ResortPass Lets Locals Lounge at Miami's Five-Star Hotels Without Booking a Room

Life in Miami ain't always easy. Sometimes locals need a staycation in their own tropical city to reset. ResortPass, a tech startup based on the West Coast, is offering Miamians a way to get away for the day by letting them book a day pass to the pool, gym, or spa in various local luxury hotels.

“Miami is all about that pool scene,” says Amanda Szabo, founder and CEO of ResortPass. “It hasn’t been easy for locals [to] justify a staycation when they have to book a room overnight because of the cost... [Our service] gives locals a way to get away for an afternoon, which is not a big time or cost commitment. They can take a vacation every week and just enjoy that they are in Miami."

Szabo says the benefits of the service aren't reserved solely for Miamians. "[Visitors to Miami] staying at a hotel, condo, or vacation rental can take advantage of being able to go to different hotels... [and] experience the different pools in Miami... because each hotel is a different and unique experience,” she says.

ResortPass offers a booking platform for people to get away for the day. Hotels have the freedom to structure their deals based on their amenity offerings. Take, for instance, the Four Seasons Hotel Miami, which offers an adult day pass for $60 that includes access to the pools, food and drink service, and discounted valet parking. If daycationers want to splurge, they can rent a pass for a cabana for $200, which also includes day passes for two people and other luxe options such as the Margarita Moments Package, which provides chips and salsa, a taco sampler, and a pitcher of margaritas for an extra $100.

Others hotels, such as the Bonaventure Resort & Spa in Weston, offer a day pass for adults for $20 that includes access to the pools, a drink from the cabana bar, a discount on food and beverages, and complimentary valet parking. The hotel also offers a spa pass for $30, which includes a regular day pass, access to the locker rooms, showers, steam room, sauna, whirlpool, spa pool, Zen garden, and fitness center and classes, as well as a discount on spa services.

ResortPass offers day experiences at six hotels in Miami-Dade, including the SLS Brickell, the Confidante Miami Beach, and the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort. Szabo says the company will roll out passes at the Fontainebleau in a few weeks. The company also has partnerships with hotels in Fort Lauderdale, Clearwater Beach, and Amelia Island and offers passes to hotels in California, Arizona, Texas, Hawaii, New Mexico, and Tennessee.

Since ResortPass launched in 2016, more than 40,000 people have used the booking platform to plan daycations, Szabo says. The company earns profits through a revenue-sharing, commission-based model, which means ResortPass functions “as a marketing platform, so we are motivated to market on behalf of our hotel partners, which is why it’s commission-based,” she explains.

Because each hotel structures its deal with ResortPass differently, prices for passes vary. Szabo says a day pass can cost $25 to $90 per person at a five-star hotel. Cabanas, which she says are popular on the company's platform, can range from $160 to $600. Hotel partners can also block out dates for events and charge surge prices based on availability, so rates on weekends and in peak season will typically be higher.

“We want to shift how Americans vacation and how they relate to their leisure time," Szabo says. "Americans don’t take as much time off as they should. We’re known to work so hard... [ResortPass] lets them take advantage of relaxing and enjoying life and luxury with family and friends.”

For more information, visit resortpass.com.