If you’re looking to hire staff for a pool located on the property of an apartment complex, resort, golf course, or country club, you might have heard of the job title “attendant” before, but you may not be totally familiar with the intimate details of the position. What do they do? What skills do they need to have? What overlaps do they have with other jobs on your staff
Pool attendants are hospitality workers who are responsible for making sure that the swimming pools are safe and clean at a given hotel, country club, golf course, or resort. Not only do they conduct maintenance duties and customer service, but at locations with large staffs, they also coordinate with other employees who provide support, such as servers, cleaners, groundskeepers, gate guards, lifeguards, and pool technicians.
Though they may share similar duties to other stations at the pool, generally, pool attendants are tasked with simply maintaining a safe, clean, and comfortable atmosphere around the pool. They may greet guests and help them with any customer service needs, and they may also be tasked with helping facilities managers conduct tests or maintenance or cleaning up. It’s a versatile position built to help provide support wherever necessary.
Some of their specific responsibilities may include:
Distributing towels and stocking restrooms
In popular culture, this seems to be what attendants are most prominently known for – having hot, clean towels slung over their shoulders to hand out to guests as soon as they get out of the pool. Some resorts have attendants waiting at a booth or table with towels, while others may just leave attendants in charge of bringing towels from the laundry room to their designated bin and wheeling the dirty towels away. Regardless, this part of the job is integral to your guests’ comfort, and it’s a major duty. Similarly, pool attendants are expected to be responsible for keeping restrooms tidy and well-stocked with paper towels, soap, toilet paper, and other toiletries in order to keep the pool a pleasant and relaxing experience for visiting guests.
Setting up and cleaning furniture
If your pool has chairs, tables, or umbrellas that are put away at night and put out again, or are stowed in case of inclement weather, it’s likely that a pool attendant will be responsible for those. They help set up the pool area’s furniture at the beginning of their shift and help to neatly stow it away once guests have left. Additionally, they are often responsible for cleaning furniture – wiping down chairs for the next guests and wiping up spills and condensation left on tables.
Enforcing rules
Pool attendants can help make the rules of the pool or resort clear to guests, and they may help other staff members enforce the rules. They won’t have whistles like lifeguards, but they will walk over to guests and politely let them know that they are doing something that is not permissible in the pool areas. They can be tasked with enforcing general pool safety rules, such as calling out horseplay, as well as enforcing rules specific to your club or HOA.
Conducting light pool maintenance
Pool attendants also help with some of the lighter pool maintenance, including skimming the water for bugs and trash and conducting pH tests to be sure that the pool is safe and clean to swim in. Pool attendants are usually not certified to work with the pool chemicals, unlike a facilities manager, but they may help facilities managers with maintenance work when necessary. Additionally, they may also be expected to clean slipping hazards or remove animals from the filter or pool – of course, only when it’s safe for them to do so.
Customer service
At any pool or resort, your pool attendants are likely to be the members of the staff who deal the most directly with guests. As a result, part of their responsibilities may include attending to customer service needs, such as answering guest questions, greeting guests, and helping to resolve issues.
Looking to hire a pool attendant?
Interested in hiring a pool attendant to care for your property’s pool? Look no further. We offer exceptional attendant service across Charleston, Columbia, Lexington, Hilton Head Island, Myrtle Beach, Pawleys Islands, Greenville, and Beaufort area to many HOAs, apartment complexes, and clubs. Contact us today!
