A private lifestyle club and hotel is coming to 2400 Market

Add this to the list of things you never knew Philly needed: Fitler Club, a private lifestyle club with an indoor pool, a boutique hotel, a high-end restaurant, and a bowling alley is coming to 2400 Market.

David Gutstadt, the brains behind Fitler Club, just announced at a hard hat tour on Thursday his plans to bring the high-end club to the former Marketplace Design Center right on the Schuylkill River. The club will set up shop on the lower levels of the building, which is currently in the middle of an overbuild renovation that will also be the home of Aramark’s new headquarters.

“I’ve been in hospitality for 20 years,” said Gutstadt, “and I continuously would come back here and say, ‘Why don’t we have these great things?’ You’ve got all these amazing companies and an influx of youth, energy, and empty nesters—and we have a very active population in terms of boutique fitness. So the customers are here, but there’s no outlet to put all of these things together.”

Enter Fitler Club, an idea that has been in the works for about a year, Gutstadt says. He likens it to places like the international private membership club Soho House and the co-working giant WeWork, but says his club aims to blend all of those services into one.

Gutstadt wouldn’t divulge membership rates, but said, “they will be very competitive with other similar offerings.” Memberships at Soho House in New York, for example, start at $1,050. There will also be a selection process.

To design the more than 75,000 square feet of space, Gutstadt brought on Los Angeles-based design firm MRad to create the feel of a high-end club with a homey atmosphere. “We want people to feel comfortable, but also like they’re walking into a very unique space,” says MRad’s Matthew Rosenberg.

“We really tried to pull the history of Philly into it, so it’s very rich and has a lot of structure,” Rosenberg continues. “But we’re based in LA, so we really wanted to bring some of that influence in here, as well.”

Here’s everything to expect when the club opens in early 2019.

14 luxury hotel rooms

In keeping with the mission to provide a “second home” atmosphere, the Fitler Club will offer more than a dozen hotel rooms, including two guest suites and three junior suites. The smallest room will clock in at 400 square feet.

10,000 square feet of event space

That includes a a 4,600-square-foot Art Deco-style ballroom. Next to that will be what Gutstadt is calling the Trophy Room, which will include the bowling lanes, billiards, and ping-pong tables. There will also be co-working spaces, private offices, and boardrooms.

Photos by Melissa Romero

Top: The views are one of the main features that convinced Gutstadt to bring the Fitler Club to 2400 Market. “This is the new Center City,” he said.

A private movie theater

This cinema will seat somewhere between 45 and 50 movie-goers and will show first-run films, Eagles games, and other private screenings.

A 20,000-square-foot fitness center

The lower level will have a massive fitness center with a three-lane indoor lap pool and hot- and cold-plunge baths. There will also be a rock-climbing wall and pilates, yoga, and cycling studios.

A high-end restaurant

Rounding out the lifestyle club will be a large restaurant with Jeff Benjamin, who founded the Vetri Family, and chef Kevin Sbraga at the helm. The restaurant and private dining room will have big views of the Schuylkill River Trail and the University City skyline, plus access to an 800-square-foot terrace overlooking Chestnut Street.

When it opens in 2019, Fitler Club will join another private lifestyle club across the river in the FMC Tower, Level 28.