Bay Club Silicon Valley opens August 1, 2012

The Bay Club Silicon Valley opens August 1, and it seemed an appropriate time to write a little about my personal impressions of the club.

 I did an overview piece for San Jose Fitness titled, Bay Club Silicon Valley prepares to open in Cupertino" which talks about the club.You'll see that I like the club, I like the feel of it, and I like that it seems to hit a nice spot for the busy Silicon Valley professional. You can also see what the Cupertino Courier (a Mercury News local edition) had to say about it: Bay Club Silicon Valley Settles in at Vallco

But even after my article ran, friends asked what I REALLY thought about it. Is it outrageously overpriced (no - it's not the cheapest place in town but it's not into the gouge-you territory); is it snooty (not at all - well, members will have some effect but the atmosphere feels good).

Is it family-friendly? Yes, but not the ideal place if you have young children who want to swim, be in sports, etc. There's an urban feel to it, which the club understands well. I saw an article about an upcoming singles mixer there, which seems like an "ah hah" kind of marketing.

And speaking of marketing, what was most impressive to me as a marketing professional is that when I told people I had toured it, no one said, "Oh, I didn't know there was a new club."

The women in my neighborhood (about seven miles from the club) and friends of mine who live in Cupertino had all heard about the club. Just goes to show the power of great marketing. 

I met their marketing chief at the press tour, and she said they did several mailings to a radius of about 15 miles of the club. I think it is more than just the list, of course. Their materials were branded well, good sales tools - overall,  I was impressed.

So far as whether you should try it, if the location works for you (off 280 on Wolff and DeAnza in the Vallco Shopping Center) you should definitely stop by for a tour.