According to Cisco, creating SELECT was a way to provide top-tier brands and businesses with a sustainable and profitable method for attracting and retaining their target clientele, while offering SELECT members with premium benefits and high-quality, VIP experiences. In order to receive SELECT benefits, prospective members must apply through a fairly competitive process (Cisco notes somewhere between 30 and 40 percent of all applicants are offered membership). Once accepted to the SELECT community, members receive a black, metal card that is linked to one of their current credit or debit cards and must pay an annual fee of $150 to keep benefits active. Unlike competitor Magnises, SELECT focuses more on individual membership benefits as opposed to concentrating on social experiences. After operating in beta for almost a year in NYC, SELECT officially launched in the city this past July and has since grown its membership to more than 3,000 members. For those in its premier community, benefits include things such as sizable discounts at top-rated restaurants (with a score of 20 or higher on Zagat), low rates at top hotels (such as the Mondrian SoHo), ongoing special deals at retailers like Brooks Brothers, and even up to 50 percent most movie tickets. Members also have access to members-only SELECT events, from special lectures and speaker series to mixers and open bars. And, much like American Express’s Black Card, SELECT provides its members with a 24/7 concierge service. With all these benefits, it’s no surprise that the company has experienced a recent boost in applicants. At the beginning of 2015, SELECT will officially launch in D.C. – which, Cisco asserts, will be just the first in a total of about four or five cities to which it hopes to expand. This upcoming January, the company plans to host a party on Embassy Row announcing its official launch in the nation’s capital. According to Cisco, SELECT members in D.C. will gain access to such benefits as discounts to their full bills at restaurants by Richard Sandoval (e.g., Zengo) and José Andrés (e.g., Oyamel), as well as access to special events apropos of D.C.’s civic-minded crowd.Learn more about SELECT or apply for membership.
