The membership model is a business trend on the rise across many different industries, from subscription-based goods and services like Amazon Prime to members-only private athletic and social clubs like Soho House. From a business standpoint, having a membership model can help organizations grow by engaging with customers and retaining members long term. From a consumer standpoint, memberships are a way to create community, bringing likeminded individuals together and encouraging inclusivity, while offering exclusive access and customized programming.
One segment of the market where the membership model is quite revolutionary is the senior living industry. Many seniors are looking for more than merely a comfortable place to live when they “rightsize.” They are seeking a sense of community, socialization and a holistic lifestyle experience. A community membership can provide all of this, in addition to allowing for more customization and independence. Moreover, a membership model approach to senior living enables a higher level of price transparency, giving prospective residents all-in costs for more than just the cost of rent, including things like dining, entertainment, transportation, maintenance and housekeeping.
Revel Communities, a division of Scottsdale-based The Wolff Company, is a portfolio of 13 independent living communities across the Western U.S. Revel is leading the industry by launching a new resident membership model to give residents more autonomy and control over their living experience. Instead of paying “rent,” residents pay for a resident membership. Revel resident membership plans are all-inclusive and the monthly cost includes a luxurious apartment home, access to premium onsite amenities, monthly dining credits, robust wellness and lifestyle programming, group and private transportation services, a 24-hour concierge, utilities, weekly housekeeping and maintenance. Additionally, Revel resident members receive Revel Travel Club access, a unique perk in itself. Through Revel Travel Club, residents receive the opportunity to stay at any other Revel community in their guest suite for up to seven nights per year at no cost.
Within the new membership offering, there are four tiers of membership with various price structures and amenity offerings being piloted. This gives residents the ability to choose the number of membership points they’ll need to best suit their individual lifestyle. Points can be used for a variety of services throughout the community, including dining, special events, catered celebrations, salon and spa services, additional transportation charges, guest suite accommodations, special event tickets purchased through the onsite concierge, additional housekeeping and laundry services, handyman services, and printing and mailing services. Tiered memberships are already available at Revel Palm Desert and Revel Vegas, with additional communities launching in the coming months.
Danette Opaczewski is EVP and COO of Revel Communities, a growing portfolio of dynamic independent living communities with best-in-class amenities and services spanning the Western U.S. Opaczewski joined the Senior Housing industry in 2020, after more than 33 years in hospitality and real estate. She has held various leadership positions, including CFO, EVP Operations and SVP Asset Management at various progressive boutique hospitality companies (Sydell Group, Denihan Hospitality, Morgans Hotel Group). She is a proven leader who strengthens business value by using a focused approach on people, processes and systems, strategizing at the highest levels and understanding the complexities of a service-oriented industry. With an emphasis on customer experience and leading-edge branding and design, she has created and maintained operating, financial and brand standards for best-in-class businesses in the boutique hotel space. She is now bringing that same approach to Senior Independent Living communities as EVP and COO of Revel Communities.
