Joining The Club
“Everyone is suggesting names” of people to invite, says Natal, including owner Rogerio Fasano and multiple public relations agencies. Membership is expected to be one-third Brazilian, one-third from New York, and one-third that’s otherwise American. Among the latter two groups, there will be a focus on Brazilian expats.
“Brazilians will love to come here, and they will be the majority of our clientele,” says Natal. Beyond that, the company hasn’t been able to identify a clear demographic or target audience it’s seeking.
Membership clubs have become a smart business strategy, given that dues generate stable income and provide resiliency in tumultuous times. But for at least the first year, Fasano Fifth Avenue membership will be extended free-of-charge—and it may never cost a penny. “We are not looking for membership fees,” says Neto, adding that the hotel will drive revenues.
It’s unclear what the annual dues will be at Aman New York when it opens with its own membership club this spring. Members there will be allowed into a range of common spaces, including a 25,000-square foot spa and jazz club. (Aman will also make money off condo sales and hotel rooms that are available to the general public.) At Fasano, however, there don’t seem to be many membership perks beyond access to the rooms or the small restaurant.
Neto mentions package-receiving and luggage-forwarding services and frames enjoyment of the Fasano Fifth Avenue in bare-bones terms: “The concept is that you will be able to join some events and invite people to have lunch or dinner,” he says.
Further Expansion
Whatever Fasano Fifth Avenue ultimately turns out to be, Neto is bullish on wanting to extend it well beyond New York, “in cities like London, Paris, Miami, or Los Angeles.”
For members of the public intent on seeing what the fuss is about, the clubhouse will eventually be complemented by a second facility at 280 Park Ave., at 49th St., the former Four Seasons restaurant space.
That venue will more closely resemble Fasano’s bread and butter, with sexy interiors and plenty of people-watching potential. It will also be a space in which the company can engage its newfound members with priority reservations and, according to the company, bring Brazilian traditions like Carnaval to life.
In the meantime, Natal says that by starting slow, the venture will have “time to make sure everything is in order.”
If a hotel soft opening typically lasts a month or two, it may last longer here, given the company’s emphasis on Brazilian patronage. A representative for the hotel says it will formally open in May, but that may be a technical point more than a practical one until traffic from Brazil can lift off. The U.S. will need to approve tourism from all countries on some kind of vaccine passport, or borders will need to reopen with Brazil, and neither is on the immediate horizon. Otherwise Brazilian travelers will be stuck with a back-door approach, entering the U.S. by first quarantining for two weeks in another, less-virulent country, such as Mexico.
Given the realities of work-from-anywhere, it may be a reasonable prospect—however costly—for Fasano’s target audience. As Natal puts it, “We’re not going to build this for the public.”
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.