutual respect and complementary strength, and we have that. Hospitality at this level, it's just incredibly complex behind the scenes, and so having a strong leadership around operations, communication and execution is critical. And so I'm really lucky to have him. I really really am fantastic. Yeah, I mean I feel really lucky with like almost every ninety seven percent of everybody that I work with. I'm really really lucky.
00:51:42
Speaker 1: It's absolutely still.
00:51:43
Speaker 2: I would be lying ifout it was like everybody's perfect, because they're not, but ninety But you know, I always say, like sometimes people are like, god, you know, this is tough, and I'm like, yeah, Harvard's tough, but it's one of the best schools. You know, if you want to work here, like, it's not going to be like a walk in the park where we if you know, somebody has to wait too long for their drink, We're going to get upset. Like that's not okay, that's not who we are as a company. And you know, if if something isn't right, if a sofa has a stain on it, like that's somebody's responsibility and it's important.
00:52:20
Speaker 1: Yeah, you really do care so much. I mean from the couch stain to the drink time, to knowing people's faces and saying hello and writing notes. I'm very impressed chefs line thank you. So what advice would you give someone who is, let's say, in their twenties figuring out their life, maybe wants to grow up and become a Jeff client, own a restaurant group, or own a hotel group one day, or a members club.
00:52:46
Speaker 2: I'd say, develop real taste and real conviction, and don't just chase trends or copy other people and what's working today, because everything that's working today, I promise you will not be working tomorrow. And you know, the people who build lasting brands usually have a very clear point of view and the patience to stick with it, and details matter more than you think, and tiny things compound, and the way you answer emails, how you treat staff, how consistent you are, whether people you know trust your standards. All that becomes your reputation over time. And you know, these are very important things. And finally, I would say, don't confuse attention with success. A lot of things become popular very quickly and disappear just as fast, and longevity is much harder and much more valuable. And you know, we're not trying to be the biggest, We're just trying to be the best. And a lot of clubs, you know, can't say that we're obsessive about atmosphere, every detail, lighting, all this stuff. But most importantly, we protect, you know, the culture. And I that's my advice to someone coming in this business. You know, protect the culture aggressively. And that's why the clubs feel different.
00:54:10
Speaker 1: I think that's so important. I mean, you guys really do such a good job at starting with the people and making sure that everyone has the same cares about the same things, and is aligned. And you crate amazing rooms. And I do think that your clubs will be around forever. I think SUV is gonna be is going to be the last one standing. Honestly, I think it is fantastic. It is my favorite. If anyone listening is curious about joining, couldn't recommend more. Seriously, it is my own way from home.
00:54:42
Speaker 2: I love that. I love that. Thank you. It really means a lot to me. It's like music. Man, I can't tell you, I never can get sick of hearing Matt No.
00:54:49
Speaker 1: I actually think I'm a Sanpa Sine poster child because I use it for everything, my meetings, my work, dinners and friends and family. It's whenever someone comes into town, whether that's New York or LA, always bring them there. And the SUV role is my favorite thing in the.
00:55:07
Speaker 2: World, in the world, and you're using it exactly how it was created to use. I mean, it's really supposed to be a second home. And that makes me so happy.
00:55:17
Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean, I don't have an office, so to be able to go there as as a young entrepreneur, to go to your club and to feel, oh my gosh, I have the most luxurious office in the world.
00:55:30
Speaker 2: That's great. That's great. Yeah, that's great.
00:55:33
Speaker 1: So thank you, thank you.
00:55:35
Speaker 2: I'm so much I'll see you in Santa Monica tonight.
00:55:37
Speaker 1: Yes you will. Well, thank you so much, Jeff Klin. I feel it is a total privilege, and I just think the world of you and what you've built.
00:55:47
Speaker 2: Is incredible and it's very reciprocal. I'm very at everything that you've created and built and your podcast is wonderful and really honored to be hon it.
00:55:56
Speaker 1: So thank you, thank you. All right, Well, I'll see you later.
00:55:59
Speaker 2: Thanks you alright, dok soon Bye.
