Acrylic hot tubs gain hotel market share

Dale Papke, CEO of HydroTher Commercial Hot Tubs

MISSISSAUGA, ON-While portable acrylic hot tubs have dominated the residential market for the past almost thirty years, it is only in the past 10 to 15 years that pre manufactured, acrylic or other non-concrete material commercial hot tubs have become a popular choice of architects, developers and operators of hotels and motels.

Dale Papke, CEO of HydroTher, a Mississauga Canada manufacturer exclusively dedicated to manufacturing commercial hot tubs and exercise pools, states the reasons for the increased popularity include lower upfront costs, integral waterproofing characteristics, lighter weight loads, ease of installation and less upkeep.

Unfortunately, the growth in popularity and acceptance of acrylic and concrete alternative materials has been a slow process due to their only being a small percentage of pool and hot tub dealers that either understand, or want to understand, everything required to sell into the demanding commercial market.

As a result, architects and designers, (unless successfully approached and marketed to by a company, experienced in commercial acrylic installations) tend to specify products they are familiar with such as conventional concrete hot tubs.

One of the ways that HydroTher has overcome this obstacle is to consistently advertise its products in magazines and at tradeshows that cater to architects, designers, developers, managers and operators of commercial facilities such as resorts, hotels, health clubs, day and destination spas, etc. with the goal of getting its products specified by the architect.

"We probably bring as many new construction deals to our dealers as they bring to us," says Papke. "However, we rely on the dealers to bring us the retrofit orders where they potentially already have a service relationship with the end-user commercial client.

According to Papke "If we do our job right we get our unit specified and quite often even close the sale on behalf of our dealer. We ship the pre-plumbed shell with installed factory bracing and the pre-plumbed equipment package either to the dealer or directly to the site allowing the dealer or the mechanical contractor to simply supply and run the plumbing from the pre-plumbed shell to the pre-plumbed equipment and do the startup and training. In most cases the decking and electrical is completed by others."

Concrete dealers who used to pass on the opportunity to sell acrylic commercial units are apparently now much more open to quoting less expensive pre-plumbed acrylic units than they were in the past. Apparently there are many more situations where price is much more of a critical factor to the commercial customer than it was in better economic times.

Many small condos and boutique hotels are being designed with rooftop hot tub locations, installations that favour the lighter pre-fabricated acrylic units.  Replacement units required as a result of the VGB Pool & Spa Safety Act has also opened up opportunity for prefabricated commercial units. In some situations the customer does not want his facility exposed to the complexities and mess of concrete construction.

Another strong reason for the increasing popularity of prefabricated acrylic units in commercial settings is the fact that expensive and complicated waterproofing is not needed (as it is with concrete units) to prevent water damage to space underneath the hot tub.

Looking ahead, Papke sees even more architects specifying acrylic hot tubs as well as small swim-in place pools for both their common amenity areas as well as for penthouse unit balconies. "Our swimspa pool allows small boutique hotels to still advertise that they have a pool or for larger upscale hotels with upscale penthouses to offer private pools with half the installation, space and upkeep requirements of a larger pool," he says.

As a word of caution, Papke reminds potential buyers that any hot tub or pool installed in a hotel, whether it be for the general use of the guests or in a private suite must be equipped to meet government regulations. "Far too often we have seen situations where a hotel had its hot tub shut down by the local Health Department  because they unknowingly purchased a residential unit from their local pool or spa dealer."