Hot tubs

[Martha]

Our situation is different of course as it's a winter sport holiday, but for what it's worth:

It has absolutely clinched bookings. A lot of people search for a place specifically with a hot tub for winter holidays, as you'd expect, but a surprising amount have wanted it for summer too (I know this by looking at the stats on the site)

It is quite expensive to run but noticeably less so in summer which I guess is when yours would be used - and you are unlikely to have six months of sub-zero temperatures to heat it in as we do!

I must say that I personally could live without it, I much prefer the sauna. But they are fun, for sure, and I think it makes a lot of people's holidays feel extra special.

Ours is fairly basic in terms of features - no soundsystem, flashing lights, waterfalls etc. The big thing about ours was the very high insulation level which makes it cheap to run

Things to consider:
I see your place sleeps 10 - hot tubs to fit that many are hard to find and very, very, expensive. Ours is massive, but it's only supposed to be for 5. Of course more people get in it, and then it overflows and the water goes below the level of the jets when they all get out, which is bad for the pumps. I'd look for one with low jets if possible as this *will* happen.

Are you onsite? I think this makes a big difference. If not, you need someone super-reliable to look after it.

If you're onsite maybe you can just keep an eye on the water, which will be a lot cheaper. We're off-site and we clean and refill the tub for every set of guests. I just don't think it's worth the risk of rashes or worse from disease transmission, they can be total bacteria farms and I hate to think what people get up to in there when there's no-one around. Ours is light coloured inside so you can see that it's clean.

Like MG, I had a bad hot tub experience which put me off for years. I still don't go in many of them. In fact I've been in ours, and the one that belongs to our manager, and that's it.

Do many people have them in your area? Would it make a really good USP? I guess it might be nice in the evenings, and maybe popular for health reasons...

[lorca]

Many thanks for all your comments - it obviously needs some thought........and I expect we´d need to get a decent one, which wouldn´t be cheap.

Forgive my igorance (never having owned one), but couldn´t they be used unheated in the summer? not having a pool this might be an attraction. We do get quite a lot of winter bookings too.

I suspect my situation is different to bellywobbles, as she has a pool, and is also near the beach. We´re in a small hill village and although there is a village pool open in the summer, it might be a bonus that could be used year round. We are pretty much on site, but the hygiene issues do concern me.

[enid]

It can't be unheated but you can lower the temp by 10° - well that's our s anyway

[Bellywobble]

Thanks for all your thoughts.

I do appreciate the health concerns but as I'm on site most of the time an nearby for the rest of the time, I can, like Enid, make sure it's well maintained.

Alifrank, your right that I probably don't need one, (not that that has ever stopped me spending!) but I'm taking a long term view of winter bookings and if it brings a few of those in, it would be worth it.

One problem is that they are so enormous! I really just want one to fit 4/5 people, they'll just have to take turns!

I've got someone coming out on Saturday to look at the site, so I'll probably make a decision after then.

Lorca, I think your situation is absolutely ideal for one. If I was booking somewhere without a pool, I'd book the place with a hot tub.