Staffing Model, VAULT Charlotte
Ratios, coverage, and cost math for Y1 operations. All figures in Charlotte NC comp basis. Peak hours defined as 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., seven days. Off-peak defined as 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Club open, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days. Sunday closes at 9 p.m. Total open hours per week, 118.
Target ratios
- Overall staff-to-member ratio during peak, 1 to 20
- Instructor-led class ratio, 1 to 8 for pole, dance, PT; 1 to 12 for group strength or recovery
- Concierge presence at the front, minimum 2 always during open hours, 3 during peak
- Locker room attendant coverage, 1 per gendered locker room during open hours, 2 during peak
- Cafe and lounge, 1 per 25 members present during service
Membership assumption at open, 350 charter members. By month 12, 600 members. Peak concurrent load, assumed 12 percent of member base, so 42 to 72 members on floor at peak.
At 72 members on floor at peak, target staff on floor is 72 divided by 20, so 4 back-of-house plus concierge and instructors for a total floor presence of roughly 8 to 10.
Front of house, shift coverage 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Three shifts, staggered.
- Opening shift, 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Mid shift, 12 noon to 8 p.m.
- Closing shift, 2 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Concierge desk (2 to 3 on at all times, always 2 seated at the desk)
| Shift | Concierge FTE | Concierge Lead |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | 2 | 1 (rotating) |
| Mid | 3 (peak crossover) | 1 |
| Closing | 2 | 1 (rotating) |
Concierge staffing headcount total, 5 to 7 FTE plus 2 Leads, all reporting to Director of Member Experience.
Concierge blended cost, $24 per hour average, plus 22 percent burden (payroll tax, benefits, workers comp). Fully loaded, $29.28 per hour.
Weekly concierge hours needed, roughly 260. Monthly, 1,130. Annual concierge labor cost, roughly $397,000.
Doorman and valet coordination (2 on during peak, 1 off-peak)
Doorman is a hospitality signal, not security. Security handled by a contracted firm.
- Opening peak, 1 doorman 5:30 to 10 a.m.
- Evening peak, 2 doormen 4:30 to 9 p.m.
- Overnight, 1 doorman 9 p.m. to close
Doorman blended cost, $22 per hour, fully loaded $26.84. Weekly hours, 105. Annual doorman labor cost, roughly $146,000.
Valet is contracted to a firm such as Charlotte Elite Valet or LAZ Parking Hospitality Division, not employed directly. Not counted in FTE. Contract cost, roughly $18,000 per month.
Locker room and spa attendants (2 gendered rooms, plus spa)
- Opening, 2 attendants
- Mid, 3 attendants
- Closing, 2 attendants
Attendants restock, hand towels warm, curate the amenity display, keep steam and sauna spotless. This is the second most brand-facing role after concierge.
Attendant blended cost, $23 per hour, fully loaded $28.06. Weekly hours, 175. Annual attendant labor cost, roughly $255,000.
Instructor pool, contractor model
15 to 20 instructor contractors at open, growing to 25 to 30 by month 12.
Coverage by discipline:
| Discipline | Weekly classes | Instructor pool |
|---|---|---|
| Pole | 12 to 18 | 4 to 5 |
| Dance | 10 to 15 | 3 to 4 |
| Gym and strength group | 15 to 20 | 4 to 5 |
| Personal training (1 to 1) | 60 to 100 sessions per week | 5 to 7 |
| Recovery, breathwork, meditation | 8 to 12 | 3 to 4 |
Instructor pay, per 04_COMPENSATION_PHILOSOPHY.md, $65 to $95 per hour base, plus $10 to $20 per hour per member above class threshold of 6.
Blended instructor cost per class hour, roughly $95. Weekly class hours, roughly 55 to 75. Annual instructor labor cost, roughly $285,000 to $390,000.
1099 contractors, not FTE. No burden multiplier. Instructors carry their own liability insurance, VAULT carries the umbrella.
Cafe and lounge staff
Cafe open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Lounge open 12 noon to 11 p.m. Head of F&B runs both.
- Barista, 2 during opening peak, 1 off-peak, 2 during evening lounge overlap
- Cafe cook, 1 during breakfast, 1 during lunch, 1 during evening light menu
- Lounge server, 1 mid, 2 evening peak, 1 late
Total cafe and lounge FTE, 3 to 4 core plus a rotating part-time pool of 4 to 6.
Blended cafe cost, $22 per hour, fully loaded $26.84. Weekly hours, 210. Annual cafe and lounge labor cost, roughly $293,000.
Cafe manager, reports to Head of F&B, comp $58,000 to $68,000 annually, fully loaded roughly $80,000.
Cleaning and facilities
Cleaning runs on a hybrid model. Overnight deep clean is contracted (Compass One Facilities Services or ABM Industries hospitality division) at roughly $14,000 per month. Daytime facilities staff handle real-time reset and small repairs.
- Facilities Lead, 1 FTE, $60,000 base, fully loaded roughly $80,000
- Daytime facilities and turn attendants, 2 FTE, $22 per hour fully loaded, roughly $122,000 combined annual
Annual cleaning and facilities in-house labor, roughly $202,000. Overnight contract, roughly $168,000.
Summary, Y1 labor cost
| Line | Annual cost |
|---|---|
| Leadership team (per 02_KEY_HIRES.md base) | $780,000 to $970,000 |
| Concierge | $397,000 |
| Doorman | $146,000 |
| Attendants | $255,000 |
| Instructor contractor pool | $285,000 to $390,000 |
| Cafe and lounge | $293,000 |
| Cafe Manager | $80,000 |
| Facilities Lead and turn attendants | $202,000 |
| Valet contract | $216,000 |
| Overnight cleaning contract | $168,000 |
| Total Y1 labor and service, all-in | $2.82M to $3.12M |
Add leadership bonuses (roughly $110K to $180K at 15 percent midpoint), and Y1 people cost lands $2.93M to $3.30M.
Peak load stress test
Friday 6 p.m. Concurrent members, 72. Simultaneous classes, 3 (one pole studio, one dance floor, one gym floor group strength). Concierge desk, 3. Attendants, 2 per locker room, so 4. Cafe and lounge, 3. Facilities, 1. Instructors, 3. Head of Programming and GM present but not in ratio.
Total staff on floor at peak, 17. Member-to-staff ratio, 72 to 17, so 1 to 4.2. Well inside 1 to 20 target.
In-class instructor to member ratio, pole class capped at 8 members with 1 instructor, dance at 12 with 1, group strength at 12 with 1. 1 to 8 to 1 to 12 across the board.
If Friday peak load spikes to 90 concurrent (private event overlap), Assistant GM (Y2 hire), Community Manager, and one additional floater concierge cover overflow. Ratio holds at 1 to 5 or better.
Staffing risks and mitigations
- Instructor churn. Charlotte is a smaller instructor market than NYC or LA. Mitigation, Head of Instructor Development runs a bench audition every quarter, and VAULT covers travel and lodging for two guest instructor residencies per month (partial mitigation for pool depth and a marketing signal).
- Concierge burnout. Front-of-house at luxury standard burns people out at 12 to 18 months. Mitigation, 5th week PTO on top of standard 15 days for concierge-tier and above, plus a quarterly rotation to a boutique or lounge shift for variety.
- Cafe staffing gaps. Charlotte hospitality labor market is tight. Mitigation, F&B partners with Johnson and Wales University Charlotte campus for a paid internship pipeline of 4 to 6 students per semester.
- Overnight cleaning quality drop. Mitigation, GM personally walks the property at 5:30 a.m. every Monday and Friday, and cleaning contract carries a quality clawback of 15 percent per failed audit.