Gravity Haus profits more from memberships than hotel rooms

A North American hotel group has upended conventional hospitality economics by generating greater profitability from membership subscriptions than from room sales, according to its chief executive.

Jim Deters, who leads Gravity Haus—an adventure lifestyle hotel and membership club operating 13 locations across western Canada and the United States—disclosed that his company's subscription program delivers margins exceeding those of overnight accommodations. The brand's inaugural property launched in 2019 after Deters transitioned from two decades in software and community-focused ventures.

The Vail, Colorado location alone draws approximately 700 local subscribers who utilize the facility as workspace, café, and fitness center on a recurring monthly basis, rather than simply accruing loyalty points. This steady revenue stream helps stabilize cash flow during shoulder seasons that typically challenge mountain resort properties, effectively smoothing the pronounced peaks and valleys characteristic of ski-market hospitality.

A second membership tier targets subscribers in metropolitan areas including Denver, Texas, Florida, and New York, functioning as a paid loyalty mechanism. The company deploys time-sensitive booking alerts—termed "rope drops"—through its mobile application, pairing favorable weather forecasts with special rates to drive direct reservations outside traditional distribution channels. This direct-booking capability proved valuable during what Deters characterized as Colorado's poorest snow season on record, when Colorado-based members redirected travel to the company's recently opened Revelstoke, British Columbia property where conditions remained favorable.

The membership economics require substantial capital investment in amenity infrastructure. The Vail property allocates 18,000 square feet to member facilities including co-working areas, private meeting spaces, functional fitness equipment, steam rooms, saunas, cold-immersion pools, and instructor-led wellness programming. Deters acknowledged that most potential acquisitions fail economic feasibility analysis when measured against the cost of installing this comprehensive amenity package. "We look at dozens of opportunities before you get to say yes to one," he stated.

Operationally, the business runs dual technology systems: proprietary membership software built on HubSpot to accommodate program-specific requirements, while property management functions operate on the Mews platform.