{"id":4776,"date":"2026-07-26T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/?p=4776"},"modified":"2026-07-26T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T17:00:00","slug":"the-new-rules-of-luxury-in-the-hamptons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/?p=4776","title":{"rendered":"The New Rules of Luxury in the Hamptons"},"content":{"rendered":"

We sat down with the brains behind Montauk\u2019s Surf Lodge and Barlume Beach to find out how partying has changed out east.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"barlume<\/div>\n

For decades, the Hamptons have been New York<\/a>\u2019s summer playground. The biggest, most exclusive parties, the emptiest beaches, and the hardest-to-get reservations. So it\u2019s no surprise that keeping a hospitality business relevant is an extreme sport.<\/p>\n

To make matters a little harder, the season lasts a little more than three months \u2013 Memorial Day to Labor Day. Guests arrive with high expectations, having spent the rest of the year moving between St Tropez<\/a>, St Barths, Aspen, and New York. And every summer brings a new wave of openings, pop-ups, and brand activations competing for the same affluent audience.<\/p>\n

Few people understand this pressure better than Jayma Cardoso and John Meadow. Between them, they have helped shape two very different sides of modern Hamptons hospitality: Cardoso\u2019s Surf Lodge<\/a>, which has breathed life into Montauk\u2019s summer scene for 18 seasons, and Meadow\u2019s LDV Hospitality Group, which operates internationally but in the Hamptons has been responsible (until recently) for F&B programming at Montauk Hotel Gurney\u2019s. It also operates LDV at The Maidstone Hotel, as well as brand new Barlume Beach<\/a>, a European-inspired Montauk beach club.<\/p>\n

\"surf
\u00a9Surf Lodge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Their audiences may differ \u2013 Surf Lodge\u2019s younger Montauk crowd versus Barlume\u2019s more understated European beach club approach and The Maidstone\u2019s older East Hampton clientele \u2013 but both believe the same thing: luxury, in the Hamptons, is changing.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are looking for a lot more than just nightlife,\u201d says Cardoso. \u201cThey want an experience. It\u2019s not just about the music \u2013 it\u2019s about great food and wellness. It\u2019s about creating real moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meadow believes some of this shift comes from social media, which has exposed consumers to more experiences and raised expectations. \u201cInstagram and social media are a major contributor to what\u2019s becoming this blended, amorphous world,\u201d he says. \u201cThe consumer is educated. They\u2019re experiencing more [and their] tastes are increasing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"snoop
\u00a9Surf Lodge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re selling now is an experience,\u201d he adds. \u201cConvenience is worthless. Young people are craving authenticity \u2013 something more substantial, the gravitas of a story and an experience. It has to be magical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cardoso saw this first-hand following Surf Lodge\u2019s famous Fourth of July party, which brought together internet personality Alix Earle, entrepreneur Bethenny Frankel, and rapper Central Cee (to name but a few VIP guests) for a performance by Snoop Dogg. \u201cThe next day I thought our morning wellness program was going to be a total bust,\u201d she laughs. \u201cClearly I am not part of this generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Almost every hotel guest attended. \u201cThey had a great night; they danced, but they don\u2019t put as much [alcohol] in their bodies as the older generation does. They\u2019re doing IV treatments, and they\u2019re drinking differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"supper
Straker’s supper club \u00a9Surf Lodge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just as intentional about our culinary program as our wellness one,\u201d Cardoso says. \u201cPeople are tired of just doing Pilates.\u201d So was born the Surf Lodge\u2019s Supper Club series. Rather than another VIP event, Cardoso wanted to create something more communal after noticing younger guests were looking for genuine connections.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t even really use dating apps anymore,\u201d she says. \u201cI thought, how do we create a dinner where people actually meet?\u201d The result is a long-table dinner where strangers eat together before watching live music. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to create magic within our little world,\u201d she says. \u201cYou come at 6:30 pm, watch the band, have drinks, have food, and hopefully meet great people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first Supper Club featured London<\/a> chef Thomas Straker of Straker\u2019s. Originally planned for around 60 guests, demand meant the event expanded to a custom circular table for 70, plus a long dining table for another 30 people.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"barlume
Barlume Beach \u00a9Jovani Demetrie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cardoso hints that, due to its success, similar events like another collaboration with Straker\u2019s could eventually come to Surf Lodge\u2019s sister property, Snow Lodge in Aspen. \u201cYou\u2019re the first to know,\u201d she reveals.<\/p>\n

Both founders reject the idea that the next generation is stepping away from luxury. Instead, they argue that they are becoming far more thoughtful about where their money is going. \u201cIt\u2019s not that this new generation doesn\u2019t spend money,\u201d says Cardoso. \u201cThey\u2019re just super intentional about where they\u2019re spending.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of endless bottles of alcohol, guests are putting their minimum spend table budget towards food and merchandise \u2013 including Surf Lodge\u2019s now-famous Popeyes chicken towers, complete with optional caviar add-ons.<\/p>\n

\"guests
\u00a9Surf Lodge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The demands and wants of the younger demographic are also changing how venues plan their programming. Cardoso says the old formula \u2013 announcing a major name and watching tickets disappear \u2013 no longer works in the same way. \u201cThe traditional way of programming is dead,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Surprise has become part of the appeal. \u201cWe see that ticket sales are okay with a certain DJ, and then the minute we say we have a surprise guest, that interests them,\u201d she says, pointing to an upcoming surprise performance by Swae Lee and Lil Yachty. \u201cThat\u2019s a lot more exciting for them than us announcing who the talent is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis generation is rewriting the rules,\u201d she adds. \u201cThey don\u2019t want to be told what\u2019s cool. Unless it\u2019s an authentic program, they see right through it.\u201d For Cardoso, that has created more freedom rather than less. Younger audiences are open to unexpected collaborations and new ideas because they are not simply chasing whatever is trending.<\/p>\n

\"surf
\u00a9Surf Lodge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0\u201cMusically, they\u2019re very broad. Their ears are open, and they\u2019re open to these unexpected moments and have a sense of discovery.\u201d Even established artists are adapting. Diplo, who returns to Surf Lodge this summer, is experimenting with a country-house set rather than repeating previous performances.<\/p>\n

Surf Lodge\u2019s ability to evolve has helped it remain relevant in a market where many question whether Montauk\u2019s moment has passed. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s over anytime soon,\u201d she says. \u201cPeople ask me all the time why Surf Lodge is so popular. It\u2019s because we\u2019re always reinventing ourselves. There is no autopilot.\u201d<\/p>\n

But reinvention does not mean chasing every trend. In fact, both founders believe the opposite. \u201cWe\u2019re not trying to be the Four Seasons or Aman,\u201d says Cardoso. \u201cWe are who we are.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"surf
\u00a9Surf Lodge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI\u2019m never thinking, \u2018What\u2019s trendy? What\u2019s cool right now?\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cWe don\u2019t even consider ourselves cool,\u201d she says. Meadow has taken the same approach to his new Montauk concept, Barlume Beach. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a wonderful reception to Barlume Beach,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd I think so much of that is we\u2019ve maintained that nonchalant, understated, nuanced European elegance. There\u2019s no gimmicks. Zero.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur business is that we\u2019re restaurateurs at our core,\u201d he says. \u201cClassic will never die, and classic is what\u2019s relevant. The virality of chasing the newest trend of a club-staurant \u2013 the kind of stuff you might see in Miami<\/a> or certain regions in the country \u2013 is not what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll never do a sparkler,\u201d he adds. Guests may order $20,000 worth of champagne, but there are no bottle parades or theatrical displays. For Meadow, protecting that identity matters more than chasing online attention. \u201cWe will not ever concede on the integrity of our belief system,\u201d he says. \u201cNot for a like on a phone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking forward, Cardoso seeks to evolve with the younger generation, without losing sight of what made Surf Lodge successful in the first place. \u201cEvery year I\u2019m like, what are we going to do differently in all the pillars \u2013 in the restaurant, in the wellness world, in the music world,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year was very electronic heavy, and this year I said, \u2018You know what? We\u2019re going to bring the bands back. We\u2019re going to go back to our roots, we\u2019re going to spice it up,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cPeople want change. Sometimes they don\u2019t even know what they want. To be honest, you\u2019ve got to give it to them.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We sat down with the brains behind Montauk\u2019s Surf Lodge and Barlume Beach to find out how partying has changed out east.\u00a0 For decades, the Hamptons have been New York\u2019s summer playground. The biggest, most exclusive parties, the emptiest beaches, and the hardest-to-get reservations. So it\u2019s no surprise that keeping a hospitality business relevant is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","beyondwords_generate_audio":"","beyondwords_project_id":"","beyondwords_content_id":"","beyondwords_preview_token":"","beyondwords_player_content":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_delete_content":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_status":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4776\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}