The Aster, New Members Club and Hotel Shine in Hollywood

The Hollywood Walk of Fame gets a new star this month with the opening of Salt Hotels the aster, a stunning adults-only club and hotel in a six-story building at the iconic intersection of Vine Street and Hollywood Boulevard. The property of co-founders David Bowd and Kevin OShea has been developed for a new generation of guests who seek a private and more diverse club as well as a luxury hotel.

According to the founders, anyone wishing to join is welcome, and there are no set criteria. Unlike Soho House or other elite private clubs, membership isn’t just for creatives or like-minded people. The Aster is more focused on welcoming a melting pot of personalities from different backgrounds and industries. Members and hotel guests can work, play and stay while taking advantage of a host of unique offerings. Membership will cost you $3,600 per year.

While the majority of the building is for private members only, the rooftop bar and lounges, hotel, and new Lemon Grove Restaurant are all open to the public. The boutique hotel offers 35 fully-appointed rooms with soft, understated interiors inspired by Old Hollywood. Suites are open to non-members to book, with hotel guests enjoying club membership with access to all amenities and programming during their stay.

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The expansive club includes a screening room, swimming pool, cabaret room, lounges, salon by famed hairstylist Jonathan Antin, private workspaces, recording studio, two gyms and a wellness suite. be. Members are offered unique programming across all spaces of The Aster, including educational talks, masterclasses, screenings, DJ sets, musical shows and performances. In fact, before the official opening of The Aster, the famous 80s band Duran, Duran performed on the roof for a private concert overlooking the Capitol Records building.

The second floor features the pool and members-only Aster Park Lounge, which offers an all-day menu focused on salads and tartars, as well as a morning juice program. The third and fourth floors feature hotel rooms with suites starting at 750 square feet and starting at $500, a bargain for such luxury offerings. Each residential-style suite includes separate living and dining areas. Bathrooms feature custom vanities and French fixtures. My personal favorite is the 1,100 square foot Aster Suite with floor-to-ceiling windows, two king bedrooms, two marble bathrooms, a kitchen with a large living room, dining area, and private balcony. The thick windows greatly reduce noise from the surrounding city.

The fifth floor is the Club Room, an expansive space overlooking the lounge, dining room, bar, and meeting space. Adjacent to The Club Room is The Vine Room, a private space filled with rich velvet furnishings for rent for special events. Crossing a plant-filled bridge, you enter The Cabaret Room with a stage that hosts musical performances, lectures, comedy shows, and more. Also on the fifth floor is a fully equipped recording studio, a beautiful 35-seat movie theater and plenty of office work space.

The Hollywood Deck at the top of the building features lounges and an outdoor theater space with fire pits and banquettes, as well as the huge new Lemon Grove, an indoor-outdoor restaurant, bar and garden run by the celebrity chef Marcel Vigneron. The Top Chef alum (previously at the helm of one of LA’s top restaurants, Wolf) offers a locally inspired menu on land that once housed a lemon farm before Hollywood was built.

On my recent visit, I enjoyed a delicious sampling of the best on offer including; Lemon Pasta, Hamachi Carpaccio Pizza, Arancini Meatballs and perfectly prepared Arctic Char. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner and attracts a very diverse and fashionable crowd.

Chef Vigneron leads a sustainable kitchen by reducing food waste, using alternatives to plastics and always sourcing local ingredients. Lemon Grove also partners with the Hollywood Food Coalition in an initiative to donate leftover food and participate in various volunteer opportunities.

I spoke with Managing Director David Bowd (formerly Chateau Marmont in Hollywood, The Mercer in New York and The Chiltern Firehouse in London) and Creative Director Kevin OShea (Starwood Hotels and Resorts and Morgans Hotel Group) about the new launch.

What sets The Aster apart from crowded members-only clubs in Los Angeles?

David: The Aster is driven by hospitality and a focus on guest and member experience. It is truly unique with so many offerings under one roof including: Members Lounges, Workspace, Screening Room, Recording Studio, Cabaret Lounge, Swimming Pool, Extensive Wellness and Fitness facilities with large suites all tied together with excellent service and hospitality. When we started creating the concept of the Aster, we looked at other member clubs and sought to learn from the rules and restrictions that some had in place. For example, at The Aster, there are no check-in times or limits on where you can use a laptop or phone.

Who is the client (member) you call on at The Aster?

David: The Aster is an adults-only club and welcomes a vibrant group of trailblazers and multihyphenates. We welcome people from a variety of backgrounds and interests to Los Angeles, each with one thing in common: the desire to connect. Unlike many other member clubs, to join The Aster you don’t need a petitioner, or work in a specific industry. Membership applications will be continuously reviewed by our membership team.

Are there any other members-only clubs/hotels on the horizon that you are launching?

David: Next year we will be launching a new hotel in Nantucket that will have a membership component. For 2023, we also just announced The West Hotel in Minneapolis (Salts’ first property in the Midwest) designed by internationally acclaimed architects Snow Kreilich and Neri&Hu, as well as a hotel in Newport, Rhode Island.