@Anita368 , @Lorna170 , @Graham34 , @Robin4 , @Kara146
There have been some good points made on here. However, I have to disagree with pretty much everyone. A hot tub (at least for our 2 listings) has proven to be absolutely crucial.
Our first listing (small 1BR mountain cottage) started off without a hot tub. And, yes, the home did great. It was simple to manage. We ran 100% booked but were doing about $125/night on average. Then, after about 8 months, we added the hot tub and a couple other little amenities (hammock, better outdoor seating). Now we're doing around $300/night on average. Still booked 100%. It ended up being the best investment we ever made (was maybe $10K start to finish to add it). We have to pay to maintain it, we have much higher electricity bills, and there have been at least one instance where the tub went down and we had to give a small refund to the guests ($100 of their $300/night stay). It’s more stress overall too. But it’s just so, so, so much more lucrative. When my wife and I see the typical “hot tubs can earn you up to 20% more” drivel, we laugh. It’s more like double!
Our second property (3 BR, desert highlands) you absolutely MUST have a hot tub just to be considered by most guests. The hot tub there has been a pain too! But everyone loves it, and you must have it in order to be competitive. So we have one. I realize all markets are different though.
We had a 4-plex several years ago (urban, all 1BR apartments) and rented all 4 units separately like a little hotel. $150/night on average and it also ran 100% for all 4 units. Coincidentally, we were just talking about it today that if we could have done it over again, we would have gotten a huge common-area hot tub for all guests to share. Had we done that, we felt we could have gotten more in the $250/night range.
As travelers, my wife and I will pretty much only stay at vacation rentals that have hot tubs (unless it's something like Thailand where it's 100 degrees day/night). But this is just my 2 cents!
Are they a pain? YES. But they bring in WAY, WAY, WAY more money. And as a result, a higher end client most times. Higher end clients are usually more respectful in my experience, and they tell other high-end friends about your awesome place. A positive feedback loop can be established and the next thing you know you're ratcheting your price up week after week and nobody seems to notice.
I would 100% do it if I were you. I think you’ll find that all the sudden you can charge a whole lot more and the guests will be a little bit better.