Welcome to another Ask Me Anything (Ask Us Anything?) episode! Each week we’ll answer your questions on STR, real estate, OTAs, and everything in between.
Kamala asks:
I’m putting a hot tub on the deck at my property, and I’m wondering how high the railing surrounding the hot tub should be?
[00:00:05] You're listening to the Thanks for Visiting Podcast. We believe hosting with heart is at the core of every short-term rental. With Annette's background in business operation--
Annette Grant:
[00:00:14] And Sarah's extensive hospitality management and interior design experience, we have welcomed thousands of guests from over 30 countries, earning us over $1,000,000 and garnering us thousands of five-star reviews.
Sarah Karakaian:
[00:00:28] We love sharing creative ways for your listing to stand out, serve your guests and be profitable. Each episode, we will have knowledgeable guests who bring value to the short-term rental industry.
Annette Grant:
[00:00:39] Or we will share our stories of our own experiences so you can implement actual improvements to your rentals. Whether you're experienced, new, or nervous to start your own short-term rental, we promise you'll feel right at home.
Sarah Karakaian:
[00:01:01] Hello, listeners. Welcome back for another fantastic episode. My name is Sarah Karakaian.
Annette Grant:
[00:01:06] I am Annette Grant, and together we are--
Both Sarah and Annette:
[00:01:08] Thanks for Visiting.
Sarah Karakaian:
[00:01:09] All right. We're going to do an AMA episode, Ask Me Anything. Of course, though, there are two of us.
Annette Grant:
[00:01:14] And we bring on guests like we are today to answer the questions.
Sarah Karakaian:
[00:01:17] Yeah, so it really is Ask Us Anything.
Annette Grant:
[00:01:19] It is.
Sarah Karakaian:
[00:01:20] All right. We've got a question that we could have definitely taken a stab at, but why do that when we can bring in one of our friends and professionals to answer the question? So here is Kamala's question.
Question:
[00:01:32] Hello. I have a question about putting a hot tub on a deck. I want to extend the height of the railing that surrounds the hot tub for people who sit on the edge of the hot tub. I'm wondering how high that extension should be that I add to my railing.
Annette Grant:
[00:01:51] All right.
Sarah Karakaian:
[00:01:52] Thank you so much for the question, Kamala. I love that Kamala is thinking about safety when she's doing this.
Annette Grant:
[00:01:59] Yes. Listeners out there, if you have a hot tub on your deck, please pay attention to this answer.
Sarah Karakaian:
[00:02:06] Yes. If you have been listening to us for a while, you know our dear friend Justin Ford. He is the most frequent guest on our podcast because he's international safety expert and we don't have our properties or guests or money or any of those things without safety. So here's Justin's response.
Justin Ford:
[00:02:23] Hey, Kamala. This is Justin Ford, short-term rental safety expert. Great question, and I'm really excited to hear that you're trying to make sure it's safe around the edge of your hot tub. The railing around the hot tub, if you're pushing it up against the fence, needs to still have 36 inches of vertical protection. So you'd want to measure from the base or the bottom of the bench seat in the hot tub so that if anybody is standing on that seat, they still have 36 inches of protection on the guardrail that's going around the edge of the hot tub. There's a couple of ways you can do it. You can extend it up with some pressure-treated wood and just put regular vertical bolsters in. Some people use cables. Other people have used a wire fencing. But anything that's aesthetically pleasing is certainly the best way to go. Don't hesitate to reach out to me with any other additional questions when it comes to the safety around your hot tub. You can reach me at safety@breezeway.io.
Sarah Karakaian:
[00:03:28] Awesome. Thank you, Justin.
Annette Grant:
[00:03:30] All right. So let's just dig in a little bit deeper there for a second. The reason that this is a concern, everybody, if you're probably thinking the aesthetically pleasing part, oh my gosh, I want to have this hot tub on my deck because I have amazing views and my guests aren't going to be able to see it. Well, guess what? You have an adult or a child stand on your hot tub. I don't think I need to explain what can happen next if they're standing on the top of that hot tub. The next thing just to go over really quick. You do want to make sure that you have the top of your hot tub, the cover. You always do have that locked to for each guest. People get excited when they check-in. They're going around to all of the new amenities, especially children. You don't want them to be able to flip the top of the cover and accidentally get into the hot tub and have the cover close on them. So make sure that you also have a lock. And I think Justin goes over some great locks for your hot tub cover, too. But great question. And please reach out to Justin. He really will help you with those issues. He is all about protecting your property and saving lives. But great question. Bring on the safety questions.
Sarah Karakaian:
[00:04:43] All right. And with that, I am Sarah Karakaian.
Annette Grant:
[00:04:45] I am Annette Grant, and together we are--
