The Hosted Home Providers: The Quorum

Starting his career in banking in 2000, Vivek Narain spearheaded a financial transaction in the hospitality sector in 2006, which marked his transition into hospitality.

Vivek Narain, Founder and CEO of The Quorum, shares, “The move into hospitality was accidental. I had just finished working with the Fairmont Raffles Hotels International. I enjoyed my time with that and wanted to remain in hospitality.”

So just to remain in hospitality, Vivek Narain, along with his wife Sonya Jehan, founded The Quorum in 2018.

Sonya always wanted to operate her own restaurant, according to Narain. “We wanted to get together because it was a significant year for us. Inspired by the global club revival, we aimed to establish a comparable environment in India,” he says.

Today, The Quorum is available in Gurugram, Mumbai, and Hyderabad.

The first club was unveiled in Gurgaon in June 2018. It spread across 35,000 square feet in the Robert Stern-designed DLF Horizon Center development. Subsequently, in July 2021, a second club, spread across two floors and 56,000 square feet, opened in Central Mumbai’s One World Center. The third and largest club, spanning 80,000 square feet, has recently opened doors in Hyderabad’s Sattva Knowledge City.

Jehan says, “Vivek and I always loved hosting people at home. What we’ve built with The Quorum is, in many ways, similar to that. More than a club, The Quorum is a “hosted home”—a third space, your home away from home. It’s important for us that people feel comfortable and have a sense of belonging when they are at The Quorum.”

Recently, it launched its second flagship brand, District150, which is a meeting and event venue driven by hospitality. It’s an amenity for the office building of tomorrow, which adds value by transforming the building into a social and cultural hub during non-work hours.

Jehan grew up in a household with an artistic background. According to her, her grandmother was an acclaimed singer and actor; her father was a photographer; and her mother was a fashion designer.

“I always had a creative bent, specifically towards design. As a child as well, I was fascinated by prints, patterns, fabrics, and colours. Furthermore, my maternal family has a restaurant business in France. Creating experiences and bonding over meals have been an integral part of my life,” she shares.

Commenting on the odds of a creative breakthrough, Narain emphasised that there is no magic formula. However, I believe there is a creative side to everyone. I think I have developed this skill set over time and now really enjoy the creative part of what we do. I guess I figured out how to stoke the right side of my brain!

The brand claims that over 3,000 people are members of The Quorum, including public leaders, writers, journalists, film-makers, industrialists, unicorn creators, and venture capitalists.

For The Quorum’s phase 1 of expansion, the platform aims to establish three more clubs over the next 4–5 years. Its next targets are Bangalore, Goa, and Delhi.

For district 150, it is targeting 8–10 District150 developments over the next 5 years. Its target cities include NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, and Kolkata.

“For any business, it’s crucial—but often overlooked—to maintain a consistent focus on the basics. Get the product right, understand your consumer, and deliver excellence consistently. If you get this right, scale will solve itself,” Narain concludes.

Facts:

• Amount of external funding received: Undisclosed
• Number of people employed: Currently 350, our employee strength will grow to 500 this year.
• Turnover: Undisclosed
• Year of Inception: 2018
• Key customers: – Thinkers, Doers, and Achievers of tomorrow—voices of influence across sectors including business, technology, finance, culture, art, film, media, literature, politics, sports, et al. For us, it’s not about where you come from, but where you are headed.