Real estate: I buy houses, but only with membership

There is an unexpected marriage between branded residences - private luxury villas in holiday areas, which are part of a hôtellerie brand - and exclusive clubs. Two fast-growing worlds that benefit from each other and are setting a new trend. If the villa sector has already been the new frontier of the luxury real estate market for a few years, today, according to Knight Frank's Global Branded Residence Survey 2025, it is part of a segment that will continue to grow thanks to geographic diversification and affiliation with new non-hotel brands (at the moment 83 per cent are linked to the hôtellerie), until it will exceed one thousand projects by 2030, compared to 611 at present. Members clubs, on the other hand, are a format mostly imported from Great Britain and the United States: over time they have shed the old-fashioned cliché of being a men-only, establishment style destination. In the new generation of clubs, one participates in cultural events behind closed doors and gains access to a global community in contexts akin to one's own world: conviviality, networking and ideas that are nurtured in dedicated spaces. From the dialogue between these two realities a new phenomenon is taking shape, one that has spread throughout the world and has also arrived in Italia: buying a property, be it a villa, a farmhouse or a flat, mostly in a hospitality context, with a private club for residents attached.

Il progetto londinese The Whiteley, a cura di Foster +Partners: 139 residenze esclusive, tra cui 14 appartamenti serviti Six Senses.

One luxury villa project with an existing club is the Four Seasons Private Residences Los Cabos: custom-designed by Brooklyn-based Guerin Glass Architects, the residences are located along a three-kilometre stretch of coastline on the East Cape of the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. Residents have access to the Beach & Yacht Club, as part of the Costa Palmas property, and the 18-hole Golf Club designed by Robert Trent Jones. Thanks to dedicated concierges, every time one 'opens' the house, one finds it clean, cosy, with a full refrigerator and many personalised details.

L’hotel Six Senses da 109 camere con servizi da club, come l’accesso ai campi di padel.

Looking to the future, Casa Cipriani Miami, opening in 2028, will have a major residential component. Developed by 13th Floor Investments and Midtown Equities, the first private clubhouse in Florida will include 23 private residences in addition to a boutique hotel in the same 17-storey waterfront skyscraper. The project is intended to be a contemporary reinterpretation of the Art Deco charm of 1930s Miami, designed by New York-based Brandon Haw. "While maintaining the essence of Casa Cipriani, which integrates ambience, service and privacy with luxury suites, dining experiences and wellness paths, each location has its own identity. The club concept is central to us and the limited number of residences allows residents to join a selective circle, participate in all activities and have access to a reserved area. Residents, in addition, will have a private pool, gym and entrance to the wellness floor,' say Casa Cipriani, which among other things has started the sales of Punta del Este Resort, Residences & Casino, the largest investment in the city's history, with the first residential tower coming in 2028 and flats starting at $1.9 million.

La Sunset Villa 9 di Four Seasons Private Residences Los Cabos a Costa Palmas, in Messico.

Also overseas, the Nikki Beach brand, founded in Miami Beach in 1998, has become a multifaceted hospitality company and is also expanding with private residences. If those in Dubai have all been sold, there is time to evaluate one at Nikki Beach Residences Antigua starting next spring: the project, developed by White Sand Development, consists of 134 flats, including seven villas. Due to open in 2029, the villas are turnkey, or turnkey, with eco-friendly elements and state-of-the-art technology, and eligible for Citizenship by Investment (CIP) programmes, attractive to those seeking a second citizenship with tax benefits and international mobility. Other privileges include access to the Residence Owners' Lounge and gym, as well as the Beach Club, restaurants and a large Spa. "Our residences set a new standard of living in the Caribbean," says Lucia Penrod, co-founder of the group. "These are not just luxury properties for sale, but an invitation to be part of a community that loves our lifestyle, where music, gastronomy, entertainment, fashion, film and art come together."

Un’area dining progettata da Sims Hilditch per The OWO Residences by Raffles, Londra.

In Europe, among the most eagerly awaited projects marrying the concept of real estate with clubs is the JNcQUOI Club Comporta on the southern coast of Portugal. Planned for 2028, it is designed, like its Beach Club, by architect Vincent Van Duysen. Set in a 164-hectare protected reserve and with one kilometre of private beach, it will include, in addition to a hotel with 34 suites, a collection of 64 private residences with in-house butlers, while the Beach Club and the Deli Comporta restaurant have already been inaugurated. A destination of understated elegance and wild beauty, at the heart of which is The Clubhouse, which will host cultural events, restaurants, a wine cellar, a cigar lounge and a boutique, as well as the Athletic Club & Spa, with rooms dedicated to longevity and high performance training. "It is a complete ecosystem where villa owners, members and discerning travellers can find a true home and experience an authentic sense of belonging, both with other owners and by getting in touch with the local culture. It is the privilege of uncomplicated comfort and the luxury of appreciating what is rare today: time, unspoilt nature, space, inner peace and human connection,' explains Miguel Guedes de Sousa, founder of the Amorim Luxury group, owner of JNcQUOI.