As the sun moves across a changing sky and pinks and oranges seep through the ether, the Jonathan Club’s new 20,000-squarefoot Great Lawn is veiled in constantly shifting light. The surrounding buildings are all mirrored, and the sky reflects off this Los Angeles cityscape in every direction to magical effect. This previously underutilized but now-luscious space is illustrative of Jonathan Club’s keen focus on capturing the elegance, the amenities, and the atmosphere its members desire and providing them spectacularly.
The Jonathan Club (JC) has two beautiful properties: A 12-story facility in the heart of downtown Los Angeles and a private beachfront oasis in Santa Monica. Both facilities have managed to thrive throughout the past year, with the in-town facility facing the challenges that are particular to a club in a largely empty city with members who are not meeting for drinks, not lunching with clients, not popping in for a fitness class before their 9:00 a.m. meeting. Despite these realities, the club’s outlook is as bright as ever.
REPURPOSING SPACES
The town club is unique in that it also has several tenants in the building: Currently there are 10 permanent residences, 29 office suites of varying sizes occupied by realtors, attorneys, investors, financial advisors and management consultants, as well as additional commercial retail space. Over the last year, the permanent residents decreased as many chose to hunker down in their primary residences, while office usage (and subsequent revenue) has surged, prompting the club to convert several transient rooms to monthly/daily offices to accommodate the demand. Not surprisingly, demand for transient rooms decreased, so an affordable rate plan was introduced as well as creative getaway packages for families. Despite statewide mandates that necessitated that the club suspend operations three separate times, several portions of the facility had to remain staffed and functional.
Jonathan Club General Manager/COO Matthew Allnatt said, “I’m grateful I had the ability to continue coming to work every day and work with the team to adapt the operations and facility in ways big and small that enable us to maintain the vibrancy of the club. I think self-appraisal and examining alternate perspectives is always a good habit, and the pandemic really amplified that; the shift we made this past year has been great for us and I am really proud of the team and our members, who all looked for ways to keep morale high and the community strong.”
In addition to very quickly rolling out a to-go food program, some of the changes Allnatt alludes to include expanding the outdoor spaces as well as introducing creative new indoor spaces, including:
The Great Lawn. Although prompted into action by the pandemic, the space that is now the Great Lawn had been on the club’s shortlist of things to transform for some time. The club’s urban garden, which provides various fruits, vegetables and herbs for JC’s kitchens and bars, was enhanced and expanded and canopies, pergolas, vines and greenery add ambience and create intimate spaces. It took four months to remove the paddle courts and existing track and complete the transformation. From sunrise yoga to sunset cocktails with boxed picnic lunches in between, the Great Lawn is a fantastic new member amenity that will soon host creative pop-up events like food and wine festivals, live music and special events.
Temporary Outdoor Fitness Center. During construction of the Lawn, the club erected a pop-up gym on the parking garage with an urban industrial parking garage concept for classes and personal training. Once the Lawn was complete, classes moved back there, and the temporary gym was disassembled. The town club fitness program has remained largely virtual with a growing library of resources at members’ fingertips.
Outdoor Rooftop Dining, Terrace and Lounge. Prior to the pandemic, the only casual dining area was the Tap Room, the club’s sports bar; however, as a direct result of the pandemic, JC relaxed its dress code to embrace slightly more casual attire. To take advantage of the beautiful year-round rooftop that overlooks the Great Lawn seven stories below, they relocated The Grill to one of the two patios and created a private dining area called The Chef’s Table on the other. These year-round venues can host 30 and 15 guests during mandated capacity restrictions with more seats as restrictions lift. An interior rooftop space is being renovated to become a member lounge.
Meditation Center. With member wellness in mind, JC renovated overnight accommodation suites into a new state-of-the-art meditation center. This space now provides a relaxing atmosphere with personal meditation pods that members reserve for appointments and can choose from among a variety of guided meditations. To encourage use and assist families looking for activities during lockdown, the club offers spa getaways and mini vacations that incorporate dining and kids’ activities as well as spa treatments, meditation time and overnight accommodations.
THE PERSONAL TOUCH—JC STYLE
For a club that relies so heavily on social interaction and hospitality, staying connected over the past year required some creativity. To reach out to tenants and the public who enter the facility for appointments or shopping, the club built a complementary coffee bar in the parking garage so visitors can grab a good cup of coffee on their way in or out.
The staff took a special interest in checking in on members they hadn’t heard from and providing resources and assistance to members, such as putting together and sending care packages to members, calling members age 80 and older on the phone to check in monthly, offering mental health resources, a free hotline and access to free rapid tests.
Melding technology with the personal, JC created the “How You Doin’?” program where groups of members get together virtually to chat and check in on each other to remain connected and engaged. Additionally, as club activities were moving to recorded messages and live stream events, JC created a professional club-like Zoom studio to provide a fitting backdrop for interviews, club news and meet-the-author events. They also have professional-grade portable video equipment that can be moved throughout the club to, for example, be used in the bar for a cocktail-making class or the kitchen for a cooking demonstration. Creating innovative and interactive social events on a grand scale—such as an elaborate Lunar New Year celebration, wine events, education and trivia nights with exciting prizes—that members could live stream has been met with great enthusiasm.
ON THE HORIZON
In a time where uncertainty cast a big shadow on much of the world, the Jonathan Club’s focus on intentional growth—both membership numbers and revenue—and purposeful changes— both physical and operational—enabled them to continue to shine and to cast their eyes toward an even brighter horizon.