Culture | Travel

The interview: Mandala Club’s Ben Jones on how its partnership with luxury hospitality group ICON1C is elevating the private club experience

Mandala Club founder Ben Jones on how the private club is constantly evolving to give its members what they want—and what they didn’t know they wanted.

From Soho House to Annabel’s, the private club has become our generation’s idea of the third space—a place for connection, entertainment, and access. Singapore’s private club scene may be small, but it’s thriving. In a city this compact, clubs are under constant pressure to raise the bar, offering members exclusive events, curated experiences, and insider access to the best in dining, arts, and culture.

For Mandala Club, which started as Straits Clan, reinvention isn’t just a strategy, it’s survival. As its members evolve, so must the club. Just as people grow and change, their third spaces need to keep up.

That drive for evolution is behind Mandala’s new partnership with ICON1C, a luxury hospitality group founded by serial entrepreneur Patrick Grove’s Catcha Group.

Founder of Mandala Club, Ben Jones, explains: “Patrick and I were bouncing ideas around, and it all came together organically. Patrick’s vision and track record as a successful entrepreneur played a big role in this natural partnership.”

The goal? To take the membership experience beyond the club’s four walls—integrating luxury, travel, and lifestyle into every aspect of members’ lives.

We caught up with Mandala Club founder Ben Jones to talk about the partnership, Asia’s luxury customer, and Mandala’s deep commitment to the arts.

Boulevard: Tell me about the new partnership with ICON1C. What does that mean for the club?

Ben Jones: Honestly, the partnership doesn’t change much for the club directly, other than bringing new stakeholders and energy. It does, however, bring together several businesses under the ICON1C umbrella, which was created between Patrick and me. ICON1C aims to build a luxury experiences group, acquiring and developing best-in-class luxury experiences and community businesses. Each business will run independently but share synergies across the portfolio, benefiting clients or members across the board.

For example, Amber Lounge, one of Catcha’s businesses, offers premium after-party experiences at F1 events globally. Mandala members will now have access to exclusive benefits and privileges with Amber Lounge. Additionally, we’re looking at wellness and luxury travel offerings within the ICON1C portfolio. The idea is to create a family of brands that complement each other while maintaining strong individual identities.

The luxury consumer today is prioritising experiences over products, and ICON1C is positioning itself at the forefront of that shift. Wellness is a key part of this, and we aim to build a sustainable, long-term business that focuses on extending both health and experiences. It’s all about luxury experiences—shaping how high-net-worth individuals allocate their wallets to this economy.

Blvd: How do you see the luxury market evolving in Asia?

Jones: The luxury consumer in Singapore is sophisticated, but I’ve found that markets like Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok are also becoming increasingly sophisticated in terms of consumption—especially in areas like wellness and longevity. Interestingly, in some ways, these cities are ahead of Singapore in terms of progressiveness in these areas. This may be due to factors like freedom and speed of information, and the lower cost of setting up some of these experiences in other cities compared to Singapore.

Blvd: Mandala Club is very focused on art—tell us more.

Jones: We have six pillars to our brand, and one of them is the arts. The arts encompass visual arts, music, performing arts, literature, and fashion. A lot of it stems from personal passion, particularly for visual arts and music. We’ve tried to integrate this into several elements of what we do, whether it’s through music programming or the art collection we have displayed.

Our artwork collection is a mix of pieces from our own collection, which continues to grow, and works on loan from various members who kindly allow us to display their pieces. We have works by artists like Chagall, Mark Quinn, and Tracey Emin. Additionally, we have a partnership with AGAS (the Art Gallery Association of Singapore), which curates a collection on Level 2 featuring emerging artists from Singapore and Southeast Asia. This supports both emerging talent and independent galleries, with the collection rotating quarterly. It allows us to host events around new collections or artist showcases, while pieces like the Chagall and even Picassos are scattered around the club in a way that feels very much a part of the Mandala experience. It’s understated, but assured, much like our brand.

Blvd: Can you give an example of something unexpected in terms of the experiences you curate for your members?

Jones: Our members are quite diverse and join the club for various reasons. While the main draw is the exclusivity, fine dining, and the curated community, we also offer experiences like mental health talks, sound bowl meditation, and longevity seminars—things that might surprise people given the club’s focus on dining and socialising. Many of our members, particularly entrepreneurs, use the club for networking and personal development. Members can come here for anything from dancing and letting loose until 2 AM to focusing on education and personal growth.

We started realising that people want us for so many different things, and the club has evolved to meet these needs. We’re currently beginning renovations to create a dedicated members’ bar and a cocktail and music space. We’re confident now that we have a real understanding of our members, but we know things will continue to evolve. We’re also looking at expansion opportunities in Singapore, which may cater to other needs. For example, while 45% of our members have children, we’re considering offerings that reflect this demographic as well.

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