Featured Property: The Willow Club Mansfield

By: Destination Club News
Date: August 22, 2010

The Willow Club launched their new private membership club just a few short weeks ago, billed as a "first-of-its-kind." Members of the exclusive club receive such benefits as premium season tickets to all New York area sports teams, membership at a private golf club, complimentary entry to New York City museums, and access to hotel properties throughout the city. Members can choose between The Mansfield on 44th Street and The Shoreham on 55th Street, both just off Fifth Avenue, and The Franklin on the Upper East Side at 87th Street and Lexington Avenue. Last week we asked our readers which of these properties were their favorite, and The Mansfield narrowly edged out the competition.

The 126 room Mansfield Hotel gives guests prime access to some of New York City's most popular attractions, including Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, Saks Fifth Avenue, Grand Central Terminal, NY Public Library, Times Square, and the Empire State Building.

Included within are a wide range of units. The Chambre Petite includes a full size bed ideal for the individual traveler while the Renwick Duplex Penthouse includes everything from 18 foot floor to ceiling windows, wet bar, motorized retractable flat-panel LCD, and sunken Jacuzzi bathtub. The amenities available to guests are just as diverse as the rooms themselves. Members have pillow top mattresses, Aveda bath products, free wireless internet, iHome Dual Alarm Clock Radios, all the way down to complimentary shoeshines.

"In creating Willow Club, we drew upon our extensive understanding of travelers who visit New York City to secure and acquire an incredible and unparalleled selection of benefits for our members – including great hotels – the outcome was the creation of a private club product never seen before," said Willow Club President John Yoon. "Every benefit was selected to provide members with the ability to enjoy some of the most sought after city experiences, with the flexibility to enjoy the world."

Several other destination clubs have launched similar ventures in the past, almost exclusively in the South Beach region of Florida. Of their peers, The Willow Club certainly has the best amenities provided to members, so it will be intriguing to see if the New York destination proves more success than their Florida counterparts.