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Thanks to its lavish amenities, glamorous accommodations, supreme privacy, and strict dedication to protecting its guests, an elite social club called San Vicente Bungalows has become the ultimately celebrity hotspot in recent months.
The glamorous restaurant and hotel, which is located in West Hollywood, has hosted a slew of stars since it first opened its doors in late 2018, including Justin and Hailey Bieber, Leonardo DiCaprio, Miley Cyrus, Charlize Theron, Sandra Bullock, and most recently, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – who headed there for a date night on Tuesday night.
The exclusive club – which costs $4,200 per year if you’re over the age of 35, or $1,800 for those who are under – is shrouded in secrecy and you must be a member or guest of a member to enter the premises.
Members are strictly prohibited from speaking about it on social media or taking any pictures or videos inside the club – in fact, guests are actually forced to cover the camera lens on their phones with a sticker upon arrival.
Thanks to its lavish amenities, supreme privacy, and strict dedication to protecting its guests, an elite social club called San Vicente Bungalows has become the ultimately celebrity hotspot
The glamorous restaurant and hotel, which is located in West Hollywood, has hosted a slew of stars recently, including Justin and Hailey Bieber (left) and Leonardo DiCaprio (right)
Most recently, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle headed there for a date night on Tuesday night
Hush-hush: The exclusive club is shrouded in secrecy and you must be a member or guest of a member to enter the premises
Members are strictly prohibited from speaking about it on social media or taking pictures inside the club – and guests are even asked to cover their phone camera lens with a sticker
GQ reported that SVB attendees even have to sign an ‘agreement’ and can face penalties if they pull out their phones to record in common areas.
‘Posting images of the club on social media or discussing anything that members and their guests witness during their visit is also strictly forbidden,’ reads SVB’s website.
Only its heavily vetted members – GQ claimed in 2019 that it had around 750 at the time, but its assumed that its grown since then – are allowed to make hotel or restaurant reservations.
There is a sister property, however, called Hotel 850 SVB, located across the street that is open to the public.
‘SVB is a private membership club, not a restaurant open to the public,’ its FAQ page states.
‘Only members can make lunch and dinner reservations. Guests must be accompanied by a member at all times while visiting the property.’
While the hush-hush surrounding SVB has left many people eager to find out what really goes on behind the doors of the elite establishment, it has created the perfect spot for A-listers to mingle without any worry that someone might snap a photo of them and share it to social media – something creator Jeff Klein was determined to achieve from the start.
He told GQ that he dreamed of SVB becoming a place where ‘highly scrutinized high achievers would feel comfortable coming to break bread and mend fences’ – and it has turned into just that.
Exclusive: Only its heavily vetted members – GQ claimed in 2019 that it had only 750 members but its assumed that its grown since then – are allowed to make hotel or restaurant reservations
What happens there stays there: The hush-hush surrounding SVB has left many people eager to find out what really goes on behind the doors of the elite establishment
At ease: It has also created the perfect spot for A-listers to mingle without any worry that someone might snap a photo of them and share it to social media
‘I believe that privacy has become the ultimate luxury,’ he explained. ‘My ultimate fantasy is if Jennifer Aniston wanted to have a date with Brad Pitt… I mean, can you imagine?
‘They could come here and nobody would be able to say anything, do anything, take a photo. Maybe it already happened… in my dreams.’
Jeff Klein (seen), who also owns the Sunset Tower hotel in Los Angeles, purchased the property in 2013, when it was a run-down motel called the San Vicente Inn
Inside the walls of SVB, he added that there’s no judgement and anything goes. Klein said, ‘We don’t judge at all. Bring your wife one night, your mistress the next night and your boyfriend the one after.
‘That’s sort of what this was created for – no judging. Where else can you do that in privacy?’
The common areas and lounges are filled with ‘a number of cozy corners and intimate nooks,’ GQ reported.
There’s nine guest rooms in total, a spacious pool, numerous courtyards and gardens, a rooftop deck, multiple event spaces, a grand dining room, a few bars, and a restaurant that has a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu.
The menu offers an array of high-priced dishes, including a $23 luxury take on pigs in a blanket, which are made with wagyu sausage.
Other menu items include tagliatelle with truffles for $52, seared wild scallops for $54, and a $54 New York strip steak, while sides include $14 roasted baby carrots and $12 French fries.
If you’re planning to enjoy breakfast at the club, be prepared to pay $21 for an omelet and $18 for avocado toast, while a plate of zucchini chips at lunch will set you back $17.
He then spent six years transforming it into SVB, which cost him $50 million – and it officially opened at the end of 2018
Anything goes: Klein told GQ of the club, ‘Bring your wife one night, your mistress the next night and your boyfriend the one after. That’s sort of what this was created for – no judging’
There’s nine guest rooms in total, a spacious pool (seen), numerous courtyards and gardens, a rooftop deck, multiple event spaces, a grand dining room, a few bars, and a restaurant
Described by GQ as a ‘bubble of privilege and power,’ San Vicente Bungalows quickly became one of the most sought-after clubs in LA
Klein, who is originally from New York and also owns the Sunset Tower hotel in Los Angeles, purchased the property in 2013, when it was a run-down motel called the San Vicente Inn.
The club has earned a fierce reputation for its snobby committee and strict set of requirements for those looking to become a member – all created to ensure that only the top make it in
As soon as he saw it, he knew he wanted to turn it into something magical. He gushed to GQ, ‘I love the dumps. That’s really where the fun is.’
He then spent six years transforming it into SVB, which cost him $50 million, according to the New York Times, and it officially opened at the end of 2018.
To learn what it would take to run a successful, celebrity hotspot, Klein said he immersed himself in the world of the rich and famous by visiting other social clubs and picking the owners’ brains.
Klein’s research paid off. Now described by GQ as a ‘bubble of privilege and power,’ San Vicente Bungalows quickly became one of the most sought-after clubs in LA.
So how do you get in? As expected, joining isn’t easy, and the club has earned a fierce reputation for its snobby committee and intense set of requirements for those looking to become a member – all created to ensure that only the top make it in.
While applying, you must submit a headshot and answer a series of questions about yourself, including stuff like: What is your favorite restaurant and why? And, what will your autobiography be called?
To even apply, you must be ‘nominated’ from someone who is already a part of SVB. Members must pay $4,200 per year if you’re over the age of 35, or $1,800 for those who are under
Elite: According to GQ, the committee who chooses who’s in and who’s out is made up of a ‘rotating, 14-person secret body comprised of luminaries in art, fashion and entertainment’
Klein vowed that a membership cannot be bought, and that ‘wealth alone’ doesn’t assure you’ll be accepted. Some of the outdoor spaces at SVB are seen
To even apply to become a member, you must be ‘nominated’ from someone who is already a part of SVB.
And while nominations are ‘obligatory,’ they do not ‘confer acceptance,’ the social club explained on its site, adding, ‘Applications are evaluated monthly by the Membership committee.’
‘Please don’t inundate us with requests for updates on your pending membership status. Try instead to seek out current members who are willing to write letters of recommendation on your behalf,’ it said.
‘Letters of recommendation from current members will significantly enhance your prospects of becoming a member.’
According to GQ, the committee who chooses who’s in and who’s out is made up of a ‘rotating, 14-person secret body comprised of luminaries in art, fashion and entertainment’ – all appointed by Klein.
He vowed that a membership cannot be bought, and that ‘wealth alone’ doesn’t assure you’ll be accepted.
‘It doesn’t matter if you have money, it matters if you’re interesting,’ one member, who stayed anonymous, told the Hollywood Reporter in 2019.
Actor Armie Hammer (seen at SVB in 2019) was one of its first members. He told GQ: ‘It feels almost as private as staying at home, while still providing a fun atmosphere and experience’
It’s hosted a slew of industry gatherings – including an Emmy’s after party in 2022, the Vogue 100 dinner in 2021, and CAA’s Oscars party in 2019. Miley Cyrus is seen at SVB in 2022
At the time, the outlet reported that there was roughly 7,000 people on the waitlist.
Klein said he dreamed of SVB becoming a place where ‘highly scrutinized high achievers would feel comfortable coming to break bread and mend fences.’ Mindy Kaling and her former rumored beau BJ Novak are seen together at SVB in October 2022
Some stars who have been seen visiting the club over the years include Gal Gadot, Kaia Gerber, Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse, Melanie Griffith, Tobey McGuire, Rihanna, John Mayer, Paris Hilton, Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn, Jaime King, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner, Mindy Kaling, Taylor Swift, Emma Stone, Elon Musk, and Kirsten Dunst – among others.
Actor Armie Hammer – who was shunned from Hollywood in 2021 after he was accused of cannibalism and sexual assault by multiple women – was one of its first members.
‘I wasn’t sitting around thinking, “God, I wish there was a private social club I could join,” but at the same time here’s this great place I didn’t know I’d love as much as I do,’ he told GQ in 2019.
Blackish star Tracee Ellis Ross also spoke about it to the New York Times, explaining, ‘I know, there is sort of an eye roll about the exclusivity.
‘Thinking about that is not a governing force in my life, but to have somewhere that you don’t have to think about it at all is a wonderful sort of respite.’
‘It feels almost as private as staying at home, while still providing a great fun atmosphere and experience.
GQ reported that SVB attendees even have to sign an ‘agreement’ and can face penalties if they pull out their phones to record in common areas. Charlize Theron is seen at SVB
The most recent famous face to visit San Vicente Bungalows was Prince Harry – along with his wife, Meghan – who were photographed entering the upscale eatery together earlier this week
‘The vibe isn’t “we’re here to be seen.” It’s “we’re here to enjoy this with friends and not be seen.”
‘That’s one of the great aspects of the place. You can have one or two more cocktails than you probably should without worrying about ramifications, about people gawking about you or trying to sneak pictures of you falling into your car or whatever.
‘It feels privileged and all of that. But at the same time there is this real need in Los Angeles for a place where you can go and be a private person and take off the celebrity part of yourself at the door.’
The most recent famous face to visit San Vicente Bungalows was Prince Harry – along with his wife, Meghan – who were photographed entering the upscale eatery together earlier this week.
Meghan opted for a long tan coat, black leather pants, and matching pumps for the outing, while the Prince donned jeans, a blue T-shirt, and gray cardigan.
The pair was all smiles as they made their way into SVB, and while photographers hounded them outside, it’s safe to say that they were given the utmost privacy once inside.
The club was also famously the spot where Steven Spielberg and Netflix mogul Ted Sarandos sat down to settle their debate over what constitutes an Oscar-qualifying movie in 2021.
In addition, it’s hosted a slew of industry gatherings over the years – including an Emmy’s after party in 2022, the Vogue 100 dinner in 2021, and CAA’s celebration following the Oscars in 2019.
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