Hot Tub Addition for Poconos Rental Property

[Ravi Ramu]

Considering adding a hot tub to my Poconos short-term rental property and wanted to get your thoughts on a few things:

1.Patio vs. basement installation for the hot tub?

2.How to run the hot tub without guests for a few winter months (avoid headaches)?

3.Hot tub maintenance for short-term rentals: cleaning & water changes?

4.Hot tub: value-add or headache for Pocono STR?

[Michael Baum]

Hey @Ravi Ramu. So patio would be my vote. Basement installation doesn't make a lick of sense IMHO.

Just keep the hot tub at the heated setting for winter months. You could drain and winterize but then it won't be available for guests.

Many municipalities regulate hot tub maintenance for STRs. Some require a water change after every guest. So have no regs. Personally I would do a water change after every guest.

To decide if the hot tab is a value add, look at your competition. Who has them? What is their nightly rates and occupancy?

If a lot of other STRs have them, then you need to have them just to stay competitive. If there aren't any others or very few, it could be a good addition to boost bookings by have something no one else does.