A good cabana at a hotel pool can enhance not only the guest experience but also revenue as guests pay for rentals and additional amenities (not to mention food and beverages). Here are some things to know if you are considering adding cabanas for your outdoor pools.
1. Right Materials
According to William Kruzel, luxury brand specialist and business development partner at Mamagreen, stainless steel cabana elements are not ideal for coastal areas with high humidity because they tend to pit and corrode. For these environments, powder-coated aluminum structures will require the least maintenance and provide the best return on investment.
2. Mixing and Matching
Academy Design Co. CEO Nicholas Delgado said that a good cabana or daybed can “define the philosophy” of a hotel or resort. “More properties [want] a combination of cabanas and daybeds, so it’s not just having a standard spec across the board where you have 10 of the same product,” he said. “It really is about introducing a mix of experiences for the hotel guest between a high level of relaxation in a daybed—and that’s primarily for one to two individuals—and then pairing that with a different type of space in a cabana.”
3. Circulating Airflow
This spring, swimwear label Vilebrequin opened the Cabana Club at The Beach Club at The Boca Raton in Florida. Emmanuele Vinciguerra, president of the Americas at Vilebrequin, said that the development team used furniture that can withstand sunlight and that does not hold in heat. “We also used a very strong durable flooring material that can withstand saltwater, sand and sunlight,” Vinciguerra said. The team also installed ceiling fans inside the cabanas to circulate airflow and incorporated a retractable awning in a section of the cabanas to provide additional shade.
4. Shade and Privacy
Kruzel said that a classic 10-foot-by-10-foot frame cabana can “cover most of the bases.” A sling roof can provide shade and privacy (in case the cabana is beneath a high-rise structure). “The top will give shade protection, while, at the same time, allowing wind to pass through that roof,” he said. “So that brings less stress to the structure [from] wind gusts.”