Good luck getting in.
Williamsburg’s newest dance club, Unveiled, has been branded the hip neighborhood’s “most exclusive nightlife destination” and revelers looking to step inside face some unique hurdles thanks to its “innovative” door policy.
The club pulled out all the stops to “shape the perfect crowd” — forcing wannabe attendees to submit online applications which are then reviewed by a panel of public relations and marketing experts.
The subterranean spot opened in January at the William Vale Hotel under Full Life Hospitality Group — the same team behind Manhattan’s Virgo dance club, Make Believe rooftop and Music for A While listening bar.
“The only thing we’re looking for is if the individual fits the vibe, fits what’s going on in here,” Full Life Hospitality founding partner James O’Hanlon told The Post.
“If you’re in here as a guest and you feel that every other person in here is matching your energy and matching your vibe, you’re going to have an infinitely better time.”
Only about 350 RSVP requests are approved out of about 1,000 applications per night, according to a rep for the club.
The 200-capacity club room at Unveiled was designed to match the William Vale’s five-star clientele and cater to both hotel guests and waterfront residents, as well as the urbanites working for cutting-edge startups in the area, O’Hanlon said.
“We’re taking listening room to another level,” said James Pfautz, the club’s creative director, noting specs like a state-of-the-art lighting and sound system. “What we really want is a place to dance.”
The nightclub’s weekly roster, featuring deep house and electronic music-focused DJs, is released online on Mondays — which is when the clock starts ticking for guests to submit applications on the Unveiled website.
The marketing team then “does some searches on the [applying] individual’s social media,” O’Hanlon said, as well as “anything that can be found online, and [the team] makes a decision based on that.”
Criteria includes social engagement, influence and “alignment with Unveiled’s ethos of high-energy, avant-garde culture,” a rep said.
To put it simply, “you can’t buy cool,” O’Hanlon remarked. “It’s a win-win for everyone. You can’t pay a door guy, there is no status that would get you in here.”
And what are the red flags the PR team is on the hunt for?
If you’re “going to stick out like a sore thumb,” O’Hanlon said. “Are they going to rise above or below the rest for whatever reason — something super negative or flashy, where we feel like somebody’s going to buy a table and kind of flex on everybody in the room.”
Applicants can expect a turnaround time of 48 to 72 hours for their coveted approval, O’Hanlon said.
While there’s no official cutoff time, O’Hanlon encourages punctuality – and not applying for an RSVP at 1 a.m. on Friday night.
“Why didn’t you think about it earlier?” he said of late respondents. “We have a ton of people that thought about it earlier, and they’re probably going to get some priority over you.”
Those who don’t apply ahead of time can always try their luck at the door, though space for walk-ins is never guaranteed, O’Hanlon said.
A reporter for The Post, who had not applied for an RSVP, was given the OK from the doorman on Saturday night.
But even those with an approved RSVP must still pass the doorman’s “vibe check” — that is, unless you want to shell out a “guaranteed entry” ticket for the price of a $60 bar tab.
The exclusive RSVP process also comes as a swath of other nightclubs are embracing more barriers to entry.
As of Friday, the former next-door neighbor of the Jane Hotel party spot in the West Village has been transformed into ultra-exclusive, celebrity-driven San Vicente, joining the ranks of members-only Manhattan spots like Zero Bond and Casa Cipriani.
Cosmo, a dance club opened on the Bowery late last year, requires a personal relationship with “team members at the club” – and even boasts its own Cosmo Social Club for the inner circle.
“We always hated the process of the door at clubs,” O’Hanlon said. “Sometimes it’s making people feel bad about themselves … but you have to be really selective to keep a caliber that matches the expectations of the experience we’re providing.”
Unveiled, tucked away in an industrial section of North 13th Street near the waterfront, is part of a strip of Williamsburg quickly being overtaken with nightclub venues aplenty — from Superior Ingredients to Gabriela to Desert 5 Spot, all of which opened within the last four years.
“Williamsburg is where the action is right now,” O’Hanlon said. “The traffic is really moving to Williamsburg and Greenpoint. With the cost of living, people are moving out of the city.
“There’s an individuality associated with Brooklyn, there’s a different type of coolness,” O’Hanlon added. “This area, I truly believe, is going to become the new Soho.”
— Additional reporting by Steven Vago