ResortPass raised $26 million in a 2023 Series B round to scale its hospitality marketplace, which connects hotels with non-overnight guests seeking amenity access. The 14-slide deck focuses heavily on supply-side validation, showcasing a 96%+ hotel retention rate and a roster of global partners including Hyatt, Marriott, and Four Seasons. By framing the 'daycation' market as a $100 billion opportunity emerging from the $1.5 trillion global hotel industry, ResortPass successfully argued that ancillary revenue is the next frontier for hospitality. The deck is notable for its clean aesthetic an…
Key takeaways
- ResortPass reports a hotel retention rate of over 96%, a critical metric for marketplace stability (Slide 3).
- The company grew its hotel partner count from 20 in 2017 to 643 by 2022, demonstrating consistent supply-side scaling (Slide 4).
- The deck identifies a $100 billion total addressable market for the 'day use' category, segmented into Day Guest, Spa, and Day Room TAMs (Slide 6).
- The 'day access' product alone is valued at a $10 billion market size based on current portfolio performance (Slide 6).
- ResortPass leverages high-authority logos like Ritz-Carlton, Fairmont, and Kimpton to establish category leadership (Slide 4).
- Consumer satisfaction is highlighted via a 4.5-star Trustpilot rating and a 'User Love' metric of 90%+ (Slide 3).
- The leadership slide focuses on Michael Wolf, highlighting his background at ClassPass and Supernatural to signal marketplace expertise (Slide 7).
- The deck uses industry quotes from Skift and Hospitality World to frame the shift toward local, ancillary revenue as an inevitable industry trend (Slide 5).
ResortPass: Defining the Daycation Category
ResortPass entered the market with a specific mission: to unlock the underutilized amenities of luxury hotels for local residents and day travelers. By the time they reached their Series B in 2023, they had moved past the experimental phase and were focused on proving the massive scale of the 'daycation' category. The deck they used to secure $26 million is a study in marketplace branding, focusing heavily on the quality of their supply and the inevitability of their market segment.
Slide 1-2: Brand Identity and Visual Hook
The deck opens with a minimalist title slide featuring the ResortPass 'R' logo against a bright teal background. Slide 2 immediately answers the question 'What is ResortPass?' with a clean mobile UI mockup. The slide defines the company as 'The booking platform for day access to hotels and resorts.' It lists specific amenities—pools, spa, fitness, activities, events, and rooms—and introduces the term 'daycation' as a new global category. The use of a $75 Day Pass price point at the Andaz West Hollywood provides an immediate anchor for the service's premium positioning.
Slide 3: Proving Product-Market Fit
ResortPass uses Slide 3 to establish credibility through two high-level metrics: 96%+ Hotel Retention and 90%+ User Love. By leading with hotel retention, they signal to investors that their supply side is not only satisfied but locked in. The inclusion of a Trustpilot rating (4.5 stars from 4,536 reviews) provides the necessary social proof to back up the 'User Love' claim. This slide is designed to preempt concerns about marketplace churn on either side of the transaction.
Slide 4: The Power of the Partner Roster
Marketplaces live and die by their supply. Slide 4 is a 'logo wall' that carries significant weight, featuring Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, and Fairmont. The accompanying bar chart shows a clear growth curve in the number of partner hotels: starting at just 20 in 2017, growing to 140 in 2019, and jumping to 643 by 2022. This 32x growth in five years demonstrates that the company has successfully navigated the difficult 'cold start' problem of marketplace building.
Slide 5: Industry Tailwinds and Macro Trends
To justify a Series B valuation, a company must show that it is riding a larger wave. Slide 5 uses third-party validation from Skift and Hospitality World to argue that 'ancillary revenue generation' is the future of the hospitality industry. A highlighted quote notes that some hotel strategies now estimate earning 'more than half their revenue from local traffic.' This shifts the narrative from ResortPass being a 'nice-to-have' app to being a critical infrastructure partner for hotels looking to survive in a changing economy.
Slide 6: Quantifying a $100 Billion Opportunity
Slide 6 breaks down the Market Size. It positions the $1.5 trillion global overnight guest market as the parent industry, from which a $100 billion 'day use' category is emerging. The deck segments the TAM into three buckets: Day Guest ($10B), Spa ($30B), and Day Room ($60B). Crucially, it notes that their current focus—day access—is a $10 billion market based on their existing portfolio's performance. This bottom-up calculation adds a layer of realism to the larger top-down figures.
Slide 7: The Leadership Pivot
The final slide in the provided sequence introduces Michael Wolf as the 'new leadership.' Rather than a standard team slide with five or six faces, ResortPass chooses to focus on a single, high-pedigree executive. Wolf’s background is perfectly aligned with the ResortPass model: he was the Global Head of Operations at ClassPass, another successful marketplace that monetized underutilized inventory (gym spots). His experience with acquisitions (Supernatural to Meta, ClassPass to Mindbody) signals to Series B investors that the company is being positioned for a high-value exit.
What ResortPass Does Exceptionally Well
The ResortPass deck is a masterclass in category creation . By repeatedly using the term 'daycation' and framing it as a $100 billion industry, they move the conversation away from being a 'pool booking app' to being the leader of a new travel vertical. The visual hierarchy is excellent; each slide has one clear takeaway, usually supported by a single, large metric or a set of high-authority logos. They also do a fantastic job of leveraging third-party validation . Instead of just claiming that hotels want this, they quote industry publications like Skift to prove that the hotels' own corporate strategies are shifting toward the ResortPass model.
What is Missing from the Deck
While the deck is visually stunning and high-level, it omits several key components typically expected in a Series B pitch. There is no Unit Economics slide; investors at this stage usually want to see the Lifetime Value (LTV) to Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) ratio, especially for a consumer marketplace. There is also no Competitive Landscape slide. While ResortPass may be the leader, they are not without competitors (like Dayaxe or direct hotel booking systems), and failing to address this can sometimes be seen as a lack of market awareness. Finally, the Financial Roadmap is absent. We see the growth in hotel numbers, but we don't see the corresponding growth in revenue, nor do we see the 'Ask'—the specific breakdown of how the $26 million will be deployed to reach the next milestone.
Founder's Playbook: Lessons to Copy
Focus on Supply Quality: If you are building a marketplace, your supply-side logos are your strongest currency. ResortPass doesn't just list hotels; they list the 'top hotels in the world,' which creates an aura of exclusivity and quality that attracts more users. · Use 'The Inevitability' Argument: Frame your business as the logical conclusion of an existing trend. ResortPass didn't invent ancillary revenue; they just built the best tool for it. By citing industry experts, they make their success seem like an inevitable part of the hotel industry's evolution. · Simplify the Team Slide: If you have a heavy hitter in leadership, don't bury them in a grid of six people. ResortPass dedicated an entire slide to Michael Wolf because his specific experience at ClassPass was a 'perfect fit' signal for investors. · Bottom-Up TAM: When presenting a massive market size, always include a note about how you calculated it based on your current performance. Slide 6 does this by stating their $10B figure is 'based on our performance at our existing portfolio,' which makes the number much more defensible.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the primary value proposition ResortPass offers to hotels?
- ResortPass positions itself as an 'exclusive day guest program' that allows hotels to monetize non-overnight amenities like pools, spas, and fitness centers. According to Slide 5, this taps into a growing trend where hotels earn significant revenue from local traffic rather than just out-of-town guests, providing a new stream of ancillary income.
- How does ResortPass define its market opportunity?
- On Slide 6, the company defines the global hotel overnight market at $1.5 trillion and the specific 'day use' category at $100 billion. They further break this down into three sub-sectors: Day Guest ($10B), Spa ($30B), and Day Room ($60B), suggesting significant room for horizontal expansion.
- What evidence of product-market fit does the deck provide?
- The deck provides two primary data points for product-market fit on Slide 3: a hotel retention rate exceeding 96% and a 'User Love' score of over 90%. Additionally, Slide 4 shows a clear growth trajectory in supply, moving from 20 hotels in 2017 to 643 in 2022.
- Who is leading the company according to the Series B deck?
- Slide 7 highlights Michael Wolf as the 'new leadership.' His credentials include serving as President of Supernatural (acquired by Meta) and Global Head of Operations at ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody). The slide also lists his educational background at Wharton, Harvard, and Columbia, alongside experience at Bain & Company.
- What is missing from the ResortPass pitch deck?
- The deck is lean on specific financial data. While it mentions market sizes and retention percentages, it omits Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), net revenue, take rates, and burn rate. There is also no 'Ask' slide detailing exactly how the $26M will be spent or a specific roadmap for future product features.
