Image: Forbes
If you’re planning on heading to London this summer for the 2012 Olympics but you’re somewhat wary of all the crowds, sponsors and advertising you could get swallowed up in, then this member’s only club and private apartment may be just the thing for you.
To escape the chaos expected to ensue at the Olympic Park in East London where the 2012 Olympics will take place, Simon Thompson has created a private pop-up member’s club and live music space called “The Fringe”. Situated inside a Victorian warehouse, “The Fringe” is 300 feet away from the Olympic Stadium and provides a space where friends can hang out in peace.
Thompson, who has spent numerous years in the luxury hospitality industry, said, “The Olympics can be very corporate with brands you can’t get away from. Believe me, we lobe the Olympics, but we wanted to create a private space where we eat and drink what we want and party how we like.”
“The Fringe” pop-up private club will feature a courtyard space able to fit 1,000 people in addition to two more levels for food and entertainment. It will be available for 6 weeks only; from July 20 through August 12 for the Olympics and from August 29 through September 9 for the Paralympics.
There are different levels of membership at “The Fringe” ranging from £100 a day (which includes three floors of restaurants, bars, lounges and suites, chefs, entertainers and DJs) all the way to an ultimate insider’s ticket for £25,000 a day (which includes the penthouse room and a top chef and staff cooking for 50 members).
Anyone can register their interest in the private club and “The Fringe” will contact potential members over the next few weeks.
Another solution to avoiding the crowds during the Olympics may be to rent an apartment through a company called onefinestay, which allows you to book private apartments throughout London. A fully charged iPhone with unlimited data and local calls is included in the price of booking and is provided to you upon arrival. Advertising themselves as a great alternative to expensive hotel rooms in London, onefinestay offer a variety of apartments and even provides special touches like tea and cookies in the kitchen when you arrive.
Founder of onefinestay, Greg Marsh, said, “There have been very aggressive price jumps and opportunistic behavior by many of the hotels. We have been more restrained than that and want to attract people that will take care of the home they are staying in. The first thing we ask is ‘is the neighborhood one we’d want to spend time in?’ Then all the photographs and descriptions are ours. We are extremely careful with the ones we choose. We’re a little like a hotel but we are spread out over the city. We have to be available at any time and we need to know what works and what doesn’t. We are working on luggage drop-off in the next few months, so people can have a place to drop their things and go explore the city.”
Source: Forbes
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