Hot tubs in holiday cottages are becoming more and more popular but there are health and safety issues to consider and there are Health and Safety Executive guidelines you should be aware of.
A spa can turn your holiday cottage into a hot property.
An increasing number of UK websites offering holiday cottages and summer lets are including a hot tub as one of the criteria that results can be filtered by.
People obviously find the idea of soaking in a spa on their holiday enormously attractive, and so they should.
More and more holiday cottage owners are therefore looking to install a spa in their property. A hot tub can certainly differentiate your holiday let from the competition and people may well choose a property with a spa over one without.
It is perhaps debatable as to whether you can charge extra simply because of the spa but it does seem likely that a hot tub will increase your property’s appeal and therefore the occupancy rates and that is certainly a very attractive proposition.
There are however a number of things that you should consider before installing a hot tub, or indeed, be aware of if your rental property already has one.
Avoid getting into hot water.
The issues anyone faces when managing a holiday cottage are fairly consistent across the industry.
- Changeovers need to be done swiftly and efficiently.
- If there are problems during a let then your guests expect them to be dealt with quickly.
- Accidents and breakages do happen.
- There are a host of rules and regulations governing rental properties that you have to be aware of and conform to.
Changeover day is always busy. Whether you do the work yourself or employ a service company to do the job for you. Cleaning the property and changing all the linen is time consuming enough but your hot tub needs to be drained, cleaned and refilled in between each booking at the very least and that can take 5 hours.
It is also a job that needs doing properly and carefully. Checking the hot tub, balancing the water with chemicals and setting the controls. You might think, ‘Oh, the gardener or handyman can do that,’ and if they are properly trained, they may well be able to but it may be that you need to arrange for your local hot tub dealer to service the tub once a week throughout the season.
Having a good working arrangement with that spa dealer may also be helpful if things go wrong during a guests stay.
Hot tubs do sometimes break down, perhaps due to maintenance issues or guest misuse and if they do then you will be expected to deal with that quickly. Your friendly local dealer should only be a phone call away if you have made a prior arrangement with them.
Breakages do happen and one of the things most likely to suffer damage is your hot tub cover.
Investing in a cover lifter can make the spa easier for guests to use and also protect the cover from damage during handling.
HSE guidance.
The Health and Safety Executive states that, “A domestic spa pool installed in a holiday home should be managed as a commercial spa pool.”
Their guidance goes on to say, “Where a spa pool is supplied for use at a holiday home, it needs to have a continuous chemical feeder built into the spa to continuously treat it with disinfectant.
The whole system will need regular – at least weekly, depending upon bathing load – shock treatment, drain down and cleaning.”
‘Management of Spa Pools – Controlling the Risks of Infection’ is freely available to download from the Internet. Their guidance isn’t compulsory but does represent what is considered to be good practice.
Other advice.
Don’t store chemicals on site. They will only be needed by the person servicing the spa and it will be much safer to store them elsewhere.
Set a few rules for the spa and include them with the literature that the guests receive. You may want to put the rules up on a notice near the spa as well.
Some suggestions might be:
- Only enter the spa after showering.
- No children under 12 years.
- Bathers under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
- No glass or sharp objects in the spa area.
- Bathing sessions limited to 15 minutes.
- Do not bathe after a heavy meal.
- Do not use the spa under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- Consult your doctor before using the spa if you are receiving medical treatment or have a long-term illness.
A hot tub can add a great deal to your guest’s enjoyment as well as increase the revenue that you can get from your holiday cottage over the season.
Following the HSE guidelines and using a little common sense will make sure that everyone gets the most from the experience.
We hope this article has been of use to you.
There are many more articles on this site that will give you information on almost every aspect of your spa or hot tub.
If you would like to add to or comment on this article, please just use the comment box below or you can use the contact button at the top of the page to find a spa and hot tub service professional in your area.