VAULT

Private · Master Plan · v1.0
VAULTHOSPITALITY SOPS

VAULT · Hospitality SOPs

Moment-by-moment staff protocols. Written so a new hire can execute on Day 1 at the same standard as a Year 3 veteran.

The three roles that touch every member visit

  1. Concierge / Doorman (front of house, hospitality-first)
  2. Attendant (floor + locker + amenity delivery)
  3. Instructor / PT (practice delivery)

Plus, for member escalation: 4. Director of Member Experience (recovery + escalation + relationship anchor) 5. GM (final authority + VIP + crisis)

Standing dress code

  • Doorman + Concierge: black tailored suit (Suitsupply or Theory), white shirt (no logo), no tie, VAULT lapel pin (understated, brass tone matching interior)
  • Attendants: VAULT-branded uniform (matte black t-shirt or long-sleeve, black cotton pants, black leather trainers, brass name tag)
  • Instructors: black VAULT training kit, own choice of top within brand palette
  • PT: black slacks, VAULT polo (long or short sleeve), athletic shoes clean, no visible logos
  • Director MX + GM: business casual, black or oxblood or cream, no logos, no denim

No visible tattoos policy: none. VAULT does not police staff tattoos. VAULT hires for hospitality soul first.

The 10 non-negotiable member touchpoints per visit

Every visit contains these ten touchpoints. Any missed = coaching for the shift lead.

  1. Doorman greeting by name (within 3 seconds of member appearing)
  2. Concierge welcome + drink offer (within 45 seconds of entering)
  3. Personalized note delivered by concierge (class saved, PT booked, favorite instructor teaching, etc.)
  4. Locker access confirmed and stocked
  5. Instructor greeting on class entry (by name, standing near door of studio)
  6. Attendant water refill offered at transition (mid-visit)
  7. Recovery amenity offered at post-practice (sauna, cold plunge, steam)
  8. Café or lounge invitation (post-recovery)
  9. Departure ritual (see 05_DEPARTURE_RITUAL)
  10. See-you-tomorrow farewell (by name, doorman + concierge)

The greeting bank (scripts)

Staff have a bank of greetings to draw from. Not memorized robotically. Modulated to member energy.

Doorman on arrival: - “[Name], welcome back.” - “[Name], good to see you.” - “Welcome. Everything is ready for you.” - “[Name], morning.” (before 10a) - “[Name], evening.” (after 6p)

Concierge welcome: - “[Name], how are we starting today?” (offers drink) - “[Name], we’ve got you on the 6:30. What can I bring you first?” - “[Name], welcome. Your class is saved. Prosecco or elderflower?” - “[Name], glad you’re here. What’s it going to be, coffee or spritz?”

Instructor at class entry: - “[Name], glad to have you.” - “[Name], welcome. Same spot?” - “Good to see you today, [Name].”

Departure: - “[Name], see you tomorrow?” - “[Name], easy rest tonight.” - “[Name], safe travels back.” - “[Name], come back and see me.” (Concierge only, warm not romantic)

What we never say: - “Have a great day!” (empty) - “How can I help you?” (transactional) - “Do you have a reservation?” (assumes cold) - “That’ll be $X.” (money isn’t announced) - “Any questions?” (defensive) - “Enjoy your workout!” (gym language)

The name recognition system

The single hardest hospitality standard is name recognition at scale. VAULT’s system:

  • Member profile database (member CRM) includes photo, first name, preferred greeting name, drink preference, favorite instructor, notable personal detail (spouse’s name, kids, career)
  • Pre-shift briefing (10 minutes, GM or Director MX): who is booked in the next 4 hours, VIPs to expect, first-time visitors, milestone members
  • Staff phones with member card (photo + first name + notes) accessible discreetly (never in front of member)
  • The concierge huddle (2 minutes at each shift change): incoming staff know top-priority members expected in the next hour

By month three of a member’s tenure, staff must know them without the app. This is trained, drilled, and audited (mystery member survey monthly).

The VIP protocol (celebrity + athlete members)

VIP is identified in the member profile with a discretion flag. When VIP is booked:

  • Private entrance activated (side or rear door)
  • Concierge and one attendant briefed 15 minutes ahead (never publicly)
  • Preferred instructor confirmed if class
  • Preferred recovery amenity pre-heated/pre-chilled
  • Beverage delivered directly
  • No staff photos, ever, without member’s explicit and repeated ask
  • No mention outside the direct service circle

Non-VIP staff learning of a VIP visit = coaching. Media reference to a VIP’s VAULT visit = internal investigation.

The “amenity miss” recovery script

When a member is disappointed (drink wrong, class starts late, PT canceled, locker not stocked), the recovery script:

  1. Acknowledge without excuse. “You’re right, that’s not what we should have done.”
  2. Fix in real time. Redo the drink, escort them to the correct class, replace the amenity.
  3. Deliver a small remedy. House drink comped for the visit, retail credit, an invitation to the next community event, whatever fits.
  4. Log it. Incident + member impact reviewed by Director MX weekly.
  5. Never over-apologize. One acknowledgment, one fix, one small remedy. Not five apologies.

The Ritz-Carlton empowers every employee to spend $2,000 to fix a guest issue. VAULT empowers every employee $500 without escalation. Above $500 = Director MX. Above $2,000 = GM.

The escalation ladder

  • Level 1: Staff resolves in the moment ($0-500 remedy authority)
  • Level 2: Attendant escalates to shift lead ($500-1,000)
  • Level 3: Director of Member Experience ($1,000-2,000)
  • Level 4: GM ($2,000-5,000)
  • Level 5: Taj + Trill (over $5,000, brand risk, VIP conflict)

Member complaint SLAs

  • In-visit complaint: resolved before member leaves. No exceptions.
  • App/email complaint: acknowledged within 4 business hours. Resolved within 48.
  • Serious complaint (safety, discrimination, harassment): acknowledged within 1 hour. GM personally responds. Resolution or plan within 72 hours.

Language and behavior standards

  • Members are addressed by first name after their consent moment (first tour or first visit). Some may prefer last name; capture in profile.
  • Members are never asked personal questions unprompted. (“Where do you work?” is off-limits. Members volunteer.)
  • Staff do not date members. Written into employment agreement.
  • Members do not tip staff. Service is included in the membership. Attempted tips are politely refused and returned.
  • Cell phone use by staff on floor: silenced, in pocket, for member profile lookup only. No personal use in front of members.

The pre-shift huddle (SOP)

Every shift starts with a 10-minute huddle led by GM or shift lead:

  1. Any operational issues (last 24h) — 2 min
  2. Booked VIPs in the next 4 hours — 2 min
  3. First-time visitors and their profile notes — 2 min
  4. Milestone members (anniversary, birthday, celebration) — 2 min
  5. Product / amenity notes (special drink, café menu, retail drop) — 1 min
  6. One brand vignette from Taj or Tia (once a week, for team culture) — 1 min

The post-shift log

Every shift closes with a written log by shift lead. Includes:

  • Member interactions of note (positive and negative)
  • Amenity misses and recoveries
  • Vendor issues (F&B running low, uniform issue, HVAC glitch)
  • Any staff coaching moments (positive or corrective)
  • One thing that surprised the shift lead

GM reviews all logs Monday. Director MX reviews Tuesday. Both send a weekly recap to Taj + Trill.

Weekly review cadence

  • Monday: GM + Director MX review all prior week logs, incident reports, mystery visits
  • Tuesday: Weekly staff huddle with recognition (positive) and coaching (corrective, private not public)
  • Wednesday: Director MX 1:1 with each shift lead
  • Friday: GM + Head of Programming review member journey KPIs
  • Sunday: Founder review: Taj + Trill get 1-page weekly recap from GM

What breaks the standard, and how we recover

The three most common breakdowns:

  1. New hire doesn’t know a member’s name. Recovery: 30-day drill on name recognition + shadow senior staff. Corrective: 90-day retention gate.
  2. Instructor is late to class. Recovery: Director MX personally apologizes to affected members + comps drink + escorts instructor to floor. Corrective: 3-strike policy for instructors.
  3. Amenity out of stock (prosecco, towel, etc.). Recovery: honest acknowledgment + best alternative + retail credit if appropriate. Corrective: reorder cadence audit + attendant accountability.

The standard is high. The recovery is honest. Together they define VAULT hospitality.