When belonging becomes a business model

A few weekends ago, while spending time at a hotel club in Miami where I've been a member for several years, I found myself reflecting on something rather unexpected.

If you had told me ten years ago that I would one day pay an annual membership to belong to a hotel, I would have thought you were completely crazy. Hotels, in my mind, were places you visited while traveling. Temporary spaces. Somewhere you checked into, not somewhere you belonged.

But over the years, this place has quietly become one of my regular places. A place to work, relax, meet friends, exercise, or simply spend a Sunday afternoon.

What struck me recently is that the value has very little to do with the amenities themselves. Yes, the spa, pool, gym, and facilities are wonderful. But if I'm honest, that's not what keeps me renewing my membership year after year.

What keeps me coming back is something much harder to quantify. The atmosphere. The people. The familiar faces. The feeling that I share something with the community that gathers there.

In other words, I am not really paying for access.

I am paying for belonging. And I am clearly not alone.

The business of belonging is booming. According to industry estimates, the global private members' club market was worth around $32 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to nearly $60 billion by 2033. What began as a niche luxury category is rapidly evolving into a much broader ecosystem spanning hospitality, wellness, co-working, dining, and lifestyle communities (source Growth Market Report).

Of course, loyalty programs are nothing new. Airlines have mastered them for decades. Frequent flyer status transformed routine travel into a game of points, tiers, upgrades, and rewards.

But something feels different about this new generation of memberships.

Traditional loyalty programs rewarded what you did.

These new communities reward who you are, or perhaps who you aspire to be.

The value no longer sits only in the benefits. It sits in the badge. In the feeling of being part of something. In the signal it sends to ourselves and others.

Perhaps this reveals a deeper shift in society.

For centuries, belonging came from families, neighborhoods, religious institutions, sports clubs, and civic organizations. Today, many of those traditional communities have weakened. At the same time, our need for connection, identity, and recognition has not disappeared. If anything, it may have grown stronger.

So perhaps the real question is not why brands are turning belonging into a business model.

Perhaps the more interesting question is why so many of us are willing to pay for it.

Where can Innate Motion help?

As brands increasingly compete for belonging rather than attention, understanding the deeper human need behind affiliation becomes critical. At Innate Motion, we help organizations uncover the emotional, social, and cultural forces that shape identity and community. Through human understanding, purpose positioning, and experience design, we help brands create meaningful forms of belonging that go beyond transactions and foster lasting relationships with the people they serve.

P.S. Want your business to feel more human and make a bigger impact? Let’s fix that! Book a free 30-minute consultation and let’s tackle your biggest or smallest business challenge together.

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