Hot tub, sauna, spa: what return on investment in a chalet?
It is the question that comes up most often as the winter season approaches: should you install a hot tub or a sauna in your mountain property? The equipment sells, without question. But between the purchase price, running costs and health obligations, the decision deserves more than intuition. Here are the numbers and the method.
What the equipment actually changes on your calendar
An outdoor spa does not merely add comfort: it moves your property into a different search category. On the platforms, the "hot tub" filter sharply cuts the number of competing results in a given resort — often by a factor of three to five. You go from being one listing among three hundred to one among sixty, which affects your visibility more than any pricing adjustment could. In practice, we observe two distinct effects on equipped Alpine properties. First, a rate premium of roughly 15 to 25 % on peak-season weeks, at comparable size and location. Second, and more importantly, markedly higher occupancy in the shoulder season and during quiet January weeks: the spa gives guests a reason to come when snow or sunshine no longer do. It is on those weeks, not in February, that the investment pays for itself.
The true full cost: purchase, running, maintenance
Reasoning on the purchase price alone systematically overstates the return. For a quality outdoor spa, properly installed, budget an all-in figure of €12,000 to €20,000 once you include the slab or load-bearing structure, a dedicated electrical supply and integration into the terrace. An indoor sauna sits closer to €6,000 to €12,000, with ventilation and fire-safety constraints that should not be brushed aside. Then come the recurring costs, which owners often discover after the fact: winter electricity, water treatment, filters, and above all cleaning time. A spa drained and disinfected between every stay, as serious rental use demands, adds a genuine task to each turnover. Across a full season in a resort, running costs commonly land between €2,000 and €3,500. That figure, not the purchase price alone, is what should be set against the additional revenue.
Health obligations and risk: the point people forget
A spa made available to guests is not a private spa. It counts as shared use, with the obligations that follow: monitored water quality, traceable treatment, and a documented draining protocol between stays. The main health risk, legionella, is prevented through simple but non-negotiable steps — a full drain between guests, disinfection of the pipework, and checks on residual disinfectant. On insurance, confirm explicitly that your policy covers the equipment in rental use: many standard home policies exclude pools and spas as soon as the property is let. Add clear signage inside the property (recommended usage time, no unaccompanied children, guidance on alcohol) and, in a co-ownership building, make sure the installation is permitted by the rules and approved at a general meeting whenever it alters the exterior appearance.
How SmartStay weighs the decision with you
We never recommend a spa on principle. Before any decision, we measure the real potential in your market: how many comparable properties in your resort are already equipped, what average price gap they genuinely achieve, and which weeks in your calendar are currently underselling. On a well-located property already heavily booked in high season, the investment is justified mainly by the quiet weeks it opens up; on a property struggling for visibility, it often shifts the picture faster. If you decide to go ahead, we build the constraint into operations: the draining protocol written into the property's cleaning sheet, a check at every turnover, pre-stay photos, and the equipment featured in your listing and guest messaging. Your monthly statement then breaks revenue down by week, so you can measure the real return season after season.
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