The Hot Tub Question: Why It’s the Single Best Investment You Can Make in Your Vacation Rental

Let me save you some time. If you own a vacation rental in Grand County and you don’t have a hot tub, you’re leaving money on the table. Probably a lot of it.

I know that sounds like a bold claim coming from a guy whose job is to help homeowners maximize their rental revenue. But this isn’t opinion — it’s math. And the math on hot tubs is so overwhelmingly in favor of installation that the real question isn’t “should I get one?” It’s “why don’t I have one already?”

Let’s break it down.

The Revenue Impact: By the Numbers

Here’s where it gets fun. Industry data from platforms like AirDNA, Beyond Pricing, and Airbtics consistently shows that hot tubs are one of the highest-ROI amenities you can add to a short- term rental. Not just in mountain markets — everywhere. But especially in mountain markets.

• Nightly Rate Premium: Properties with hot tubs command a 20-25% higher average daily rate (ADR) compared to similar properties without them. In mountain markets specifically, that premium can hit 34% on RevPAR (revenue per available rental night). We’re not talking about a marginal bump — we’re talking about the difference between charging $350 a night and $435 a night for the same property.
• Occupancy Boost: Hot tubs don’t just let you charge more — they help you book more nights. Properties with hot tubs see occupancy rates increase by 7-10%, with the biggest gains during shoulder seasons and colder months. In a market like Grand County, where winter is when the money is, that occupancy lift during peak season is pure gold.
• Annual Revenue Impact: Put the rate premium and occupancy boost together, and you’re looking at an additional $6,000 to $34,000 in annual revenue depending on your property size and market positioning. For a well-managed 3-bedroom property in our market, a hot tub can realistically add $15,000 to $25,000 per year to your top line.

Let me put that another way: a hot tub can pay for itself in a single ski season. After that, it’s pure upside.

The Investment: What It Actually Costs

Now for the part everyone worries about. Let’s talk real numbers.

Purchase and Installation: A quality hot tub suitable for a vacation rental runs between $4,000 and $10,000, depending on size, brand, and features. For a 6-8 person tub — which is what I’d recommend for most Grand County properties — you’re typically looking at $6,000 to $8,000 installed. Yes, you can spend $15,000-$20,000 on a premium model with all the bells and whistles, and in some cases it’s worth it. But a solid mid-range tub from a reputable manufacturer will do the job beautifully.

Annual Operating Costs: This is where people overestimate. Electricity runs about $30 to $50 per month ($360-$600/year). Modern energy-efficient tubs are surprisingly affordable to run, even in Colorado winters. Chemicals cost about $20 to $40 per month ($240-$480/year). Water costs are minimal — you’ll drain and refill the tub 3-4 times per year at roughly $30-$70 per drain. And professional maintenance, if you opt for it, runs $50 to $150 per month.

Total annual operating cost: roughly $1,200 to $2,500. For a vacation rental that’s seeing heavy guest turnover, budget toward the higher end of that range. You’ll want more frequent professional maintenance and faster filter replacements.

The Math: Even at the high end — a $10,000 tub plus $2,500 annual maintenance — your total first-year cost is $12,500. Against an additional $15,000 to $25,000 in revenue, you’re looking at a net positive in year one. By year two, you’re just collecting the premium. That’s a return on investment most stock portfolios would kill for.

Why It Matters Even More in a Mountain Market

Here’s the thing about Grand County specifically: a hot tub isn’t a luxury amenity here. It’s an expectation. When guests book a mountain vacation rental — whether it’s ski season, fall colors, or a summer escape — they’re picturing themselves soaking in a hot tub with mountain views and cold air on their face. It’s practically on the vision board. A property without a hot tub in our market isn’t just missing a feature. It’s missing the experience that guests are specifically searching for.

And they are literally searching for it. “Hot tub” is one of the most-used filters on both Airbnb and Vrbo. If your property doesn’t have one, it’s invisible to a significant chunk of potential guests before they even see your listing photos. You’re not competing against other hot-tub-less properties — you’re just not competing at all for that segment of demand.

In Colorado’s mountain markets, there are over 22,000 vacation rental listings with hot tubs on Vrbo alone. Your guests have options. The question is whether your property makes the cut.

How Hot Tubs Compare to Other Amenity Investments

Not all amenities are created equal. Here’s how a hot tub stacks up against other popular upgrades:

• Hot Tub vs. Game Room: A game room (pool table, foosball, arcade games) costs $600 to $3,500 and delivers a booking increase of roughly 2.5-3.5%. Not bad, but not in the same league as a hot tub’s 20-25% ADR premium. A game room is a nice-to-have. A hot tub is a must-have.
• Hot Tub vs. Sauna: Saunas are trending and can boost ADR by $50-$100 per night in the right markets. But installation costs run higher ($3,000-$8,000 for a quality unit plus electrical work), and the maintenance requirements are different. A sauna is a great complement to a hot tub — but if you’re only doing one, do the hot tub first.
• Hot Tub vs. Pool: Pools drive an 18.5% ADR boost and a 24% RevPAR increase — impressive numbers. But the installation cost ($30,000-$80,000+), ongoing maintenance ($3,000-$6,000/year), and the fact that outdoor pools in Grand County are usable for maybe four months means the ROI math is dramatically different. A hot tub works 365 days a year — and in our market, the colder it gets outside, the more guests want to use it.

The hot tub wins on every metric that matters: cost to install, cost to maintain, year-round usability, guest satisfaction, and revenue impact. It’s not even close.

The Guest Experience Factor

Beyond the numbers, there’s something less quantifiable but equally important: the review factor.

Scroll through the reviews of any top-performing vacation rental in Grand County and count how many times “hot tub” comes up. I’ll wait. (Actually, don’t — you’ll be there a while.)

Guests mention the hot tub in their reviews more than almost any other amenity. It’s often the highlight of their trip. That translates directly into five-star reviews, higher search rankings on Airbnb and Vrbo, and more bookings. It’s a virtuous cycle: hot tub leads to better experience, better experience leads to better reviews, better reviews lead to more bookings, more bookings lead to more revenue. Rinse and repeat. Or rather, soak and repeat.

What to Consider Before You Buy

A few practical notes to make sure your hot tub investment pays off:

• Size matters: For vacation rentals, go bigger than you think you need. A 6-8 person tub is ideal for most Grand County properties. Your guests are coming in groups — families, friend trips, couples retreats. A 4-person tub fills up fast and creates a bottleneck that generates complaints instead of five-star reviews.
• Location on the property: Put it where it belongs — on a deck with views, not tucked behind the garage. The Instagram factor is real, and a well-placed hot tub with a mountain backdrop is free marketing every time a guest posts a photo.
• Maintenance is non-negotiable: A dirty or broken hot tub is worse than no hot tub at all. If you’re not local, work with a property manager (hi, that’s us) who handles regular cleaning, water chemistry, and maintenance between guests. A hot tub that’s out of service during a guest’s stay is a guaranteed bad review.
• Check your permit requirements: Depending on your jurisdiction, there may be specific electrical, safety, or fencing requirements for hot tub installation. Your property manager should know the local codes, and most hot tub installers in Grand County are well-versed in what’s required.
• Insurance: Let your liability insurance provider know you’re adding a hot tub. Most policies cover it, but your premium may adjust slightly. Given the revenue upside, this is a rounding error.

The Bottom Line

If I could give every Grand County homeowner one piece of advice about their vacation rental, it would be this: get a hot tub. The data is clear, the ROI is undeniable, and in a mountain market like ours, it’s the single most impactful amenity investment you can make.

A $6,000-$10,000 hot tub that generates $15,000-$25,000 in additional annual revenue isn’t a luxury purchase — it’s a business decision. And it’s one of the easiest ones you’ll ever make.

If you want help evaluating how a hot tub would impact your specific property’s performance, or if you need recommendations on models, installers, and maintenance plans in Grand County, reach out to me directly at Joseph.Bowens@SkyRun.com. We’ve managed plenty of properties through this exact upgrade, and we know what works.

Joseph Bowens
Director of Business Development
970-627-4385
joseph.bowens@skyrun.com

Joseph Bowens is the Director of Business Development at SkyRun Vacation Rentals, Grand County. He believes every mountain property deserves a hot tub — and he has the spreadsheets to prove it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a hot tub calling my name.