Private pool or not?

[Richard518]

An amenities option was recently added to flag whether our pool is "private" or "public or shared."

I'm struggling with this one. Our listing is our poolhouse. So, it's our private pool. And it's huge. But we live in the main house, so we use the pool too (though we do generally give guests their privacy when they're using it, since we can use it anytime). So theoretically it is shared. But in no way is it public.

I always like being detailed, but it looks like they've pigeon-holed listings like ours so they are indistinguishable from, say, a pool shared by a whole building or apartment complex.

So for now, I just haven't set an option. Hopefully they'll add a "shared with host" option or something, because I can't imagine our situation is uncommon.

[Colleen253]

@Richard518 Your listing has a high number of good reviews so it seems the pool arrangement has not been a problem for you. I would leave it as is. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

However, if you feel you must check a box, I would go for ‘shared’ since it not for guest use alone. The last thing you want is for guests to expect that it is fully private for them alone, only to have you and your family accessing it during their stay.

Alternatively, mark it ‘private’ and resolve not to use it when you have guests installed. But you may still get ‘that’ guest who complains that the pool is not actually private, if it’s in any way still visible to others. It seems like you do get ‘that’ guest often enough, given you’ve had to add a listing disclaimer about neighborhood noise.

[Sarah977]

@Richard518  The wording is "public or shared, so it seems to me that guests would have nothing to complain about if you happened to use it as well. And it's easy enough to make the situation clear to guests in the description.

If you never use it when guests are in residence, then you could call it private, but if you use it when they aren't using it, it's shared.

[Fred13]

You have 300+ reviews so obviously your listing is definitely working well.

Personally, I wouldn't want to use the pool when guests are there, since I rather not be around them. I would charge more and let them have the pool all to themselves, and use it when you don't have guests, which based on your availability it appears happens often enough.

Yes, 'private but shared with the host' would be a proper description. 

[Amy2273]

@Richard518  I have the same issue , I recently ran into a problem with a guest not because we were swimming with them but because my husband walked out of the side door . The female guest said he was watching them but he was watching my grandson and he had been out side less than 3 minutes . It’s approximately 100 feet from our side door to the pool . We have an area that we sit at and she was livid that he went outside . I will not host her again . She booked twice and both times had an issue . So I’ll just tell her that I cannot accommodate her .