After more than 50 years at the heart of London’s nightlife, during which Hollywood stars and royalty alike have descended under the striped canopy on Berkeley Square, Annabel’s is preparing to open the doors to its much-anticipated new home just two doors down from the original Club.
Following a £55m refurbishment, Annabel’s will be reimagined in an 18th century, Grade I-listed Georgian Townhouse at 46 Berkeley Square and will open at the end of this year.
At 26,000 sq ft, the new venue will comprise considerably more space than the original Club. For the first time, Annabel’s will offer an all day and all night experience, with new and additional floors for Members to work, dine and entertain their guests.
Annabel’s at 46 Berkeley Square will offer Members the intimate nightclub environment they have always enjoyed, along with new spaces and Member services to cater to their needs.
The Club will include restaurants, bars, private dining rooms and a cigar salon, spread across four spacious floors. The nightclub will be located in the basement of the townhouse and will pay homage to the decadent essence and abundant energy of the original Annabel’s.
Outside on the terrace, an enchanting restaurant garden will offer year round dining. The garden leads to a health and wellbeing spa, which will be discreetly housed in the refurbished mews house with its own separate entrance.
The senior operations team has been personally recruited by owner Richard Caring, to ensure the Club’s team is the best in London. Guillaume Glipa has joined as Executive Director of The Birley Clubs - formerly of Chiltern Firehouse, and is working alongside Graziano Arricale as Operations Director, Rebecca Burdess - formerly of Fortnum & Mason, as Membership Director and Astrid Harbord - formerly of Bulgari Hotel, as the Membership Manager.
Glipa explained, “This is an iconic project to be a part of. We are taking the classic DNA of Annabel’s and moving it forward for the future, respectfully and tastefully, commissioning the best craftsmen, designers and artisans to use the most beautiful colours, textures, textiles, materials and objets.
'Members will be able to enjoy Annabel’s all day long, from early in the morning and late into the night - their every need looked after with warmth and genuine hospitality. The new Annabel’s gives us a much larger space in which to tell an exciting story and we are doing it with intelligence, wit and humour. It will be a wonderful place full of things to discover and rediscover.”
Founded in 1963, Annabel’s has built a global reputation over the past five decades as the most elegant and private Club in the world. Over the years the Club has welcomed Members and their guests including royalty, recording stars such as Frank Sinatra, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles and Hollywood greats including Jack Nicholson, Elizabeth Taylor and Leonardo DiCaprio, to name just a few.
Membership for the new Club is by invitation only and the waiting list is open. New candidates for membership will require a proposer and seconder and election will be strictly by Committee. Existing Annabel’s members will not require a proposer or seconder but election will remain subject to strict Committee approval. Of the thousands who have already registered interest in Membership, the First 100 were sent out earlier this year and accepted.