Select, founded in New York in 2015, puts forth the bold mandate of “building the best digital membership and concierge service in the world.”
Led by serial entrepreneur Carlo Cisco, Select unlocks special access, insider pricing, and VIP treatment with premier brands and venues across the world.
Select is certainly on its way to achieving its mandate. The company currently offers benefits more premier, expansive, and flexible than those you’ll find from premier memberships, concierges, and credit cards.
Select’s partner network spans over 1.5 million locations globally and offers ongoing discounts with digital brands and business services. These benefits include significant discounts (15-30%), complimentary drinks, or both at top-tier restaurants, including 100+ in New York, ongoing special offers with brands like BMW, Tumi, Porsche Drive, Brooks Brothers, Diptyque, Sakara, Lazzoni, Maui Jim, Caraway, HP, and Royal Caribbean, to name a few, and unpublished rates up to 60% off at hundreds of thousands of hotels & resorts.
Select recently introduced access to invite-only VIP status and amenities with 5,000+ luxury resorts. These include benefits such as early check-in, room upgrades, complimentary breakfast, hotel credits, and welcome amenities with brands like the Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, Hilton, Waldorf Astoria, Hyatt, Auberge, and many others.
According to Cisco, Select provides members with ongoing access to premier benefits and bespoke experiences while providing top-tier businesses with a sustainable and brand-enhancing way to build lasting relationships with their target clientele.
“We saw an opportunity to meaningfully improve people’s lives by improving the way businesses and customers connect,” said Cisco.
The program is designed for high-income customers; its flexibility, partner brands, venues, and benefits are unlike any we’ve seen. The closest comparison may be FoundersCard, but it doesn’t offer dining or nightlife benefits or include a concierge. Select also hosts more frequent member events. Cisco also noted that Select’s hotel program is at least 30x larger and often has better rates.
Select’s members-only events include private dinners, speaker series, cocktail hours, gallery openings, and more. Members have enjoyed VIP access to events with musicians and DJs such as Doja Cat, Norah Jones, and Steve Aoki and events during New York Fashion Week, Miami Art Week, F1, the Masters, the US Open, and multiple award shows.
To receive Select benefits, prospective members apply through a simple but competitive process. Cisco notes that the community’s median individual income is $200,000, and the average income is $485,000+. However, he stressed that income is not the only factor for membership.
The community spans from young professionals to professional athletes, hedge fund managers, and serial entrepreneurs. In addition to allowing members to connect in person, Select recently introduced digital member profiles to allow members to connect digitally.
Once accepted to the Select community, members receive a personalized black titanium membership card and immediate access to all member benefits through the website and mobile app. Members must pay a membership fee of $495/year to keep the membership and all benefits active.
Members also have access to Select’s dedicated concierges via live chat. The concierge team assists members with reservations and provides recommendations for restaurants, travel, and experiences. Select’s concierges are in-house and have local market knowledge wherever Select members may go. Some members of Select’s concierge team previously worked with renowned brands such as Quintessentially and the Four Seasons.
Select’s hotel and travel benefits are global, and most lifestyle, entertainment, retail, and business benefits are national. Select offers dining benefits in 31 markets, spanning the US, Canada, and Mexico, with more countries on the way.
Cisco says some member favorites in New York include restaurants like Meduza Meditteranea, KYU, Sushi by Bou, STK, Lindens, Legacy Records, Quality Bistro, and TAO. For entertainment and sports, favorites include the Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Rangers, and outposts like SPIN or Bowlero.
When asked about new program additions, Cisco noted that the company’s focus is on continuing to improve its overall value proposition and user experience. But he did mention a few exciting additions on the horizon, including user-facing AI tools for travel, dining, and entertainment planning, the expansion of newly added features to see recommendations from other members, and even the addition of a members-only investment syndicate for difficult-to-access private market opportunities.
