Pool safety at vacation rentals, hotels and family visits

← Pool safety guide and printable checklist

Jump to Message your host · Arrival check · Hotels and visits

Before you book a rental with a pool

Where the location was known, 81% of fatal child drownings happened in residential settings (Pool Safely, 2024 report). A rental, a hotel and a visit deserve the same checks as your own pool.

Look for a four-sided fence separating the water from the house and outdoor living areas. With young children, choose a place without direct access to water if the host can’t show how access is secured. Consider the hot tub, pond, dock or canal as well as the pool. CPSC guidance for vacation rentals

Copy and send this:

We’re traveling with young children. Could you share current photos of all four sides of the pool fence and a short video of the gate closing and latching on its own? Can any door, patio, balcony, pet door or stairs reach the pool without passing through that gate? How do we lock those routes from the house, and how are the hot tub and other water features secured?

For a shared pool, ask who controls entry, when it opens and whether a lifeguard is on duty. Check the listing or policy for life jackets if you plan to bring one.

The five-minute arrival check

1. Assign an adult while everyone unloads. Keep children with that adult while someone else walks the property.
2. Walk it from a child’s point of view. Test bedroom, patio and side doors and look for pet doors, climbable furniture, steps to the deck and gates a child can reach.
3. Release the gate and watch the latch catch. Check for a route around or under the barrier. Check any hot tub cover and lock. If a route stays open or a gate fails, keep children away from the area and contact the host. Change accommodations if you cannot secure access.
4. Make a handoff plan. At swim time, name one adult as Water Watcher. Have the next watcher confirm before the first leaves. Afterward, take the children with you, clear toys, latch the gate and lock the access doors.
5. Know where you are. Save the rental’s street address and locate a phone and rescue equipment. If a child goes missing, check water first.

At a hotel or a friend’s house

At a hotel or resort, walk from your room to the pool. Check walkout patios, pool gates and balconies. At swim time, note the depth and where children can enter and exit. Name a Water Watcher even when the lifeguard is present, and stay within arm’s reach of young children and weak swimmers.

At a friend’s or relative’s home, ask how the pool is secured during meals, naps and parties. Put an adult in charge before kids head outside and ask guests to keep the gate closed. If the pool area can’t be secured, move play to a location with no direct water access.

Pack for the plan. Bring a properly fitted, U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket if your child needs one, plus a way for adults to hand off Water Watcher duty. Review the family pool rules before leaving.