Your Guide to Resort Private Club Memberships
Some of the most beautiful and sought after golf courses in the country are at top resorts, and unlike private clubs, they are open to guests of the resort rather than solely club members. However, if more resorts started thinking like private clubs, they would see there are many upsides to offering a membership to access golf facilities and other amenities to a select few.
In this blog we’ll explore how Capstone Hospitality approaches private club memberships within resorts and the successes they’ve had in either revamping or introducing private membership options to resorts all over the country. Learn the benefits and necessary steps to offering a golf course membership your patrons would readily sign up for.
Benefits of Resorts Offering a Private Membership Option
The first of many benefits is additional revenue. Tapping into golf course membership dues and initiation fees, in addition to regular revenue from hotel guests, can make a world of difference. It can be the key to upgrading facilities and amenities or serving as a reserve in slower seasons or unforeseen circumstances, like the pandemic.
For example, when travel slowed down in 2020, resorts had to offer huge discounts on hotel rooms to convince guests to travel. Meanwhile, golf club memberships saw an increase in interest from people who wanted a safe place to gather outside and leave their homes. Resorts offering golf club memberships were able to tap into the income they had from membership dues and initiation fees from private members when they lacked the normal traffic of resort guests.
Another key benefit of private membership clubs at your resort is building additional value and creating demand. Having a private club gives your resort an air of desirability and exclusivity, upping the perceived value of your services and adding prestige. In addition, resorts will benefit from additional revenue streams in nearly all departments via membership and their guests purchasing food and beverage, merchandise, and room nights.
Finally, resorts already have the infrastructure and amenities necessary to deliver a top-tier golf course membership experience. By not taking advantage of an opportunity to sell private club memberships to enjoy the facilities you already offer, resorts are more often than not leaving money on the table.
Working with a partner like Capstone Hospitality can be an important step in rolling out private memberships at your resort. Our team helps with determining how to leverage what your property already has to offer and build out your value proposition and exclusive privileges for members.
Capstone has worked with many resorts to create and implement private club and golf memberships. Here are three resorts across the spectrum of geography, size and phase of the private club membership process to give you an idea of what partnering with Capstone looks like.
The Biltmore – A Fully Implemented Private Club Program
Located in Coral Gables, FL, The Biltmore is one of the most iconic and sought-after championship golf courses in the country. The resort also features several bars and restaurants, pools and cabanas and a spa, making it a highly desirable vacation destination with top-tier amenities.
Before bringing in Capstone, The Biltmore offered an annual pre-paid golf membership. Without an initiation fee they didn’t have a long term commitment from their membership. Capstone recommended instituting initiation fees to garner revenue, drive demand, and reduce attrition. The Biltmore not only saw a substantial increase in capital, but they also have instilled a waitlist for memberships of over 60 applicants.
Waynesville Inn & Golf Club – Pre-Selling Golf Club Memberships and Building Demand
The Waynesville Inn & Golf Club in North Carolina was a former resort with a semi-private membership offering. Now, having rebranded and relaunched with private club memberships, they’ve sold over 230 memberships in the first year after partnering with Capstone. This was all in the pre-construction phase, well before members could start enjoying any of the amenities of the club.
With this revenue and new phase as a private club, they’re building a new golf course and renovating their facilities.
The Woodlands Club at Nemacolin – Beginning to Sell and Market New Golf Club Memberships
To ensure success when selling one of the most exclusive private resort memberships in the country, The Woodlands Club at Nemacolin in Pennsylvania brought in Capstone. The team at Capstone has been helping Nemacolin refine their value proposition, plan the roll-out and develop the membership marketing plan.
Currently, Nemacolin is in the early stages of developing and marketing their memberships. Capstone has found ways to leverage other partnerships for creative membership marketing. This includes a cross-promotional partnership between Magellan Jets and Nemacolin.
The First Steps in Golf Course Membership Development
Golf resorts considering the addition of golf club memberships to their offering should take a few initial steps as they begin thinking about how to market and sell. These steps include:
Determining your value proposition
Considering your current amenities offered
Deciding on the access for members and what amenities are included in membership/how to differentiate those between membership and resort guests
The bottom line is that resorts already have the infrastructure and amenities to offer a valuable membership experience that many are looking to take advantage of. That additional steady stream of revenue can play a huge role in the longevity of your resort and act as insurance in moments of economic uncertainty.
Capstone Hospitality can help you define your resort’s potential membership offering, including devising an enticing value proposition and implementing a fair yet profitable initiation fee to current membership programs. Take action to get started with Capstone today.