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The best hot tubs for holiday lets are cheap to run between guests, quick to drain and refill at changeover, and tough enough for a new group every week. For most UK owners that points to an acrylic-lined wood fired hot tub: it costs nothing when the property is empty, it needs no electrician, and it gives guests a fire to remember.
Picture the review you want. Not “clean and well located”, but “we lit the stove at five, opened a bottle at six, and watched the stars come out from the water”. That is what a hot tub does for a holiday let. It turns a place to stay into the reason for the trip.
This guide covers what a hot tub does for bookings, what it costs to buy and run, the rules you have to follow as a business, and which tub suits a cottage, a lodge, a cabin or a glamping pitch. Royal Tubs has been building wood fired hot tubs in the UK since 2014 and delivers across mainland Britain, so the tub figures here are our own.
Is a hot tub worth it for a holiday let?
Yes, for most properties with outdoor space. The letting agency Holidaycottages reported in November 2025 that homes with a hot tub earned 33% more revenue over the previous 12 months. Weekly prices were 15% higher and those homes took around five extra bookings a year, with the biggest effect on small properties sleeping two or three (Landlord Today).
Three things sit behind those numbers.
- A higher nightly rate. Guests pay more for something they do not have at home. A private hot tub is near the top of that list.
- Bookings outside summer. A hot tub is at its best when the air is cold. Steam, frost and firelight sell a February weekend in a way a patio set never will.
- More short breaks. A hot tub makes a one or two night stay feel worth the drive. Those bookings fill the gaps between full weeks.
We would rather be honest about where it does not pay. If your let is a town flat with no outdoor space, or nobody can be on site at changeover, a hot tub will cost you more in hassle than it earns. There is more on what guests look for in people want hot tubs on their holidays.
Wood fired or electric: which is better for a holiday let?
Choose wood fired if you want no running cost between bookings, fresh water for every guest, or a tub on a site with no mains power. Choose electric, or a hybrid, if guests must find the water hot the minute they arrive and nobody can light a stove for them.
| Wood fired | Electric | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost when the let is empty | Nothing. No fire, no cost | Power to hold the heat, or a long reheat |
| Ready after a fresh fill | About 1.5 hours in summer, 2.5 in winter | 4 to 8 hours in summer, up to 24 in winter |
| Power supply | None needed for heating | A dedicated supply, fitted by an electrician |
| Effort per soak | Light the fire and feed it | Lift the lid |
| Where it can go | Anywhere firm and level, off-grid included | Within reach of a suitable supply |
| What guests remember | Firelight, woodsmoke, a ritual | Convenience |
The changeover gap is where wood wins for holiday lets. Guests leave at ten and the next arrive at four. An electric tub drained and refilled in that window is unlikely to be hot by arrival. A wood fired tub lit by half past one is at temperature for four o’clock, even in winter.
The honest downside is the fire itself. Somebody has to light it. Some owners make that part of the welcome: logs stacked, kindling laid, and a card that says “light me at five”. Others ask the housekeeper to light it before guests arrive.
If neither suits your let, the Deluxe Premium can be ordered with an electric or diesel heater alongside the stove. The fire then becomes a choice, not a chore. Our guide to heater options explains each one, how wood fired hot tubs work covers the mechanics, and we put numbers on both types in our running cost comparison.
Which hot tub is best for a holiday let?
The best hot tub for a holiday let is an aicrylic-lined wood fired tub sized to the number of guests the property sleeps. A lined tub wipes clean in minutes at changeover, stands up to chlorine, and does not need its timber to swell before it holds water. Match the model to the property:
| Your property | Model | Seats | Water | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couples’ cottage, shepherd’s hut or glamping pod | Ofuro Off-Grid or Ofuro Premium | 2 | 800 L | £3,850 |
| Off-grid cabin or woodland lodge | Deluxe Off-Grid | 6 to 8 | 1,200 L | £4,900 |
| Family cottage or lodge with power on site | Deluxe Premium | 6 to 8 | 1,200 L | £5,500 |
| Busy let that wants filtration built in | Deluxe Premium Plus | 6 to 8 | 1,200 L | £6,000 |
| Large group house | Square Hot Tub | 6 to 8 | 1,300 L | £6,595 |
A few notes on that table.
- No power on site? The two Off-Grid models have no electrical parts at all. There is no pump, no jets and no control panel to fail in a wet field.
- Sleeping more than eight? The Deluxe Off-Grid and Deluxe Premium come in an XL size that seats 8 to 10 for an extra £750.
- Want bubbles? The Premium models add air and hydro massage jets and underwater LED lighting. Those need a power supply.
- Using chlorine or bromine? You will be, so specify the 316-grade stainless steel heater (£250). It is standard on the Deluxe Premium Plus, along with an integrated filtration system.
Buy for the number of beds, not the number you would like to squeeze in. Guests will fill every seat. Our size guide walks through it, and you can compare every model and price side by side.
Our all-timber Wooden Hot Tub starts lower, at £3,250, and nothing looks more traditional. For a let we would still steer you to a lined tub. Bare timber takes longer to clean at every changeover, and here is why acrylic liners matter.
What does a hot tub for a holiday let cost?
A Royal Tubs wood fired hot tub for a holiday let costs from £3,850 for a two-person Ofuro to £6,595 for the Square. Running it takes about one bag of logs and one fill of water per stay. There is no cost at all between bookings.
| Cost | What to budget |
|---|---|
| The tub | £3,850 to £6,595 depending on model. Stove, chimney and steps are included |
| Let-ready upgrades | 316-grade steel heater £250. Filtration and sanitation package from £650 |
| Delivery | Priced by location across mainland Britain. See delivery |
| Firewood | About one 10 kg bag of dry hardwood for each evening of use |
| Water | One fill per stay: 800 litres for an Ofuro, 1,200 litres for a Deluxe |
| Sanitiser and test strips | Chlorine or bromine, plus pH adjusters |
| Laboratory water tests | Monthly, with a legionella test each quarter (see the rules below) |
| Annual maintenance visit | £239.99, optional |
Firewood can pay for itself. Leave the first bag as part of the welcome, then sell extra bags at the door.
How quickly does a hot tub pay for itself?
Take a Deluxe Off-Grid at £4,900, add the 316 heater and the entry filtration package, and you have spent £5,800. Divide that by what the tub adds to each booked night.
| Extra you charge per night | Booked nights to earn back £5,800 |
|---|---|
| £20 | 290 |
| £30 | 194 |
| £40 | 145 |
| £50 | 116 |
Those sums leave out the extra bookings a hot tub brings in. They also leave out logs and water. Treat them as a starting point and run them again with your own rates. If you would rather not pay in one go, you can spread the cost with finance, and there are more savings in how to reduce the running costs of a hot tub.
What are the rules for hot tubs in holiday lets?
A hot tub at a holiday let is part of a business, so the Health and Safety at Work Act applies to it. The Health and Safety Executive’s guidance, HSG282, sets out what good practice looks like. In short: assess the risk, keep the water disinfected, test it, change it for every new group, and keep records.
HSG282 is guidance, not a law in itself. HSE says that following it will normally be enough to comply with the law, and inspectors refer to it. For most holiday lets the regulator is the environmental health team at your local council.
| What HSG282 expects | What it means for your let |
|---|---|
| Risk assessment | Assess legionella and other bacteria, chemicals, slips and the stove. Review it when anything changes |
| Fresh water | Drain, clean and refill after each group of guests, or weekly if a stay runs longer |
| Disinfection | Chlorine at 3 to 5 mg/l or bromine at 4 to 6 mg/l, dosed continuously through an inline feeder. UV on its own is not enough |
| pH | Keep the water between 7.0 and 7.6 |
| Daily checks | Check clarity, pH and sanitiser at least twice a day while the tub is in use |
| Laboratory tests | A microbiological test every month and a legionella test every quarter |
| Records | Keep your test and monitoring records for at least five years |
| Guest information | Give guests clear written rules for safe use |
Source: HSG282, Health and Safety Executive.
Do not leave the chemistry to your guests. The twice-daily checks need a housekeeper, a neighbour or a local hot tub service to call in. Agree how you will manage it with your environmental health officer, and write it into your risk assessment.
A word on wood fired tubs. HSG282 was written with jetted, pumped spas in mind, but your duty of care is the same whatever heats the water. An Off-Grid tub with no jets and a fresh fill for every guest is a simpler system to look after. It still needs a sanitiser in the water and it still needs your risk assessment. If you choose jets or filtration, the continuous dosing expectation applies in full.
Some councils will expect continuous dosing on any tub, so ask yours before you order. Tell us the tub is for a holiday let when you get in touch and we will talk through heater steel, filtration and dosing with you. Tell your insurer too, and check that your public liability cover includes the hot tub and its stove.
We build hot tubs. We are not lawyers. Treat this section as a summary to get you started, then read HSG282 itself.
What is the changeover routine for a holiday let hot tub?
Drain, wipe, refill, dose and restock. With an acrylic liner and a high flow drain tap, the job fits inside a normal changeover.
- Let the stove go cold before you drain. Emptying the tub around a hot stove can damage it.
- Open the drain tap and run the water to a drain or soakaway.
- Empty the ash. Cold ash can go in the bin or on the compost heap.
- Wipe the liner with a soft cloth and a mild soap solution, then rinse. Wipe the underside of the lid as well.
- Clean and dry the filter cartridge, or swap in a spare, if your tub has filtration.
- Refill from the hose until the water covers the top of the firebox. Never light the stove before this.
- Dose with chlorine or bromine, check the pH, and write the readings in your log.
- Restock dry logs, kindling, firelighters and matches. Check the thermometer and stirring paddle are by the tub.
- Light the stove if you want the water hot for arrival. Allow about 1.5 hours in summer and 2.5 in winter, and keep the lid on while it heats.
The full method is in cleaning made easy and can I use chemicals in a wood fired hot tub. Our user manual and instructional videos are worth sharing with whoever does your changeovers.
What hot tub rules should you give guests?
Give guests one page of rules, laminated, beside the tub and in the welcome folder. Keep it short enough that people read it. Copy this list and fill in the gaps.
- Never light the stove unless the tub is full. A dry stove will warp.
- Burn only the dry logs provided. No rubbish, no treated timber, no barbecue coals.
- The stove and chimney get very hot. Keep children, towels and robes away from them.
- Stir the water with the paddle, then check the thermometer before you get in.
- 37°C to 40°C is the comfortable range. Stop feeding the fire when you reach it. There is no thermostat.
- Shower before you soak. Sun cream and fake tan spoil the water.
- No glass in or near the tub.
- One person per seat. Maximum [number] people.
- Soak for about 15 minutes at a time, then cool off.
- Children must be supervised at all times. No children under four.
- Do not use the tub after heavy drinking or if you feel unwell.
- If you are pregnant or have a heart condition, check with your doctor first.
- Put the lid back on when you get out. It holds the heat and keeps the water clean.
- Please do not drain the tub or add anything to the water.
- Any problem, call [name] on [number].
There is more on younger guests in are wooden hot tubs safe for children.
Where should the hot tub go at a holiday let?
Put the tub on firm, level ground with a view and some privacy, and with the chimney downwind of the neighbours. Allow a base of at least 3.5 m by 3.5 m for a Deluxe, which leaves room to load the stove and walk around it.
- Base. Level, and able to carry up to 2,500 kg when full. Decking, concrete or paving all work. For a let, a hard surface you can clean beats grass.
- Water. Within reach of a garden hose. No plumbing is needed.
- Drainage. Somewhere for 1,200 litres to go at every changeover.
- Privacy. Guests want to feel unobserved. A fence, a hedge or a pergola makes the difference.
- Overhead. Away from overhanging trees, which drop leaves in the water, and with the chimney clear of branches and parasols.
- Smoke. Burn logs certified “Ready to Burn”, at 20% moisture or less. Dry wood makes far less smoke.
- Access. Tubs arrive fully assembled. Clear the route from the kerb and have four to six people ready to lift.
- Planning. A hot tub in a house garden does not normally need planning permission. Glamping sites, listed buildings, conservation areas and national parks can be different, so ask your local planning authority first.
Our guide to what you need to install a wood fired hot tub has the full checklist. You can also see a tub at your property before you order. Running a glamping site? Take a look at our camping pods and saunas as well.
Is a hot tub right for your holiday let?
If you have outdoor space, someone on hand at changeover, and guests who would rather watch a fire than a screen, then yes. If your let runs on a key safe with nobody nearby, think hard, or talk to us about a hybrid heater.
One holiday let owner told us in a Google review that his tub arrived on time and on budget for a grant-funded project. You can read it with the rest of our customer reviews. What owners tend to notice afterwards is the guest book. People stop writing about the parking and start writing about the evening they spent in the water.
That is the Secret of Royal Tubbing, and it works on paying guests just as well as it works at home.
Ready to choose? Compare every hot tub and price, download our buyer’s guide, or talk to our team and tell us about your let. Every tub is built in the UK and carries a 2-year warranty, and in-stock models ship in 1 to 3 days.
Frequently asked questions
Are hot tubs worth it for holiday lets?
For most lets with outdoor space, yes. Holidaycottages reported in November 2025 that homes with a hot tub earned 33% more revenue, charged 15% more per week and took about five extra bookings a year. The gain was strongest for small properties sleeping two or three.
What is the best hot tub for a holiday let?
An acrylic-lined tub sized to the number of guests you sleep. It wipes clean quickly at changeover and resists chlorine. For couples we suggest the Ofuro, from £3,850. For families and groups we suggest the Deluxe, from £4,900, which seats 6 to 8, or 8 to 10 in XL.
Do you have to change the hot tub water between guests?
Yes. HSE guidance HSG282 says a hot tub used as part of a business should be drained, cleaned and refilled after each group of guests, or every week if a stay is longer. A Deluxe holds 1,200 litres and empties through a high flow drain tap.
What is HSG282 and does it apply to my holiday let?
HSG282 is the Health and Safety Executive’s guidance on controlling legionella and other infections in spa pools and hot tubs. It applies to any hot tub offered to paying guests. It covers risk assessment, disinfection, water testing, water changes and record keeping.
Can guests light a wood fired hot tub themselves?
Yes, with clear written instructions, dry logs and kindling. The one rule that matters most is never to light the stove unless the tub is full. If you would rather guests did not handle the fire, light it before they arrive or choose a model with an electric heater.
How long does a hot tub take to heat for new guests?
A Royal Tubs Deluxe or Ofuro reaches soaking temperature in about 1.5 hours in summer and 2.5 hours in winter from a cold fill. The larger Square takes about 2 hours in summer and 3 in winter. Keep the insulated lid on while it heats.
How much does it cost to run a hot tub at a holiday let?
A wood fired tub costs about one 10 kg bag of logs for each evening of use, plus one fill of water per stay and a small amount of sanitiser. It costs nothing between bookings, because there is no heater holding the water hot.
Do I need planning permission for a hot tub at a holiday let?
Not normally, if the tub stands in the garden of a house. Glamping sites, listed buildings, conservation areas and national parks can have tighter rules. Check with your local planning authority before you order.
Can I have a hot tub at a glamping site with no electricity?
Yes. A wood fired hot tub needs no electricity to heat. The Deluxe Off-Grid and Ofuro Off-Grid are built with no electrical parts at all. You need a hose to fill the tub, firm level ground, and somewhere for the water to drain.
What should I do with the hot tub when the holiday let is empty?
Drain it, wipe the liner and put the lid on. A wood fired tub has nothing to keep running, so it costs nothing while the let is empty. If a hard frost is forecast, make sure no water is left standing in the tub or the stove.
How long does a hot tub last in a holiday let?
An acrylic liner is unaffected by water, so a lined tub typically outlasts its timber cladding, and the cladding can be replaced. Oil the timber once a year and empty the ash regularly. There is more in how long do wooden hot tubs last.
