Arushi Sakhuja
A trip to London is incomplete without a trip to the city's honed luxury departmental store, Harrods. On Tuesday, 18, July Harrod's announced that after 184 years, the brand is finally inviting you to join its exclusive inner circle.
Owing to the uptick of exclusive members-only clubs around the world, the iconic departmental store is opening its first exclusive member's only club in Shanghai, the first of its kind outside the UK. Named 'The Residence' the club is set to open by the end of the year and is located in the heart of Shanghai within the city’s stately Cha House. Cha House already houses a Harrods tea room and Piano bar, and the private club will open on the second floor and pair quintessential British luxury with the finest hospitality.
Limited to just 250 members, the club is replete with a bar, lounge, private dining rooms, terraces, and a ‘Gordon Ramsay at The Residence Shanghai’ restaurant offering elevated British dining. The Gordon Ramsay restaurant at the Residence Shanghai will be the English chef’s first location in the Chinese city. “It has long been an ambition of mine to open a restaurant in Shanghai, and it was always about the perfect time and the perfect location,” the chef said in a statement. “I’m delighted to be partnering with Harrods on the Residence, a truly exclusive and exciting opportunity where we will be bringing a very special and thoughtfully curated menu of British cuisine to the members and their guests, later this year.”
The Residence membership will also come with automatic access to Black Tier status with Harrods Rewards and associated benefits in London as well as access to ultra-premium lifestyle services, including Harrods Aviation, Harrods Estates, Harrods Interior Design and private shopping services at the iconic Knightsbridge store. In addition, members will have access to some of the world’s rarest and most exclusive whisky collections through a close partnership with Edrington Group from The Macallan, The Glenrothes and Highland Park. Members will also be able to partake in private dinners and masterclasses hosted by the distilleries.
While the members will be capped at 250, additional members will be considered following peer nominations. There will be