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Sweet Springs
Sweet Springs, team, roles and vision. A lean hotel: no general manager, day-to-day operations run remotely, a small on-site team is the eyes and ears. See something to update? Comment right on this page.
Working draft, based on the initial concept, to be refined by the team
Sweet Springs sits on real mineral spring water, piped straight into the showers, the sauna, the cold plunge. This is not a hotel with a spa attached. It is a mineral spring with rooms built around it.
The vision: Japanese-style, wellness-forward, built in the Berkshires. Ritual over amenities. The kind of place we would want to stay ourselves.
Team
AnnaSeattle
Strategy and Systems
- Buy box, underwriting, deal structure
- Sourcing the next deal and capital relationships
- Revenue management and pricing
- Tech: the AI-backed dashboard, booking system, guest messaging and revenue tools
- Construction coordination with Joe
The AI systems here, pricing and revenue management especially, are what let three partners run this hotel instead of needing a large staff.
ChristinaLos Angeles
Execution
- Finance: monthly accounting and reporting, asks for capital contributions if needed
- Ops Management: advises the front line (VAs and on-site staff) on anything new that the ops playbook and SOPs do not cover yet, turns what pricing, revenue and marketing flag as priority into the VAs' actual task order, Christina and Anna discuss so the system gets smarter
- Vendor contracts and the compliance calendar: insurance, permits, license renewals
- Seasonal programming (Christmas, etc.): the partners decide together, then work with the on-site team to bring it to life
Christina protects the things that keep this hotel steady: the money, the licenses, the process. When something new comes up, the front line handles it with her advice, and it gets to a decision, not just a discussion.
ConnieNew York
Brand
- Design, FF&E, guest-facing standards
- Programming and experience for the sauna and plunge: the ritual, the schedule, classes and events
- Creates demand: content and social, not only ads aimed at people already searching
- Tracks what is working: promo codes by channel, "how did you find us", ongoing review
- Sweet Springs is the proof of concept
Connie shapes what guests feel before they even step inside, through story, design and imagery, then the room itself once they're there. A great space alone doesn't fill it, so she also builds the story that brings people through the door.
RegNew York
The Coach
- Recruits and onboards greeter, cleaners, maintenance
- Checklists and standards set together by the partners; Reg runs the initial on-site training and sets expectations with the team
- Staff performance, retraining, replacements
- Quarterly site visits to check on the staff and the standards in person
Every guest interaction on site starts with someone Reg hired and trained. Getting the right people in place, and keeping them, is what makes the on-site experience actually hold up.
JackieLos Angeles
The Connector
- Funding programs: USDA, rural, grants
- Liquor license
- Local partnerships, events, town relationships
- Sauna community partnerships with Connie
Local relationships and licensing open every door this hotel needs, from the license itself to every partnership in town.
EveLos Angeles
The Design Associate
- Works with Connie on design, furniture and fixtures
Keeps Connie's vision moving fast, from first sketch to something the team can actually use.
JoeNew York
General contractor
- From architect plans through construction
- Permits, inspections, clearing all town violations
- Scope, schedule, budget, subcontractors
- Winterproof by November
VAsPhilippines
The Front Line
- Guest messages, reservations, reviews
- First call for on-site staff day to day: schedules, supplies, access codes, guest details
- Logs issues and routes what it cannot answer
Financing terms and major decisions are signed by all partners. Day to day runs on the support structure below.
How support works
Anna, Systems
Built and tuned by Anna. The dashboard sees every reservation, message and task, runs the existing Polaris SOP and playbook library plus the rules Anna and Christina add, and ages every open item automatically, so nothing needs a status meeting to find.
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VAs, Mews, Diamo
First line for guest messages, on-site staff questions and bounded admin, day and night. VAs today; Mews (booking system) and Diamo (revenue and demand, still deciding) add more of the automation once chosen.
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On-site team
Handles what has to happen in person: greeter, maintenance, cleaners, house lead.
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Christina, Execution
Only reaches Christina when it is genuinely new, something the existing SOPs and playbook do not already cover, like a guest's damage claim after checkout or a linen order that did not show up the night before arrivals. The VA or on-site staff handle it with Christina advising. She routes it to Connie or Anna if it is theirs, and discusses it with Anna either way so the playbook covers it next time.
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Closed and logged
Every issue ends back in the dashboard, so the record is the source of truth for all partners. Patterns the system has not caught yet feed back to Anna, so the rules and the AI systems keep getting sharper. A true partner-level decision gets a partner's sign-off through the normal channel.
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feeds back into Anna, Systems
Known versus new
Already known
Most guest and VA situations already have an answer, from the existing Polaris SOP library and playbook. The system handles these on its own.
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Something new
A situation the playbook has not covered yet. The front line, the VAs or on-site staff, handles it with Christina advising. She pulls in whoever on the team can help and discusses it with Anna.
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Now known
Anna turns it into a rule or an SOP. The same thing never has to be solved from scratch again.
Demand creation loop
Connie creates
Content and story, not only ads aimed at people already searching. The growth engine, not a support function.
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A guest discovers Sweet Springs
Through that content, well before they start actively booking.
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Tracked, not guessed
A promo code by channel, "how did you find us" on every booking, because analytics alone won't show the real picture.
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Books
Direct, where possible.
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Connie reviews what actually worked, and creates again
Hotel operations (day to day)
Guest operations
VAs
- Reservations from the website and booking sites
- Guest texts, emails and calls, day and night
- ID checks, payments, deposits, reviews
- Guest issues triaged and sent to the right person
Revenue management
Anna
- Nightly rates, minimum stays, seasons
- Occupancy and revenue tracking
- Sauna, plunge and smoothie add-ons priced and sold online (with Connie)
Tech
Anna
- Sweet Springs dashboard: tasks, vendors, budget, licenses, later bookings and revenue
- Booking system, website, phone and messaging tools
- Cleaner photo checks and maintenance tickets
- Weekly one-page update to all partners
Marketing and online presence
Connie
- Creates demand: content and social that gets people planning a trip before they search
- Tracks what is working: promo codes by channel, "how did you find us", ongoing review
- Website, listings, photos, story and sauna ritual
- Email list and local partnerships with Jackie
Ops Management
Christina
- Advises the front line on anything new, not already covered by the SOPs and playbook
- Helps the team get it to a decision, or routes it to the right owner
- Vendor contracts and the compliance calendar: insurance, permits, license renewals
- Turns pricing, revenue and marketing priorities into the VAs' actual task order
Sauna and plunge
Programming and experience
Connie
- The ritual: session flow, towels, water, rest space, smoothies
- Schedule: guest sessions, day passes, private bookings
- Classes and events: guided sessions, seasonal programming
Community and partnerships
Jackie, with Connie (since local)
- Local partners: wellness practitioners, gyms, yoga, retreats
- Memberships or local passes
- Events with the town and nearby businesses
Daily operation
On-site team
- Greeter: temperature and water checks each shift, written log
- Cleaners: extra cleaning after every session block, benches, floors, plunge
- Maintenance: heaters, chillers, filtration, weekly equipment check
- Sessions booked and paid online through guest operations
On-site team
House lead
Part time, the one person with keys
- Opens and closes, emergency contact, on-site lead for cleaners
- Likely the head housekeeper or head greeter
Greeter, host
Prime check-in hours
- Eyes and ears: rooms look clean, common areas ready
- Sauna and plunge: temperature and water checks each shift, log
- Smoothies; welcome drink and snack only if licensed
Maintenance
Strong generalist, hourly
- Building systems, small repairs
- Sauna heaters, plunge chiller and filtration, weekly check
- Meets vendors on site
Cleaners
Hourly
- Turnovers and common areas to the standard
- Sauna and plunge cleaned after every session block
- Photo checks into the dashboard
How a question travels
1. On-site staff asksGreeter, cleaner or maintenance has a question or a problem.
2. VAsAnswers the everyday ones: schedule, supplies order, guest details, access, a small purchase inside the agreed limit. Logs the rest.
3. ChristinaAdvises on anything new, not already in the SOPs and playbook. The VA works the money and operational blockers with her advice; she discusses it with Anna so it is covered next time. Routes design or guest-experience calls to Connie, tech or pricing to Anna, staff performance to Reg, building or equipment to maintenance then a vendor.
4. Closed and loggedThe owner resolves it and the dashboard records it, so the next weekly review already shows it done.
A guest's stay, who handles each step
Finds and booksGuest operations and marketing: website, booking sites, pricing.
Before arrivalGuest operations: messages, ID, payment, sauna slots and smoothies booked ahead.
ArrivesGreeter in prime hours; self check-in outside them. Welcome drink if licensed.
StaysGreeter checks spaces and sauna; maintenance on call; guest operations answers messages.
IssuesGuest operations triages; house lead on site; Christina advises or routes to the right owner.
LeavesCleaners with photo checks; review request goes out.
Building this to scale
This page is not only the plan for one hotel. It is meant to be the template for the next one.
The deal and capital pipeline starts now
- A deal takes months of relationship work before it closes
- Waiting until Sweet Springs opens to start on the next one leaves a dead gap in the pipeline right when we would want to be moving
Systems built to reuse
- The dashboard, revenue management and guest messaging are designed as systems that run a hotel, not systems that only know Sweet Springs
- Building it once, right, is cheaper than rebuilding it for property two
This chart is the template
- The value here is not only who does what, it is why
- Every rule and every why on this page is meant to travel to the next property, so we are not starting from a blank page next time
Brand architecture, decided
- Each property gets its own name. Sweet Springs is named for the actual spring on this property, so the name itself does not travel
- Connie's demand engine gets built fresh for each property, not one shared growing audience
Gaps and open calls
Capital raising
Investor relationships and outreach, this property and beyond. No owner yet.
House lead: who
No general manager at 21 keys, but one named person on site with keys and authority is needed before opening. Likely the head housekeeper or head greeter. Reg names the person.
Employee or contractor
Massachusetts has a strict contractor test, so scheduled greeters doing core hotel work may need to be employees. Liquor service may add server training and a manager of record. Need to confirm with legal before the first hire.
Bar and food
Only with the liquor license. Even then, a local operator or a simple licensed host, not a full bar.
Payroll and HR setup
Needed before the first hire: payroll provider, onboarding paperwork, handbook.
Capital plan
- How much to raise and when
- Debt or equity, guarantees: not needed for now
- Capital raising: who to contact, outreach, follow-up, closing commitments. Christina
- Programs and lending options, active: USDA, rural, grants, reverse mortgage. Jackie
- Lender packages. Christina
- Investor materials. Connie
Sourcing setup: breakfast, linens, amenities
Choosing suppliers and setting initial stock levels before opening. Natural owner: Christina picks and contracts, Connie sets the quality bar.
Sauna and plunge permits and rules
Connie
- Town or health permits
- Posted rules, session length and capacity
- Cleaning and temperature log format
Events, retreats and buyouts
A second revenue line for a 21-key hotel: corporate retreats, wellness weekends, full buyouts. Sales owner not set.
After-hours emergencies
Who answers a 2am alarm, leak or lockout on site, and who backs them up. Needs an on-call schedule between house lead and maintenance.
Booking system and pricing setup
Choose the hotel booking system and set up add-on sales before opening. Anna.
Feedback
This page changes as the team learns. See something to fix, add, or push back on? Comment right on this page, or send it through the Sweet Springs OS dashboard's Knowledge tab.