One Alfred Place

A bright, open and airy alternative to the often stuffy and dark members clubs in London. This feels very Bloomsbury with a bit of sophisticated whimsy in the décor. You do get more of a whiff of business than pleasure but it certainly aims to make your business more pleasurable if that makes sense. The pricing scheme seems to also be geared to that kind of business member that may often come for meetings or office-​away-​from-​office.
It’s a bit pricey, though if you had a company to expense it to or relied on needing the space for client meetings in the area, I can see it working out to be reasonable.

This is a really strange place. I want to like it, but I’m never very taken with private clubs. I do remember the owners of this one telling members that they weren’t welcome to use the facilities as much as they’d like, so that never made me keen to come here — if you open your doors to people paying hundreds a year, you shouldn’t then place lots of rules and when they can and can’t visit.
But, visit I did (at an event, I haven’t suddenly won the lottery) and it feels… like drinking in an office block. Like when your office decided to have a Christmas party, but in the conference room instead of hiring somewhere. it’s fun, but you feel a little bit out of place.
I was at a wine tasting, so can’t comment on the drinks here, but the staff are friendly. The décor is nice too. It’s just not a venue I’d choose to drink in. It is a venue I’d like to work in and come for meetings, but this seems to be frowned upon. It’s a confusing place, one that you’ll enjoy when you’re here. But, I’m not likely to go out of my way to come here again. Still, I’ve said that about most private clubs I’ve reviewed…

One Alfred Place describes itself as «a new kind of private member’s environment that merges business and leisure.» As a non-​member but frequent crasher of many private member clubs, I was impressed by One Alfred Place in that it seems to actually accomplish its manifesto. Located on the second floor of a pretty hip building, the space is big and nicely appointed with colourful and comfy furniture. The event room was filled with a variety of couches and chairs in all different colours but somehow it works.
There is a separate space for working (desks with phones, WiFi and plugs for laptops), another big room for casual meetings, and then a restaurant /​bar for socialising. The staff was really friendly and helpful, and the prices at the bar were not as steep as at other clubs.
I’m a fan, now if only I had piles of extra cash laying around for the membership fee.