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Holidaying in the UK with a hot tub
The rise of the ‘staycation’ has seen a huge increase in demand for hot tubs, both for those looking for the perfect holiday at ‘home’, as well as holiday let owners who want to be able to offer these superb add-ons to their properties to enhance their property and potential rental income. Not forgetting new holiday concepts such as glamping and log cabins, which lend themselves to the feeling of being free and outdoors, hot tubs have nearly become an absolute necessity.
In short, holiday let hot tubs are the number one holiday accessory and the most searched for feature for holiday lets in the UK. Perhaps we can say that due to our wonderfully unpredictable weather, the thought of being outdoors lounging and relaxing in a warm hot tub is a holiday must!
Having said all that, there are pros and cons, as a holiday property owner, as to whether installing a hot tub is the right choice and in this article we’ll take you through things to think about when making that choice.
Benefits of installing a holiday let hot tub
- They are very much an attraction to holidaymakers when searching for their holiday.
- Increase in daily rate – up to 20% can be added to a rate for a property with a hot tub.
- Great reviews – happy holidaymakers are more likely to leave a rave review for your property.
- Re-booking – satisfied guests are always likely to re-book for future holidays.
- Exposure of your property – people love to post on social media, and if they can show themselves soaking in a hot tub then your holiday let gets a boost too.
- Summer and winter, hot tubs can be utilised, therefore your property also has a greater chance of renting in traditionally quieter months as well.
- It can potentially be one of the biggest returns on investment from the letting of your holiday home.
What are the differences in holiday let hot tubs?
If you are using a hot tub at a holiday property which is only utilised and accessed by one group or family at a time, then it would come under domestic hot tub use only. However, if you are letting the property as a business on a communal site, such as a holiday park, where multiple different groups of people will have access to use the hot tub this would be classed as a commercial use. In this instance you would not be able to install a domestic type of hot tub and would be required to install a hot tub with an advanced filtration system.
There are therefore legal requirements to follow which are detailed in the Health & Safety Executive HSG282 legislation. However, don’t let this deter you, once you have followed a few quite simple steps in terms of making sure you choose the right hot tub and subsequent maintenance needs, you will be able to ensure these requirements are followed easily. Our sales consultants here at Oyster also have the knowledge and expertise required to help you along the way.
The reason that legislation is in place is to mitigate infection, as warm water, if not maintained correctly, can potentially harbour bacteria. We have previously covered the importance and practice of Water Chemistry for Hot Tubs in a previous article for you. The HSG282 requirements are summarised in a recent article by WhatSpa as follows:
- Making sure you’ve got the right kind of hot tub.
- Performing a risk assessment.
- Maintaining your holiday let’s hot tub according to HSG282 standards.
- Keeping records and performing regular checks on all pertinent information.
You can DOWNLOAD THE GUIDELINES here.
Downsides of owning a holiday let hot tub
- Time – having a hot tub for your holiday property does require maintenance time, which combines daily, weekly and monthly checks. If you are close by then you can do this yourself, or some owners prefer to have a maintenance package with a company to do this for them.
- Cost – there are additional costs both for the maintenance and chemicals associated with its upkeep.
- Water change – a commercial holiday let hot tub will require emptying, cleaning and refilling as per HSG282 requirements.
So, from this you will understand that there is some initial investment, both in terms of time and cost, with regular chemical and servicing costs ongoing. At Oyster we always recommend buying the best quality, energy efficient hot tub that you can, which means that maintenance costs, in terms of possible breakdowns or issues, will be minimum if there are any at all.
Should I get a hot tub for my holiday let property?
In summary, the more holidaymakers there are, looking to stay and holiday in the UK, the more demand there will be. People are looking to wind down and relax on holiday and what better way to do that than to have the opportunity to do so in a hot tub, at any time of the year. Without doubt, having one will boost your booking capabilities.
Given the benefits we have already mentioned in this article, it is something certainly worth considering.
For more useful information and articles check out our Hot Tub section.
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