From North America to Norway: How House21 Is Growing with Clubspot
By Fritz Baldauf
Private clubs are changing, and the technology behind them has to change as well.
Some clubs are more than a century old and are now searching for ways to modernize the systems that run their operations. Others, like House21 in Oslo, are being built in an era where digital infrastructure is just as important as the physical space itself. Whether a club has been operating since the early 1900s or opened its doors recently, the challenge is similar: delivering a seamless member experience while keeping day-to-day operations manageable for staff.
Modern Software for a Modern Club
At House21 in Oslo, members gather for work, conversation, and collaboration — experiences supported behind the scenes by Clubspot’s unified club management platform.
House21 operates from a purpose-built venue in central Oslo designed to host events, conversations, and member gatherings. Its spaces include areas for presentations, discussions, private meetings, and even recorded conversations in a podcast studio. Like any active club environment, that means coordinating memberships, events, guest check-ins, and internal operations across multiple parts of the organization.
It didn’t take long for the leadership team to realize that the patchwork software approach many clubs have historically relied on wasn’t going to work for what they were building. Instead of juggling disconnected tools, they needed a single platform capable of tying everything together.
That search ultimately led them to Clubspot.
Cohesiveness Over Fragmentation
Seamless Software Behind the Scenes
From social gatherings to evening events, House21 relies on Clubspot to coordinate the many touchpoints that shape the modern member experience.
When House21 began evaluating technology options, the club wasn’t simply looking for a new CRM or a better billing system. The goal was to find something that could support the entire operational flow of the club.
General Manager Marcel Braconnier describes the mindset that shaped their search. That vision came into sharper focus after experiencing the limitations of the systems they had been using.
“Cohesiveness is everything. Running a club today is similar to running a high-end hotel: you need a seamless guest experience backed by technology that meshes every department together. We were attracted to Clubspot because it focuses on total club management, covering everything from reception analytics and guest tabs to the full member journey via portals and the app. Our biggest challenge was ‘software fatigue’ from using multiple different platforms that did not communicate or integrate. We had separate systems for restaurant payments, order taking, reservations, banquet events, and member check-ins. It was fragmented and inefficient.”
The issue wasn’t that any one system was unusable on its own. The problem was that none of them worked together. Every additional platform introduced more steps, more duplicated information, and more opportunities for operational friction.
One Platform Instead of Many
No Need for a Patchwork of Systems
Spaces like the House21 Library host discussions, meetings, and programming—activities organized through Clubspot’s integrated event and membership tools.
House21’s leadership spent time reviewing various platforms and CRM-style tools before ultimately deciding that a unified club management system was the direction they wanted to go.
“I vetted many competitors and various CRM systems, but Clubspot sold me on its vision of being a truly comprehensive management system. We wanted to solve the fragmentation problem. The goal was to finally have one software for one unified vision.”
Instead of maintaining multiple pieces of technology across departments, the club could now run memberships, events, check-ins, and operational workflows from the same place. For a venue that hosts a steady stream of member activity and programming, having a single operational hub simplifies the day-to-day work that happens behind the scenes.
Implementation and Daily Operations
Streamlining the Day-to-Day
Hospitality is central to the House21 experience, with Clubspot helping the team manage events, reservations, and member engagement in one connected system.
Rolling out a new club management platform can often be one of the most disruptive changes a club makes. For House21, however, the transition moved quickly—even with the logistical challenge of operating in a different country.
“John Collins and his team have been exceptional. Despite the timezone differences, their response times are fantastic. Our club is quite unique within the Clubspot ecosystem, and the team was incredibly willing to develop custom solutions specifically for Norwegian currency and tax laws. I was very impressed by their adaptability. On a daily basis, we rely heavily on the Membership Module, App Check-in Scanning, Social Event Registrations, and the Banquet features. These are the core pillars of our day-to-day engagement.”
Once the system was in place, the operational improvements became clear across the club’s daily workflow. Those tools now support many of the touch points between members and the club—from attending events to checking in when they arrive.
“The most immediate change has been a much easier backend administration process. For our members, the shift has resulted in a completely seamless experience when they engage with any activity at the club. The platform is incredibly intuitive. My membership team finds it easy to use and even easier to teach to new staff members. Our Events Manager has seen the same ease of use with the Banquet sections. It takes the ‘tech headache’ out of their daily tasks. Efficiency is the biggest win. Information is now significantly easier to collect and maintain because it stays in one place. We’ve seen a total improvement in our backend structure and data integrity.”
Growing Alongside the Platform
A Club and a Software System Growing Together
Located in central Oslo, House21 was built with a modern operational foundation—running its memberships, events, and daily workflows on Clubspot.
For House21, the decision to adopt Clubspot wasn’t just about solving current operational challenges. It was also about choosing a system that will continue evolving as the club grows.
Braconnier believes that ongoing development is one of the platform’s biggest advantages.
“The software is already in a great state as a piece of technology, but it is the team behind it that truly earns the sale. I’ve seen multiple new quality of life features rolled out every month. I guarantee this platform will continue to grow, and by joining now, your club gets to be a part of shaping that evolution.”
In an industry where many software systems were designed decades ago and updated slowly over time, that type of ongoing development can make a significant difference. Clubs adopting modern platforms today aren’t just installing software—they’re choosing the ecosystem their operations will run on for years to come.
For House21, the decision was about building that foundation correctly from the beginning.
Want to see what Clubspot can do for your club? Book a demo.
