As our live get busier, many hot tub retailers now offer valet service for their customers. Typically offered on a weekly, biweekly or monthly basis, a valet service involves sending a service technician to a customer’s house to perform routine spa maintenance jobs — filter cleaning and replacement, water testing and balancing, tub floor vacuuming, seasonal draining and filling, and the like.
Southern Pools and Spas in Bristol, Virginia, offers a biweekly and monthly valet service to its spa customers.
“It shows our customers that we are there for them, for anything they need,” says Josh Arnold, general manager.
For Jeff Bailey, owner of Spring Dance Hot Tubs in Jamison, Pennsylvania, the best part of offering hot tub valet service is serving the needs of his customer base.
Spring Dance’s most popular commitment is bi-monthly service. Swim spa valet is handled the same as hot tubs but with a higher service charge, commensurate with the extra time and water care larger vessels require.
“All of our service techs are cross-trained to do valet, and a nice benefit of the valet service is that the valet techs can also learn the service side of the business,” Bailey says. “We have several trucks on the road every day in my market and that really helps us to give better overall service to our customers that need service in a pinch.”
Many spa retailers offer drain-and-purge services, either as part of the valet service or as a separate offering. Spring Dance Hot Tubs started its drain-and-purge service first, though now it’s rolled into the company’s valet service.
Two Men and a Spa Dolly in Arnold, Missouri offers weekly, biweekly, monthly and quarterly service. Like many spa companies that offer valet service, the company also separately offers drain-and-purge service for an added fee. In addition to providing a convenience to customers, the company’s president and sales manager Dave Wooldridge says the drain, clean and fill service also allows the company to stay in front of potential problems with a customer’s spa and to be proactive with repairs.
Kelly King, owner of Mountain Hot Tub in Bozeman, Montana, says his company grew its valet service in steps, offering service in a particular area only after there was enough interest. With Montana’s long winters, the number of jobs his technicians can perform in a day is significantly less than for spa companies in warmer climates. Mountain Hot Tub now has four full-time valet techs in the field, plus an in-house manager and part-time assistant manager.
“Research indicates these customers will help carry our business in a downturn,” King says. “They will be loyal to our company when it comes to buying their next spa. Their contribution to our business by word-of-mouth as happy hot tub owners may be hard to measure, but there’s no doubt in my mind that it makes a difference.”