Scottsdale is a popular tourist destination during the winters, but regardless of how mild the weather is, the temperature can still drop to the low-40s/high-30s at night. To make our guests’ stay the best it can be and to ensure we are capturing as many stays as possible, my husband and I decided to offer a heated pool for our listing.
A heated pool can seem daunting to most prospective VRBO and AirBnB real estate investors: What does it cost to install the heater? What should we charge guests for this service? Will the additional amount we charge cover the increase we see in our gas bill? How do we handle the operational side of turning it on / off?
These are just a few of the questions we had when contemplating how to move forward with upgrading our property for vacation rental Since we just received our first gas bill since we started heating the pool, we decided it was the perfect time to share with our readers what we found.
After weighing out options to heat our pool we decided to install a new 400,000 BTU gas heater and added a Pentair IntelliConnect 2-Relay Automation System. The heater cost us $3400 and the automation system cost us $900.00. We believe the additional cost for the automation system is worth every penny, for the following reasons:
- It allows us to turn the heater on / off via our phone eliminating the need for someone to drive over to the property to turn it on/off,
- It allows us to run the heater for only the necessary times ,
- And it eliminates guests’ ability to turn on the heater manually without paying for it.
These 3 factors will quickly add up to a savings of over $900.
After researching the amount of gas needed to heat the pool, we opted to charge guests an additional $75 per day if they want the pool heated for their stay. We have found that guests are comfortable with this amount and are just happy to have the option of enjoying the pool during our slightly chillier months.
From January 15 - February 13, our gas bill was $345.26. During that same time period, guests paid an additional $500 for the pool heating upgrade. An important thing to remember is that you don’t need to keep the pool heated at all times, which can easily double or triple the cost. We personally turn the pool heater on at around 6:00 AM on the day of guests check-in and turn it off at around 10:00 AM the day of their check-out. Times may vary slightly based on the starting temperature of the water.
We Want to Hear From You!
As Scottsdale Real Estate Investors, we want to provide the best guidance for prospective investors to make their experience both simple and profitable. If you have been interested in investing in vacation rentals through VRBO or AirBnB, we are here to help! For more information, give us a call at 480-387-3990 or fill out our Contact Form.