André Balazs could turn his iconic Chateau Marmont hotel in LA into a private club by the end of this year.

He told the Wall Street Journal that he’d been considering the move for the past three years, but that the pandemic has accelerated his plan. He said if the idea takes off, he may open up members-only clubs in international locales, such as Milan, Paris, Tokyo, the South of France or a private island in Greece.

Page Six has reported that nearly all of the legendary hotel’s 242 employees were let go in March without insurance or severance and laid-off staffers have been protesting with local LA community leaders. Balazs donated $100,000 to a GoFundMe that raised $300,000, and he split that money among the former employees.

The hotel reopened in May and said it would rehire staff based on “guest volume.”