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Denise Tsang

Lam Ka-sing

An exclusive Hong Kong sports club will press ahead with an imminent change of operator for its Central clubhouse despite objections by some of its members about unfair access and incompatibility of their client profiles, the South China Morning Post has learned.
The controversy began about a fortnight ago after private members’ club Carlyle & Co announced it would take over the operation of the Town Club of the Hong Kong Golf & Tennis Academy (HKGTA).
Some HKGTA members told the SCMP that the deal was unfair to them as they had paid up to HK$2.68 million (US$342,200) for their membership, whereas Carlyle & Co memberships were offered at a substantially lower price – as low as under HK$50,000.
They were angry that members of both clubs could access each other’s facilities despite the disparity in membership fees.
“The membership threshold for Carlyle & Co is lower, so there will naturally be more members. For existing HKGTA or Town Club members, this is actually a negative,” one member said. “This is because when we signed up under the Town Club branding, we expected that there wouldn’t be too much foot traffic inside.”
Another patron objected to the move on account of the clubs’ different clientele. The Town Club was patronised by more professionals, including lawyers, bankers, doctors and corporate executives, whereas Carlyle & Co’s younger membership base included key opinion leaders, entrepreneurs, and those in the insurance and service industries, the patron said.
The patron added that many fellow members were dissatisfied about the club’s exclusivity being undermined by access being granted to certain credit card holders and corporate branding events.
The first HKGTA member said the key requests by some patrons included reversing the rebranding of the Town Club, full disclosure of all external access, establishing a patron committee for more consultation, transparency and accountability, and full transparency of fee structures.
The patron said some members would meet the company management soon and the issue was urgent because of the operational change on June 8.
The deal will see Carlyle & Co operate the 18,000-square-metre (194,000 sq ft) clubhouse located on the 24th floor of New World Tower, which offers restaurants, bars and other entertainment facilities.
Both clubs are affiliated with property developer New World Development.
In a reply to SCMP queries, the HKGTA said on Friday night that the transfer of operations would take effect on June 8 as planned and that members would gain special access to Carlyle & Co’s club premises at the Rosewood Hong Kong hotel.
“Patrons will also enjoy additional privileges across Rosewood Hotel Group’s global portfolio, in line with – and in some cases exceeding – those extended to Carlyle & Co members,” the HKGTA said.
But some members said they were shocked that a decision had been made without prior consultation and fair compensation.
The HKGTA said it had informed its members of the change, but some felt that the management’s statement did not adequately address their concerns.
“[The management] simply said it would go ahead regardless of the latest demands by patrons,” the second patron said. “Their corporate PR statements are totally ignorant and obnoxious, similar to their announcement of the rebranding.”
In response to the criticisms, the HKGTA said: “We take all feedback seriously and remain in close dialogue with patrons to listen to their views, share the new privileges, and discuss the path forward constructively.”
A source familiar with the change of operations said the move aimed to boost the venue’s usage and revenue.
Carlyle & Co, whose design mirrors the iconic The Carlyle hotel in New York, is located on the 54th floor of the Rosewood in Tsim Sha Tsui. It offers music and reading rooms, a library, a private barber and tailor, and a wine cellar, among other features.
The first HKGTA member said existing patrons faced booking limitations at Carlyle & Co facilities and restrictions on use during the summer months.
The HKGTA’s main clubhouse is located in Sai Kung, alongside a golf course, tennis courts, restaurants, wellness and training facilities and rooms for accommodation.

The HKGTA is part of New World, and Rosewood is owned by Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, controlled by the family of tycoon Henry Cheng Kar-shun. Rosewood is headed by his daughter Sonia Cheng Chi-man.
Some patrons also raised the issue of membership resales.
The HKGTA recently amended its by-laws by introducing requirements and restrictions on the resale of memberships, the patron said. Under the changes, any membership resale must be approved by management and the number of sales is subject to a quota, the patron added.
“This is one of many unjust club rules. This is a much wider issue,” the patron said. “This revealed a consumer rights violation that had been hidden for a long time in the private membership club industry in terms of transfer cost and restrictions, increasing membership fees and deteriorating rights and offering.”
The patron also objected to the transfer of the Town Club’s operations.
“They sell you the sky to lure you into buying the memberships but then slowly boil you with increasing fees and lesser offerings over time,” the patron said.
The patron added that the club’s intervention in the resale of memberships had taken place in recent years, with vetting by management making it more difficult for members to relinquish their memberships.
“The move effectively controls the number of members who want to sell the membership, to avoid the membership value from collapsing,” he said.


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Some members of exclusive sports club object to Town Club operations transfer, complaining about unfair access and incompatible patron profiles


Some members of exclusive sports club object to Town Club operations transfer, complaining about unfair access and incompatible patron profiles.


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New World Development

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Some members of exclusive sports club object to Town Club operations transfer, complaining about unfair access and incompatible patron profiles

Some members of exclusive sports club object to Town Club operations transfer, complaining about unfair access and incompatible patron profiles