Do you have a teen or tween who is dying to have friends over for a pool party? Perhaps it’s birthday time…or an end of school party your child wants to host. You need ideas for a swimming pool party but you’ve got one major problem: you don’t have a backyard pool. So what’s a parent to do? How do you host a pool party when you don’t have a pool?
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Several years ago our daughter was invite to a girlfriend’s birthday party at a local hotel. I’ve got to admit that my first thought was, “What’s going on here?” It seemed odd to me, and it also got my parental suspicions going, to find out that the party was at a hotel.
So I did what any concerned – and suspicious – parent would do….I called the parents of the birthday girl to get some answers.
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It turns out that the parents had reserved a hotel room and talked with the management to work out the party details. By reserving a room for the night, the parents had access to the pool. They got permission from hotel management to invite several of their daughter’s friends to show up at the hotel at a specified time for the pool party. The parents agreed to supervise the pool, provide all paper goods (as well as cake and soda), and to clean up after the party.
Butterfly had a blast! She said the kids all brought their own beach towels (part of the agreement so that the hotel didn’t have to provide a bunch of extra towels) and that when swim time was over, they had cake and soda by the pool. Any kid who needed to rinse chlorine out of their hair had access to the shower in the room the parents had paid for.
When the party was over, the parents sent birthday girl home with one of her friends to spend the night. Then Mom and Dad spent a quiet night alone together in the room they’d reserved.
It sounded like a great plan to me.
What to furnish for the hotel pool party:
- Birthday cake and soda (or punch)
- Paper plates
- Paper cups
- Plastic forks
- Garbage bags (for dirty plates and for discarded wrapping paper)
- Paper towels
Obviously, this might not be the best party for young kids, but Butterfly and her friends were young teens when she attended this party. Of course it never hurts to ask another set of parents, or perhaps a set of grandparents, to help supervise around the pool. After all, safety is the first concern…and the fun is guaranteed anyway.
As always, be sure to fully disclose your plans to the hotel management and get their permission before hosting this type of party. Their cooperation will go a long way towards making a successful party. Do be aware that the time of year and vacancy rate may affect the hotel’s willingness to agree. But you know my motto….they can say no but they can’t kill you.
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So this might be an idea for the next party you need to host. And it’s definitely something worth considering for folks who don’t have a pool in their own backyard.
Michelle Leslie
July 16, 2017 at 3:04 amOh wow, that’s a really super idea. I would never have thought to ask a hotel but it’s a win win all around
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July 16, 2017 at 8:24 amI wish I’d thought of it!
Beverly
July 4, 2017 at 11:21 amWhat a great idea. I would never have thought of that.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful posts at Over The Moon Party.
See you next week.
Hugs,
Bev
Mother of 3
July 2, 2017 at 6:14 pmThat sounds wonderful! I love that the parents ended the night alone in a hotel room; after hosting a party I’m sure they were so thankful for some peace and quiet.
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July 3, 2017 at 6:12 amI thought it was a brilliant idea!
Cristina at Ava's Alphabet
April 23, 2017 at 9:16 amGreat tips and smart idea! I particularly love that mom and dad enjoyed a night to themselves after the party! A win for everyone. Pinned and sharing. Thank you for joining us at Family Joy Blog Link-Up Party. I hope you will join our next party starting Sunday at noon EST.
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April 24, 2017 at 10:50 amWith three kids there sure were times when I would have loved to have a night to ourselves after a party. Parenthood can be exhausting! Thanks for stopping by Cristina!
Alicia Owen
April 16, 2017 at 10:57 pmThis is such a great idea! I’ve heard of people taking their kids to a hotel like over the winter so they can spend time in the pool, but I’ve never heard of anyone hosting a pool party at one! Thanks for sharing on the Family Joy link up.
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April 17, 2017 at 9:44 amThanks for stopping by, Alicia! I wish I’d thought of the idea myself. So many times we’d scratch our heads and think, “Now what?” when it came time for birthdays. Sadly to say, most of our kid’s parties were pretty dull!
Kathleen - Bloggers Lifestyle
April 13, 2017 at 6:02 pmNice idea for a pool party. I did something similar for a family reunion. My son was staying a nice resort so he got permission for us to use their outdoor and games area for our reunion after our visit to a restaurant.
Kathleen
Blogger’s Pit Stop
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April 15, 2017 at 10:13 amThat sounds like it was a wonderful time! My family is so small that we don’t ever have family reunions but it sounds lovely. Thanks for stopping by.
Laurie
April 11, 2017 at 10:43 pmShelley, This is a great idea for someone who doesn’t have a pool. I love the idea of sending the kids home and having a quiet “kid” free night with the hubby afterwards. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Brag About It this week. Hope you have a fabulous Easter!
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April 12, 2017 at 5:49 amHi Laurie! I wish I cold take credit for the idea because whoever thought of it was very resourceful. Thanks for stopping by and you have a wonderful Easter as well.
Leslie Clingan
April 9, 2017 at 7:15 pmOh, my! Wish I had read this post before we contracted for our in-ground pool. Could have saved significant dineros!!
When I was a little girl, my parents bought a ‘membership’ to a Days Inn one summer so we could swim in the hotel pool. I approached an apartment complex near me about buying a summer pass to use their complex’s pool but due to liability, they wouldn’t allow me to use the pool without living there.
This is a fabulous birthday party idea. And clean-up’s a breeze!
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April 10, 2017 at 9:01 amHi Leslie! I wish I could take credit for the idea but I can’t. I thought those folks were pretty clever! But a backyard pool….that’s my idea of heavenly. Please come back and visit again soon.
Robin McMahon
April 5, 2017 at 3:36 pmGreat advice! Since summer is coming up and we have no pool, I’m going to put this to good use!
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April 5, 2017 at 3:43 pmI thought it was a brilliant idea – I wish I’d thought of it myself. I think my favorite part is that mom and dad can have a night alone when it’s all over. Talk about hitting two birds with one stone! Thanks for stopping by, Robin.
Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond
April 5, 2017 at 3:33 pmWhat a novel idea Shelley! In a similar vein the aged care facility where my MIL lives has daily activities and one was a pool party. They don’t have a pool! What they did though was have beach balls and other blow up pool toys plus children’s blow up pools. Of course, the old dears couldn’t swim that was never the intention but it was such a lovely idea on a hot day. Drinks by the pool!
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April 5, 2017 at 3:41 pmHow awesome – I love it! Talk about thinking outside the box on that one.