If you have a hotel with a swimming pool, you’re about to get slammed with summer vacation traffic. This is a great opportunity for you to make money, but it can also be disastrous if someone gets hurt on your property. You may not be able to control how people behave around your pool, but there are things you can do to minimize the risk of injury in or around your building. Here is a guide explaining how to keep hotel guests safe around the swimming pool.
Post Rules and Warning Signs around the Pool
Every public swimming pool is required to have certain rules posted to meet with federal safety codes. Your city, county, or state may have other codes you need to abide by as well, so you should do your research before opening your pool to guests. As a general rule of thumb, there should be a warning sign for a lack of lifeguard on duty (if applicable) and notifications about safety practices your guests should abide by – no running, no diving, no cannon balls, etc. You can buy pre-made signs with these rules on them, or you could have one customized specifically for your swimming pool.
Set Pool Hours When You Have Ample Staff Working
You don’t want to have your pool open when you only have one person working the front desk. There should be at least two people on staff while the pool is open, preferably several though in case of an emergency. One of the staff members should be designated to routinely check on the pool every hour, or maybe even more than that if there are a lot of people swimming at one time. Just make sure you have the manpower to support the number of guests using your pool.
To be on the safe side, set locks on your pool gates or pool doors to prevent people from getting in after hours. A simple sign may not be enough to make people respect the rules.
Provide Lifejackets, Life Rings, and Other Safety Devices around the Pool
Create a safe environment for your guests by providing ample floatation devices around the edge of the pool. You could either put the life jackets in an area where people can easily access them or lock them in a closet for your staff to get. In the second scenario, make sure your guests know that they can check out a lifejacket from the reception area at any time. You can store the floatation devices with complementary towels around the pool so your guests have everything they need to swim safely.
Install Slip-Resistant Flooring near the Pool
If you are putting in a new hotel swimming pool or you are getting ready to renovate it, you may want to consider adding slip-resistant flooring around the perimeter of the pool. This will minimize the risk of someone slipping and falling on the slick surface. Even if you post signs telling people not to run, someone is inevitably going to do it. You might as well do all you can to prevent them from getting hurt on your property.
With the right precautions ahead of time, you shouldn’t have to worry about someone getting hurt in your hotel swimming pool. The tips above should put you on the right track, just in time for summer vacation season.
