{"id":62856,"date":"2026-07-30T01:23:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T01:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/62856\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T01:23:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T01:23:21","slug":"members-only-private-clubs-for-the-wealthy-take-over-madrid-lifestyle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/62856\/","title":{"rendered":"Members only: Private clubs for the wealthy take over Madrid | Lifestyle"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIn Europe, Madrid was playing in a lower league than it deserved. The major European capitals are Paris and London. And then, there\u2019s another tier: Berlin, Milan, Amsterdam\u2026 [but] Madrid wasn\u2019t even there<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c[he city] finally had the opportunity to grow up. And I think the fact that [Spain\u2019s economy] is doing well has also played a big role, since money attracts money<\/a>,\u201d explains Andr\u00e9s Rodr\u00edguez, sitting in the lobby bar of Forbes House, a five-story private club (plus rooftop and basement). He\u2019s the director, founder and mastermind of the establishment. <\/p>\n

In an interview with EL PA\u00cdS, he tries to answer the following question: what has had to happen in Madrid for so many private clubs to suddenly spring up like mushrooms?<\/p>\n

\"\"The interior of Vega, a private club in Madrid.\u00a0Club Vega\"\"The interior of Metr\u00f3polis, a private club in Madrid.Club Metr\u00f3polis<\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez explains how, for decades \u2013 and until just a year-and-a-half ago \u2013 the world of private clubs in Madrid was divided into two types. \u201cThe traditional clubs, which, with all due respect, were like our parents\u2019 clubs: Nuevo Club, Club Financiero G\u00e9nova, Puerta de Hierro,\u201d he lists. \u201cAnd then, there was the Matador Club, geared toward a creative crowd.\u201d <\/p>\n

However, in 2025, Forbes House arrived on the scene. And, this year, Club Metr\u00f3polis has emerged, located in one of Madrid\u2019s most emblematic buildings. \u201cIt is the second-most photographed after the Puerta de Alcal\u00e1,\u201d the club promoters affirm, referring to the triumphal arch that Madrid is known for. <\/p>\n

The promoters \u2013 Sandro Silva and Marta Seco \u2013 lead the Paraguas Group, a set of six fine dining establishments. They\u2019ve spent more than 20 years leading the biggest success story in Madrid\u2019s restaurant industry, including an international expansion to London, Dubai and Monte Carlo. <\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the clients we\u2019ve had over the years are the ones who put their trust in us to set up this club, even before we even started construction,\u201d they state. Conceived as an exclusive, international private club, Metr\u00f3polis houses seven different dining spaces, including a restaurant specializing in lobster and a terrace under its famous dome. There\u2019s also a luxury boutique hotel for clients and VIPs.<\/p>\n

\"\"The interior of Metr\u00f3polis, a private club.\u00a0Club Metr\u00f3polis\"\"The interior of Vega, a private club in Madrid.\u00a0Club Vega<\/p>\n

The latest arrival is Club Vega, in the Salamanca district. Its public face is I\u00f1igo Onieva, the \u201cbad boy\u201d with a heart of gold. He\u2019s beloved by the tabloids for his marriage to Tamara Falc\u00f3. The daughter of socialite Isabel Preysler and aristocrat Carlos Falc\u00f3, she is the singer Enrique Iglesias<\/a>\u2019 half-sister. <\/p>\n

Onieva\u2019s explanation for the shift in Madrid begins in London. He studied there, experiencing a lifestyle in which many personal, professional and social interactions take place within private clubs. When he returned to Madrid in 2018, he considered importing the model, but he ultimately concluded that the city wasn\u2019t ready yet. Now, he affirms, it is. <\/p>\n

\u201cMadrid is finally ready for this,\u201d he repeats several times, during his conversation with EL PA\u00cdS. <\/p>\n

Over the past few years, Madrid has been changing so rapidly that it seems as if nobody has had time to realize it. For decades, it was a reasonably large and important capital. But suddenly, it began appearing in international investment rankings. Luxury hotels multiplied. Major brands began competing for prime locations along the so-called \u201cGolden Mile.\u201d Investment funds set up shop on the Paseo de la Castellana, a major thoroughfare. \u201cLatin American students arrived, attracted by the business schools. And then, their parents came<\/a>,\u201d Rodr\u00edguez notes.<\/p>\n

\"\"The rooftop terrace at Metr\u00f3polis, a private club.\u00a0Club Metr\u00f3polis<\/p>\n

Vega is a prime example of the new Madrid: it occupies a huge space on Lagasca Street, surrounded by luxury boutiques, law firms and asset management companies. The club combines a restaurant, event space and meeting rooms, giving the impression that it\u2019s essentially a place for celebrities to have fun, without fear of appearing in the press. This must be what Onieva means when he constantly talks about \u201ccommunity.\u201d <\/p>\n

He explains that they want a mix of businesspeople, artists, athletes, designers, politicians and executives. Spaniards and foreigners, youngsters and older folks. \u201cWe don\u2019t want it to be a business club or a creative club. We want diversity,\u201d he emphasizes. <\/p>\n

But not diversity when it comes to finances, of course. Membership in these clubs costs around \u20ac4,000 a year, or $4,500. And that\u2019s just for entry: drinks are extra. And exclusivity isn\u2019t so much in the price as in the selection process. To get in, you have to be recommended by a member and accepted. <\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez insists that Forbes House isn\u2019t a club for the rich<\/a>. Rather, he clarifies, it\u2019s a club for success. The difference seems minor, but for him, it\u2019s fundamental. \u201cIn Spain, there\u2019s still a certain idea that success has to be invisible,\u201d he explains. \u201cHere, there\u2019s no shame in saying that you want to boost your business, your personal brand, or meet interesting people.\u201d<\/p>\n

For members only<\/p>\n

The three projects are distinct. And yet, they share an intuition. Madrid no longer behaves like the open and relatively egalitarian city that it once was. Or, at least, not only like that. There have always been clubs for Madrid\u2019s elite, but leisure activities mostly revolved around the bar: a democratic space, open to everyone (in principle). The new clubs reflect the expansion of the elite social class and replicate its principle of exclusion. Forbes House has an admissions committee. Vega has a selection process. And, at Metr\u00f3polis, memberships sold out before the club even opened. These are places where who gets in is just as important as who gets left out. <\/p>\n

Sign up for our weekly newsletter<\/a> to get more English-language news coverage from EL PA\u00cdS USA Edition<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cIn Europe, Madrid was playing in a lower league than it deserved. The major European capitals are Paris…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62857,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[82,25218,1895],"class_list":["post-62856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-madrid","tag-madrid","tag-metropolis-seguros","tag-paris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62856"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62856\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}