A Look Inside Manhattan’s Most Exclusive Club

23.05.2024 - 15:27 / forbes.com / Daniel Boulud

Private clubs such as Soho House, Zero Bond and Casa Cipriani cemented a long-held Manhattan tradition of the city’s elite clamoring for exclusive spaces. Of course, there will always be the old vanguard — like the Yale Club, Harvard Club and New York Yacht Club — but freshly unwrapped Centurion New York towers over many high-end hideaways from its lavish perch on the 55th floor of the One Vanderbilt building.

The elusive, invitation-only American Express Centurion card (commonly called “the Black Card”) has become a status symbol for the modern day, much like a membership to one of the aforementioned clubs was some years ago. Unlike many of those discreet dens, though, anyone can make a dinner reservation for the Centurion club — no Black Card necessary (but availability is scarce, so you will have to check often).

When Centurion New York made its grand debut in the spring of 2023, it marked a significant shift for American Express in that it was a space that ventured beyond the brand’s ballyhooed airport lounges. The company chose a remarkable venue for the unveiling, too. The One Vanderbilt, a 1,400-foot skyscraper, is the tallest commercial building in Midtown Manhattan. Daniel Boulud’s Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Le Pavillion resides on the second floor. And SUMMIT, an immersive, four-story observation deck, provides breathtaking vistas from the top three floors.

Getting up to the Centurion club is the first bit of secretive fun you have at the address. You check in with security before swiping your QR code — you’ll get this once you make your difficult-to-come-by dinner reservation on Resy — through the turnstile that directs you to elevators. As you’re whisked up to the 55th floor, the windowless lift heightens anticipation. Once the doors open, all of Manhattan is at your feet — or at least as much as can be captured in the club’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

It’s impossible to underscore the million-dollar view. The club’s positioning affords vistas of all five boroughs. Two Manhattan icons, the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building, flank the right and left sides of the club, with windows running along the perimeter wall.

Once you finish gasping, get comfortable in the Yabu Pushelberg-designed club’s reception area, The Salon. Members or guests with reservations can relax before or after their meal with drinks, desserts and light bites. The artwork helps facilitate the living-room atmosphere with a collection of iconic New York photographs of famous faces as easily recognizable as any family photo album.

The other half of the space contains ultra-modern art, as if the home’s owner had a change of design heart mid-renovation. A black Rothko-esque painting and black cloth cocktail