Hotel pools

swimrn62swimrn62 Stowe, VTSenior Member

Is there a way of creating a living DB with hotel pools that work for lap swimmers? It seems many of us travel, all of us swim, and I assume most of would select a hotel based on the merits of their pool. If that's not feasible, then there's always this thread. I'll start:

NV, Reno
Nugget Casino Resort
http://www.nuggetcasinoresort.com/
Pool: 25 feet. Open to lap swimmers with nice cool water from 6-7am, then warmer water is turned on for the kids. Easy to get a 60-90 minute swim in each day. Pool is clean though felt a bit soapy. It is rectangular on one side so perfect for laps for 2-3 people with a floor lane tile to follow, but it ends right at the wall, so watch your fingertips. A waterfall and stairs are on the other side. There is also a hot tub and gym.
The rest of the hotel is standard, casino issue.

hotel pool

evmodpm50daveyswims

Comments

  • I find I am usually able to do some swimming in the outdoor pools, but indoor pools are usually so tiny! Anyone else have friends and family always point out a pool and ask if your going to do laps... as you turn and see the "Olympic" sized pool is all of 12 feet long???
    I love trying to explain why it won't work :(

    dpm50
  • dpm50dpm50 PA, U.S.Senior Member

    All those turns get dizzying!

    That said, my hamster experience occurred when I was training for an April running marathon, and it was roo icy/slippery to run outdoors. I found a gym w a 20 laps/mile track for my 13-miler. My legs told me afterward never to do such a foolish thing again. Fortunately, no lasting damage!

  • curlycurly Issaquah, WASenior Member

    I have recently considered if there was some way to use a bungie tether in these small pools. But they typically don't have anything to tie onto. So I tend to consider my travel and hotel time as a rest and recovery period. Then I pick things up when I get back home.

  • msathletemsathlete Victoria, British Colubia, CanadaMember

    There are a few 25 meter hotels in Victoria, BC. The first is at the Hotel Grand Pacific (http://www.hotelgrandpacific.com/) and the 2nd at the Parkside (http://www.parksidevictoria.com/). I don't know how masters groups are organized in other countries, but of those traveling in/to Canada you may want to contact the Masters swim club in the town you are visiting. They are often happy to have people jump in. Check https://www.mastersswimmingcanada.ca for clubs. We are also working on a pools across the country database :)

    swimrn62
  • dc_in_sfdc_in_sf San FranciscoCharter Member

    I travel for work a lot a lot, so finding a pool is a constant quest.

    Some tricks I use when picking hotels:

    • Look for hotels associated with sports clubs like Renaissance ClubSport or Hotel Bellevue

    • Use Google or Bing satellite maps to roughly measure outdoor hotel pools (e.g. the Sheraton Phoenix has a funky 33 yard pool that works really well for lap swimming) since hotel web sites often don't mention the size or call it "Olympic" when it is 20 yards.

    One of the best resources for finding proper lap swim pools is Swimmers Guide which will show most pools in a given area, though hotel pools are a bit hit or miss, but it might give you a close by public pool with lap swim hours.

    I'll also try and find local masters groups, as often if you contact the coach ahead of time you can drop into the workout and get access to pools that may otherwise be too busy or not open to the public.

    swimrn62Camille

    http://notdrowningswimming.com - open water adventures of a very ordinary swimmer

  • swimrn62swimrn62 Stowe, VTSenior Member

    That's a great resource, thank you!! I checked and the Nugget is indeed listed, though some of the information is dated. I provided an edit on the water temp, will check back to see when it's updated.

  • dc_in_sfdc_in_sf San FranciscoCharter Member

    curly said:
    I have recently considered if there was some way to use a bungie tether in these small pools. But they typically don't have anything to tie onto. So I tend to consider my travel and hotel time as a rest and recovery period. Then I pick things up when I get back home.

    There is a South Ender who trained for his EC crossing a few years back while working as an airline pilot, and made extensive use of a tether in small hotel pools. His training video is a testament to perseverance...

    http://notdrowningswimming.com - open water adventures of a very ordinary swimmer

  • andissandiss Senior Member

    This spot in Helsinki looks pretty good to me!!!

    http://www.allasseapool.fi/en/

    dpm50CamilleMikeD46148mina
  • JacqueJacque M. (Germany)Member

    I use this page when traveling in Germany and Europe:

    http://mein-triathlonhotel.de/hotels-mit-50-m-pool/

    It's in German but pretty self-explanatory: It lists hotels with a pool of at least 20 metres sorted by country.
    If I'm not near one I just take the hotel nearest to the longest public pool. :-)

    And though it's a triathlon-page: No, I am still not a triathlete, marathon-swimming all the way! ;-)

    dc_in_sf
  • I don't expect hotels to have long pools so I research public pools before I travel. I also ask the company I'm visiting if they know of any in the area, you'd be surprised how helpful people are. Book a hotel close to the pool.

    Usually however I accept good pools are few and far between and focus on weight sessions in the gym.

  • A few years back, the hotel I was at had the smallest indoor hotel pool I've seen, perhaps 10x20 feet. I knew I'd knock myself out if I did my usual push off, so I just did butterfly diagonally for an hour and a half. The pool room had a window the length of it along the hallway, and I was pleased to notice quite a few startled passers by (and NOBODY decided to join me). I think the pool lost several inches of water during my workout.

    The most interesting thing about the pool was that it was salt water rather than "fresh". I asked the maintenance man there why they did that, and he said it stayed cleaner longer, and required far less chemicals and maintenance. It tasted slightly salty, but didn't annoy my eyes at all. Very interesting decision!

  • FlowSwimmersFlowSwimmers Polson, MontanaMember

    If you're into swimming in hotel pools, don't forget to "join" HINA: Hotel International Natation Association. It's a bit tongue-in-cheek, but fun. Their Facebook page is:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/505079402973725/

    There are RECORDS at stake!

    Jaimie
  • EllisEllis Baltimore, MarylandMember

    The SwimIO app has a "find a poo"l feature that has worked pretty well for me. Also, many big health clubs let you in for a walk-in fee. An LA Fitness in Goodyear AZ I often travel to gives you a week for $40. While not cheap, the pools are nice.

  • SwimNCSwimNC Charlotte Member

    The Grand Hyatt in San Antonio was ideal (and empty).

  • SwimNCSwimNC Charlotte Member

    Any suggestions for Houston or NYC are much appreciated. Otherwise, I’ll put this recently acquired tether to use, which should be thrilling.

  • swimrn62swimrn62 Stowe, VTSenior Member

    I've never stayed in a NYC hotel, but my guess is that your tether will be needed. There are several NYC swimmers on this board who should be able to help you swim as a guest in a decent pool. I started this thread about a hotel pool, but for for all subsequent family visits, I swam with a great masters group in a public pool. It was a much better experience than the pool that inspired the original post.

  • BridgetBridget New York StateMember

    dc_in_sf said:

    curly said:
    I have recently considered if there was some way to use a bungie tether in these small pools. But they typically don't have anything to tie onto. So I tend to consider my travel and hotel time as a rest and recovery period. Then I pick things up when I get back home.

    There is a South Ender who trained for his EC crossing a few years back while working as an airline pilot, and made extensive use of a tether in small hotel pools. His training video is a testament to perseverance...

    I have used elastic to loop around a railing or ladder and around my ankle. Not optimal, but when the water outside is frozen, it was worth a try. I'm also an aqua aerobics instructor, and it can be fun to make the water in a hotel pool really churn with soccer kicks and such. ;) Good cross training.

  • minamina Newton, MAMember

    I'd love a good hotel pool, but am always disappointed when I travel. Instead I look for Masters swim groups and check out where they train. Either you pay $15 for a drop in at their practice, or 8/10 times they're at a public pool that has decent lap swim hours.

    Way better than measuring what a loop in your hotel pool is by satellite photos https://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/map.asp?routeid=93748 and getting dizzy spinning 60 times in a circle (30 clockwise, 30 counterclockwise) for a mile. No bueno.

  • swimmer2point0swimmer2point0 Santa Monica, CAMember

    This is a very helpful thread, love the Swimmers Guide and other links!
    I have generally the best luck in the US with finding YMCAs with pools, though their info on pools can be difficult to tease out.
    The swimmers guide will save me a ton of time.

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