Embassy Club

What Embassy Club does

Embassy Club (legal name: Des Moines Embassy Club) is a privately held, member-governed city club operating dual clubhouses in the Des Moines metropolitan area — the Downtown clubhouse on the 34th floor of the Ruan Center at 666 Grand Avenue and the West clubhouse at 520 Market Street in West Des Moines. The club is the product of the 2002 merger of the Des Moines Club (founded 1912) and the Embassy Club, making it the only consolidated city club in the market with a continuous operating history spanning more than a century.

The revenue model is built on three streams: recurring membership dues (tiered by age and corporate size at $112-$147 per month per individual member, with a one-time $1,000 initiation fee and a 5% discount for annual pay), on-site food and beverage sales across both clubhouses, and private event hosting plus offsite catering for weddings, corporate meetings, and conferences. Membership is acquired through a sponsorship-by-an-existing-member model administered by a dedicated Membership Director, and members gain access to a curated reciprocal network of more than 200 partner clubs across the US, Canada, Australia, and international markets including Singapore, the UK, and continental Europe. Distribution is direct via the club's event and membership teams, supplemented by a digital marketing presence across Google, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, The Knot, and local advertising.

The core technology layer is described only as standard hospitality club management and reservation systems; there is no proprietary software, public application, or API surface. The competitive position rests on two physical venues with capacity ranging from 25 to 1,000 guests, an established chef talent base (Executive Chefs Matt Uitermarkt and Randy Brown), an on-site garden at the West clubhouse, and dual recognition by dsm Magazine ("Top View of the City" and "Top Private Party Room").

Name

Embassy Club

Legal name

Des Moines Embassy Club

Website

https://embassyclub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Des Moines Embassy Club is a privately held, member-governed city club operating dual clubhouses in Des Moines and West Des Moines, serving business professionals, retirees, and corporate members with dining, private events, offsite catering, and access to 200+ reciprocal clubs worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Naples, Florida

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Recurring monthly or annual membership dues from individual and corporate members. Includes one-time initiation fee of $1,000 upon acceptance.
2. Food and Beverage Sales: On-site dining at both Downtown and West locations including lunch, dinner, bar service, and special events. Members and their guests pay for meals and beverages.
3. Private Events and Catering: Revenue from hosting weddings, meetings, conferences, private parties, and offsite catering services at both clubhouses and external venues.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Des Moines Embassy Club operates a dual-location private membership club providing members access to two clubhouses (Downtown at the Ruan Center and West Des Moines) with dining, bar service, private event spaces, and exclusive member events. The club sells individual and corporate memberships with recurring dues and a one-time initiation fee, and generates additional revenue from on-site dining, private event hosting (weddings, meetings, conferences, private parties), and offsite catering services. Members also gain access to a reciprocal network of more than 200 affiliated private clubs worldwide.

Product overview

The Des Moines Embassy Club operates a dual-location private membership club model. The core offering consists of membership access to two clubhouses—one Downtown in the Ruan Center and one in West Des Moines—providing dining services, private event hosting, and reciprocal club benefits. The Downtown and West Clubhouses serve as the primary venue products, with the Private Events Services (weddings, meetings, conferences, parties) and Dining Services representing the main service offerings. Offsite Catering extends club services beyond the physical locations, while the Reciprocal Club Network provides global access to 200+ partner clubs. The Membership Program serves as the entry point, with tiered pricing for individual and corporate categories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Program Private club membership providing access to two clubhouse locations (Downtown and West Des Moines), dining facilities, private events, reciprocal club access to 200+ clubs worldwide, and exclusive member events. Available to individuals (age-tiered) and corporate groups (2–5+ employees).
• Private Events Services Full-service event planning and hosting for weddings, meetings, conferences, and private parties across multiple event spaces at the Downtown and West clubhouses, with capacities from 25 to 1,000 guests and dedicated event coordinators.
• Dining Services Elevated on-site dining featuring fresh local ingredients, with lunch options (formal menu or buffet) and dinner options (casual small plates or formal tableside cart service). Downtown features a Prime Cuts steakhouse menu; West offers a seasonal Prix Fixe menu and uses an on-site organic garden.
• Offsite Catering Catering services delivered to external venues including homes, offices, and partner venues such as Jasper Winery, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, World Food Prize, and Hoyt Sherman Place.
• Reciprocal Club Network Access Member benefit providing access to more than 200 reciprocal private clubs across the United States, Canada, Australia, and international locations including Belgium, Brazil, China, England, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, and Scotland.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Battery SF: A private members club in San Francisco combining dining, event spaces, and curated member experiences. Represents a more contemporary members club model but offers the same core combination of F&B, events, and member services as Embassy Club.
• Soho House: Soho House operates a global network of private members clubs with dining, events, and reciprocal access across locations. It is the most prominent scaled private members club comparable to Embassy Club's model of membership-based dining and event hosting.
• The Houston Club: A traditional private city club serving business professionals with dining, event hosting, and member amenities. Comparable to Embassy Club in combining subscription revenue with F&B and private event operations.
• The Jonathan Club: A historic private city club in Los Angeles offering dining, social events, and member amenities. Its operating model of membership dues plus F&B and event revenue parallels Embassy Club's structure.
• The Chicago Club: A traditional private city club serving executives and professionals with dining, member events, and private meeting spaces. Its model of subscription dues plus F&B spend mirrors Embassy Club's revenue mix.
• The Metropolitan Club of New York: A traditional city club founded in 1891 with dining, event spaces, and a professional membership base. It mirrors Embassy Club's focus on business professionals, formal dining, and private events, with a comparable membership dues structure.
• The Minnesota Club: A historic private city club in Saint Paul with dining, social events, and reciprocal club affiliations. Comparable to Embassy Club in serving a Midwestern business professional base with city-club amenities.
• The Fort Worth Club: A historic Texas private city club offering dining, social events, and business meeting spaces. Comparable to Embassy Club in serving a regional business community with a multi-generational membership model.
• The Rainier Club: A private city club in Seattle founded in the late 19th century, offering dining, member events, and reciprocal club access. Operates on a similar membership dues plus F&B and events revenue model.
• The University Club of Chicago: A long-established private city club with dining rooms, event spaces, and reciprocal club access. It serves a similar business professional and executive member base with tiered membership categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/embassy-club

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Embassy Club