1880 Hong Kong members offered alternative club, but ‘not what we signed up for’
Swire Properties says it is arranging offers for members of closed club ‘as a gesture of goodwill’

Members of 1880 Hong Kong, a Singapore-based private club that recently shut down after only seven months in operation, have been offered a luxury lifeline by landlord Swire Properties.
The club told members on Thursday that they would be able to have joining fees waived for The Refinery, a club in Swire’s Taikoo Place that is operated by The Peninsula, and a food and drink credit would be provided.
But the announcement did not appear to have pacified members, with some preferring a refund of their original joining and subscription fees. Some said they no longer trusted the company and had not given their consent to join the alternative club, which was “not what we signed up for”.
1880 Hong Kong’s email to members on Thursday did not mention whether they would have to pay subscription fees for access to the luxury Swire-owned club.
An individual membership at The Refinery requires an entrance fee of HK$12,000 for Swire office tenants, while non-tenants pay HK$15,000. The monthly subscription costs HK$1,480.
The email asked members to contact The Refinery directly to accept the offer of full membership.