VAULT OPERATIONS MANUAL

Charlotte, NC Operator: Taj Hines, Founder + Creative Director Document owner: General Manager Standard: 5-star hospitality, Aman/Peninsula benchmark Revision cadence: quarterly, or after any Critical incident Version: 1.0 Last updated: 2026-07-28

1. PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT

This manual is the operational spine of VAULT. It defines standards, structure, chain of command, decision authorities, escalation paths, KPIs, and review cadence. Every other document in 07_OPERATIONS/ inherits from this one. If a procedure conflicts with this manual, this manual wins until it is formally revised and re-signed by Taj and the GM.

VAULT is not a gym with amenities. It is a members club with training embedded inside a hospitality shell. Every operational decision is made against that frame. When in doubt, the question is: “Would this happen at Aman Tokyo or the Peninsula Beverly Hills?” If the answer is no, it does not ship.

2. THE STANDARD

2.1 Sensory baseline

• Scent. Signature scent (custom Le Labo blend, base of Santal 33 modified) diffused at entry, locker rooms, and lounge at 15 percent output. Recovery deck uses a distinct eucalyptus and cedar profile at 10 percent. HVAC returns run MERV 14 plus UV-C so training rooms are scent-neutral.
• Sound. Lobby at 62 to 66 dB SPL, curated playlist updated weekly by Founder. Main floor programmed by resident DJ or MD. Recovery deck at 48 to 52 dB SPL, ambient only. No televisions on the floor.
• Light. 2700K to 3000K across guest zones, Lutron scenes. Training floor uses tunable 3500K for class, 2700K for open pole. No fluorescents anywhere a member can see.
• Temperature. Main floor 68 F. Pole studios 74 to 76 F with 45 to 55 percent RH for grip. Recovery deck 72 F.
• Touch. Every surface a member touches, towels, robes, mats, water glass, is either fresh or has been sanitized in the last 20 minutes.

2.2 The five non-negotiables

If any of these fail, it is a Level 2 incident, logged, debriefed:

1. Named greeting within 8 seconds of entry. Concierge pulls the day’s booking manifest at open and studies it before doors.
2. Prosecco (Ferrari Trento Brut) or non-alcoholic sparkling (Leitz Eins-Zwei-Zero) offered at door, tray-served in Zalto flutes, never counter-handed.
3. Locker pre-stocked before member arrival: Frette waffle robe folded, Suicoke slides in guest size, Diptyque Philosykos hand cream 15ml, Evian 500ml chilled, single-use bamboo toothbrush, cream cotton mask, silk hair tie.
4. Signature scent present at zone-spec intensity in every guest zone. Never overwhelming.
5. Departure ritual: chilled eucalyptus towel presented in Heath Ceramics matte black bowl at exit, 12oz post-workout smoothie handed over in Miir glass to-go vessel, verbal thank-you using guest’s first name.

2.3 Arrival ritual (non-negotiable)

1. Door concierge greets by first name, memorized in advance from the day’s booking list.
2. Chilled Prosecco or non-alcoholic pairing offered on a small silver tray, hand-delivered, not gestured at.
3. Locker pre-stocked before member arrival: robe, slides, folded practice kit in member’s size, sealed water, chilled towel.
4. Class or session confirmed verbally, escort offered to the floor or lounge.

2.4 Departure ritual (non-negotiable)

1. Chilled eucalyptus towel offered at the recovery deck exit and again at the lounge.
2. Post-workout smoothie or elixir prepared and named to the member. Default recipe on file per member profile.
3. Locker cleared and reset within 8 minutes of member checkout. Personal items bagged in signature dust bag if left behind, held at concierge for 72 hours.
4. Concierge confirms next booking by name. Books it if not on the calendar.

If any element of arrival or departure fails, it is logged as an Amenity Miss in the daily incident log and reviewed at the next morning standup.

3. CHAIN OF COMMAND

                        TAJ HINES
                        Founder + Creative Director
                        (brand, member experience vision, press, partnerships)
                                |
                        GENERAL MANAGER (GM)
                        (day to day operations, P&L, staffing, vendor relationships)
                                |
        ------------------------+------------------------------------
        |                |                 |                |               |
   DIR. HOSPITALITY  DIR. TRAINING   DIR. RECOVERY    DIR. FACILITIES   DIR. F&B / RETAIL
   (concierge,       (pole, dance,   (sauna, steam,   (HVAC, cleaning,  (cafe, lounge,
    lockers,          gym, PT,        cold plunge,     rigging, IT,      micro-boutique)
    member desk,      class ops)      contrast, spa    security)
    lounge)                           protocols)
        |                |                 |                |               |
    STAFF            STAFF              STAFF             STAFF           STAFF

3.1 Role definitions

Taj Hines, Founder + Creative Director. Owns brand, aesthetic, member experience vision, press, external partnerships, THE VAULT INVITATIONAL creative, and final say on any decision affecting the standard. Taj does not run turnover, cleaning, setup, or day of ops. Any request that would put Taj in that seat is escalated to the GM instead.

General Manager. Runs the club. Owns P&L, staffing, scheduling, vendor management, incident response, and reporting to Taj. First responder for any operational escalation. Only person other than Taj who can approve an off-standard decision, and only for the duration of that shift.

Director of Hospitality. Concierge desk, locker room ops, lounge, arrival and departure rituals, member profile maintenance, VIP handling.

Director of Training. Pole, dance, gym, private studios. Instructor scheduling, class programming, private session bookings, floor safety during training hours.

Director of Recovery. Sauna, steam, cold plunge, contrast showers, treatment rooms. Session pacing, sanitation between users, medical screening for cold plunge, temperature and chemistry logs.

Director of Facilities. HVAC, cleaning cadence, laundry pipeline, rigging inspection, security, IT, life safety systems, vendor day-of coordination.

Director of F&B / Retail. Cafe, members lounge bar, smoothie and elixir program, micro-boutique inventory and merchandising.

3.2 Coverage rule

No shift runs without a GM or an on-duty Manager on Duty (MOD, designated from the Director bench). MOD has full GM decision authority for that shift and files a handoff note at end of shift.

3.3 Escalation flow

Founder interfaces only with GM. Directors escalate to GM. Staff escalate to Directors. No skip-level communication to Founder for operational matters. Full stop.

4. DECISION AUTHORITIES

5. ESCALATION

5.1 Severity ladder

• Level 1, Amenity Miss. Ritual step skipped, wrong name used, smoothie wrong, locker not pre-stocked. Logged, addressed at next standup. Member receives written apology from concierge within 24 hours.
• Level 2, Service Failure. Class cancelled, instructor no-show, hot water out, one recovery station down, or one of the five non-negotiables missed. GM notified within 15 minutes. Affected members contacted personally by the Director of Hospitality within 2 hours. Comp per authority table.
• Level 3, Facility Failure. HVAC down, water intrusion, rigging concern, cold plunge chemistry out of spec, multiple recovery stations down. GM notified immediately. Facilities Director dispatches vendor. Sections of club closed as needed. Taj notified within 60 minutes.
• Level 4, Safety Incident. Any injury requiring more than a bandage, any pole or aerial fall, any suspected cardiac event in sauna or cold plunge, any allegation of assault or harassment, media inquiry, regulatory visit. GM and Taj notified immediately. 911 as required. Insurance carrier notified within 24 hours. Written incident report within 24 hours.
• Level 5, Existential. Fire, active threat, structural failure, media crisis. Evacuate per life safety plan. GM commands the scene until relieved by fire, police, or Taj. Legal and PR called by Taj.

5.2 Notification tree

Level 1: Director on duty logs it. Level 2: MOD to GM. Level 3: MOD to GM to Taj. Level 4: MOD to GM to Taj to insurance carrier to legal counsel. Level 5: MOD dials 911, then GM, then Taj, then legal, then PR.

Founder is NEVER pulled on Level 1 or Level 2. Founder is ALWAYS notified on Level 4.

6. KPIs

Reviewed weekly by GM, monthly by Taj + GM.

6.1 Experience KPIs

• Arrival ritual completion rate. Target: 100 percent. Below 98 percent triggers root cause review.
• Departure ritual completion rate. Target: 100 percent.
• Amenity Miss count per 100 visits. Target: under 2.
• Member NPS, measured quarterly. Target: 72 or higher.
• Concierge name recall rate, spot audited weekly. Target: 100 percent for tier Founding and Signature, 90 percent for Core.
• Locker pre-stock accuracy audit. Target: 100 percent.
• Signature scent audit (walk all five zones, score presence 0 to 3): target average 2.5 or higher.
• Class fill rate: 85 percent across all pole, sauna cycles, and mat classes.

6.2 Facility KPIs

• HVAC filter change compliance vs schedule. Target: 100 percent.
• Cold plunge chemistry log completeness. Target: 100 percent.
• Sauna and steam room deep clean cadence. Target: 100 percent.
• Rigging inspection compliance. Target: 100 percent, zero missed intervals.
• Turnover time between classes. Target: under 15 minutes to reset, mats sanitized, poles cleaned, room aired.

6.3 Business KPIs

• Member acquisition vs plan.
• Member churn. Target: under 3 percent monthly.
• Utilization by zone: pole studios, gym, recovery deck, private studios.
• Revenue mix: membership, private sessions, retail, F&B, event and broadcast (VAULT INVITATIONAL).
• Contribution margin by zone.
• Payroll as percent of revenue. Target: under 38 percent excluding Taj’s draw.
• Retail attach rate (member with retail purchase in trailing 30 days): 38 percent.

6.4 Safety KPIs

• Incidents by level, trailing 30 and 90 days.
• Waiver compliance rate. Target: 100 percent, zero exceptions.
• Defibrillator and O2 kit monthly check compliance. Target: 100 percent.
• Staff CPR and first aid currency. Target: 100 percent of front of house and floor staff.

7. REVIEW CADENCE

• Daily standup. 15 minutes, GM plus Directors on duty. Yesterday’s log, today’s bookings, VIPs, any Level 2+ carryover.
• Daily 4:45pm handoff. 10 minutes, all Directors on floor, signature scent audit walk together.
• Daily close report. Closing lead files shift report to GM by 10:15pm.
• Weekly ops review. 60 minutes Monday 9am, GM plus all Directors. KPIs, staffing, incidents, vendor issues, member feedback themes.
• Weekly Taj + GM sync. 30 minutes Wednesday 2pm. Standard drift, member stories, brand items, upcoming press or partnership items. Operations only if Level 4 pending.
• Monthly business review. 90 minutes first Tuesday, GM presents P&L and KPI dashboard to Taj. Adjustments to plan.
• Quarterly manual review. First Monday of Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct. This document is reviewed and re-signed by Taj + GM. Any changes flow down to all subordinate SOPs within 14 days.
• Annual audit. Full third party operational audit. Includes rigging load test verification, HVAC commissioning verification, life safety systems, and mystery member visits.

8. STAFFING FRAMEWORK

8.1 Roles and minimum coverage per operating hour

• Concierge: 2 on desk during peak (6a to 10a, 5p to 8p), 1 off peak.
• Locker room attendants: 1 women’s, 1 men’s, at all times.
• Floor manager: 1 at all times.
• Instructors: booked to class schedule, plus 1 floater on premises during peak.
• Recovery attendant: 1 dedicated to the recovery deck at all times it is open.
• Cafe / lounge: 2 during peak, 1 off peak.
• Facilities tech on call: 1 within 30 minute response, 24 hours per day.
• Security: 1 at door during operating hours, upgraded per event.
• MOD: 1 on premises at all times.

8.2 Hiring standard

• Hospitality staff hired first for warmth and precision, second for domain skill. Domain skill can be trained. Warmth cannot.
• Concierge team recruited from luxury hotel front desks (Ritz, Four Seasons, 1 Hotels, Aman) and airline first class cabin service. Not from big-box gym backgrounds.
• Instructors hired for technical mastery and clean teaching style. Auditioned in front of the Director of Training and one member of the Founding tier before offer.
• Recovery attendants trained and certified in cold plunge screening, sauna safety, and CPR before touching the floor.
• Every hire completes a 30 day probation with a signed standards attestation before conversion.

8.3 Uniform

Black merino t-shirt or long-sleeve (Reigning Champ), black tailored trouser (Everlane Dream), black leather sneaker (Common Projects), name pin in cream. Instructors in black VAULT-branded activewear (custom, Circle Three Designs manages fabrication).

8.4 Compensation

Base at 90th percentile for Charlotte hospitality plus quarterly experience bonus tied to NPS. Tipping not solicited, not required, accepted only through discrete envelope at front desk.

9. MEMBER TIERS AND ACCESS

Charter (first 150): unlimited access, guest privileges 4x/mo, priority INVITATIONAL seating, founding rate locked 24 months.

Signature: unlimited access, guest privileges 2x/mo, standard rate.

Class Pack: pole and mat class access only, no sauna/plunge unless day-of upgrade purchased.

Day Guest: full facility access for 24 hours from check-in, sponsored by member or via concierge waitlist.

VIP flag (independent of tier): applied by GM only. Triggers pre-arrival call from concierge lead, private entry through side vestibule, dedicated attendant for visit, silent phone protocol from staff.

10. MEMBER PROFILE SYSTEM

Each member has a profile maintained by the Director of Hospitality and mirrored to the concierge tablet. Required fields:

• Name, preferred pronunciation (audio file), preferred greeting.
• Locker preferences: robe size, slide size, practice kit sizes, towel preference.
• Recovery preferences: sauna temperature comfort, cold plunge yes/no with medical flags, contrast protocol.
• Smoothie or elixir default and any allergies.
• Class and instructor preferences, dislikes, injuries.
• Guest privileges and typical guests.
• Anniversary and birthday.
• Any prior incidents or amenity misses and how they were resolved.

Profiles are reviewed and updated after every visit. Concierge memorizes the day’s roster before doors open.

11. THE VAULT INVITATIONAL (TWG PARTNERSHIP)

THE VAULT INVITATIONAL is produced by The Walker Group as a broadcast-ready competition using the main floor.

Coordinates:

• Production lead: TWG assigns Executive Producer per event
• VAULT lead: GM plus Director of Training and Director of Recovery
• Founder role: creative direction and hosting, not production logistics
• Frequency target: quarterly, adjusted per broadcast partner
• Facility prep: main floor cleared 18 hours prior; TWG rig integrator validates all rigging with VAULT’s rig log; PA and playback rack per TWG audio spec
• Member access during production: closed floor to members, sauna and Quiet Room remain open, comp day pass credit issued to members displaced

Detailed run of show, load-in schedule, and camera plot maintained in separate TWG production book, not this manual.

12. WHAT TAJ NEVER DOES

Written explicitly so no shift lead ever asks:

• Turnover between classes.
• Cleaning, laundry, restocking.
• Setup or strike for events.
• Fielding operational escalations below Level 3.
• Payroll processing.
• Vendor scheduling.
• Answering the concierge phone during operating hours.

Taj shows up as founder, host, creative director, and face of the club. Everything operational routes to the GM.

13. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Any staff can file an Improvement Note via the tablet at back-of-house. Reviewed weekly by Directors. Any note that becomes a policy change is logged with author credit in this manual’s changelog.

Mystery guest program: 4 visits per month, external firm, full scorecard reviewed by GM. Any score under 88 out of 100 triggers a Director-led remediation plan within 7 days.

14. SIGNOFF

This manual is not live until signed by Taj Hines and the General Manager. Version, date, and signatures logged on the first page of the printed binder at the GM desk.

15. CHANGELOG

• 2026-07-28: v1.0 published. Baseline manual.