As if Beverly Hills needed any more glitz and glam, a new members-only social club is hoping to take the city’s allure to the next level.
The club, which recently opened and goes by the name Gravitas, is located on the corner of North Camden Drive and South Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills’ Golden Triangle.
“We were really excited about the location,” Seth Glassman, managing partner of Gravitas, said. “I think that was one of the biggest draws. Obviously, we loved the concept of a members-only establishment, but especially being in Beverly Hills.”
Glassman’s business partner, Brandon Steven, is the club’s owner. Gravitas has been a three-year project in the making for the duo with the ultimate goal of ensuring exclusivity through differentiation.
The two-story, 28,000-square-foot space – which features high-end dining, entertainment and concierge services all catered towards Los Angeles’ affluent clientele – replaced a former Wells Fargo building. While the neighboring West Hollywood is known for its plethora of social club offerings, Beverly Hills only has a few.
“We felt like, if we did it and we did it right, it would fill a void in Beverly Hills,” Glassman said.
While Gravitas does not cater to a specific industry or network of individuals, there is an emphasis for those who love high-end wining and dining.
The club boasts three bars on its premises – with the potential for one to be turned into an omakase bar – and 375 individual temperature-controlled wine lockers for members. Its culinary program is led by executive chef Preston Madson, who previously belonged to the 1 Hotels group.
“The plan is to make sure that the club is never stale, that there’s always something going on,” Glassman said. “From a programming standpoint, (we plan to have) live music, comedy, there’s a lot of different things we can do in the club, but even within the culinary programming.”
In addition to its food and beverage services, Gravitas will host private dining booths, a podcast recording studio, an LED screen, private game rooms, a performance stage, an open-air garden and more.
Glassman said perhaps the club’s most exclusive offering is its automotive component. G-Car is Gravitas’ white glove chauffeur service which offers premier members complimentary rides within a 2-mile radius of the venue.
Old Hollywood lure
Westlake-based architecture firm Kelly Architects designed the club space to embody nostalgia for Beverly Hills’ iconic 1920s Art Deco style. The company has also been behind multiple hospitality venues throughout Los Angeles, including the Hotel Shangri-La in Santa Monica, The Edison bar downtown, the Public School restaurant in Culver City, Hollywood’s Avalon nightclub and more.
“Gravitas represents the finest versions of the past, present and future in our design,” Steven said in a statement. “We worked hard to present a timeless feel to the club while also delivering a level of service that occupies the present at the very highest levels. Our goal is for Gravitas members to feel that there is no place in the world where they are better cared for than within these doors.”
Applications for Gravitas have been open since May and, with its soft opening for members late last month, the club officially initiated its founding members.
“As the applications come in, we are accomplishing what we wanted in the respect that it’s not just this (industry) or not just that,” Glassman said.
“There’s a good mix of whether it be art and entertainment, finance (or) real estate. It’s all different walks of life and more inclusive in that respect, which we really wanted,” he added.
Membership starts at $5,500 per year with a $2,500 initiation fee while those younger than 30 pay $4,000 a year. With proof of marriage, Gravitas also offers couples the spousal package fee of $7,500 per month.
