Rockbridge’s luxury lifestyle platform has been 15 years in the making, bringing together hotels, restaurants and private membership clubs under a vertically integrated model designed to capitalize on consumers’ growing demand for experiences over traditional hospitality offerings
At the recent HB Roundtable, held during the annual RTRX event in Columbus, OH, and moderated by Christina Trauthwein, VP, content and partnerships, Hotel Business, Jimmy Merkel, CEO/cofounder, Rockbridge, said the company deliberately spent years building the platform before talking publicly about it
“We’ve been doing it quietly because we had a long-term goal, and you can’t be great overnight because championship teams don’t get built overnight,” he said. “We’ve been doggedly focused on the long-term outcome.”
The platform combines independent hotel operations through Makeready, Hotel ZaZa, independent restaurant company Flavor Hook and the Merchant Collection private membership clubs. Merkel said the strategy is rooted in aligning ownership and operations to create distinctive destinations that appeal to today’s luxury traveler
“The experience economy is very real,” he said. “People are looking for something more than just a place to lay their head. They want to engage in the places that they are. They want to connect with people.”
Longtime hospitality executive Mike Deitemeyer, EVP, Rockbridge Holdings and president, Rockbridge Development, said the vertically integrated model allows the company to approach hospitality through the lens of both ownership and operations
“I wanted to close my career out where you really controlled your own destiny,” he said. “There’s a holistic approach and the stewardship that we have the opportunity to have here that’s just so different than other places.”
He added that consumer preferences have shifted significantly toward experiential travel, creating opportunities for companies with differentiated platforms
“I think there’s been this rapid evolution of the American consumer away from commodization,” he said. “Today, we can be more accessible with these brands than we ever could. It’s an easier way to enter a market and have immediate success.”
Patrick Fisher, president, Hotel ZaZa, said the company’s culture and long-term vision attracted him to Rockbridge after leadership roles with brands including Ritz-Carlton, MGM, Montage and Fontainebleau
“To hear Jimmy’s and Mike’s vision on where this is going, for me, it was a no-brainer,” he said. “I know that it’ll be a winner because you have the right people around this table.”
Eric Gavin, president, Makeready, said the independent nature of the platform allows teams to create unique guest experiences rather than operate within the constraints of traditional brand standards
“I love to color outside the lines,” he said. “What brought me here was Jimmy’s vision. We’re transforming the way people look at hospitality because it truly is about the experiences that we create.”
For Nick Badovinus, founder of Flavor Hook, joining the platform represented an opportunity to expand his entrepreneurial vision while remaining true to independent restaurant operations
“I knew I had something to contribute and something to learn,” he said. “It was a pretty straightforward idea to be like, yeah, build something special.”
Authenticity remains central to the strategy, participants said, with each hotel, restaurant and club designed around the character of its local market
“When you think about where authenticity comes from, it’s kind of having a constant case of curiosity,” Badovinus said. “Every place has a story, and if you’re looking for those things and you’re curious about those things, they reveal themselves.”
Merkel said the company believes the luxury lifestyle segment will continue to outperform because travelers increasingly prioritize memorable experiences
“The experience economy, and the value that people are ascribing to their experience because of how it makes them feel when they’re there, is growing,” he said. “They’re using a higher share of their wallet to invest in experiences over material things.”
For more on the roundtable and Rockbridge’s luxury lifestyle platform, be sure to check out the September edition of Hotel Business
