Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
How to Sneak into Hotel Pools
.jpg)
Back in college my friends and I used to visit the luxury hotels in town and sneak in to use their pools. It was usually pretty easy. We'd have our swimsuits on under our jeans and just waltz in through the lobby like we were staying there. Then it was a matter of finding the pool and diving in. We were only caught once, at the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. We were intercepted by alert security wondering why four college students were wandering around the hallways.
Now of course, we here at Gadling would never promote such illegal and nefarious activities as mentioned above, but we would like to point you in the direction of someone else who is glad to do so.
One of our favorite sites, Infiltration, has a whole section on sneaking into hotel pools in the Toronto area. The site offers some general tips such as, "when you enter a hotel, don't immediately hop on the elevator and head directly to the pool. If anyone happens to be monitoring the lobby and the pool area, they're bound to wonder why you didn't stop at your room first. Always take an indirect route."
The infiltrators who did the intel work for the article break down their findings by individual hotel. They mention the location of the pools, guest access, camera locations, security detail, and a handful of very helpful tips to avoid the old heave-ho reception we received at the Bonaventure. In fact, when a pool infiltration is performed flawlessly you may even be blessed with the kind of greeting received by one of the pool trespassers; "a helpful staff member was even so kind as to offer me a plastic Four Seasons bag in which to carry my wet bathing suit (a wonderful credibility prop to use on my next visit)."
Mission accomplished!
Filed under: Canada, Hotels and Accommodations
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Pola Oct 30th 2006 12:18PM
All is thought over it has turned out! It is thought very much over!:)
mike Nov 2nd 2006 4:41PM
Well now that you ,all have now made a big thing out of this....The hotels will really be on the lookout for the rest of us who do this...Thanks alot you Morons !
Brenda Grasso Nov 2nd 2006 2:37PM
As a business owner I am appalled that AOL would assist people in stealing a service from a business. Although it would seem that it does not cost to use a pool, it does. More chemicals , filteration and other costs related to use of pools becomes a cost to the owner of the holtel!
Brenda Grasso Nov 2nd 2006 2:55PM
As a business owner, I am appalled that AOL would assist people in stealing. One would think that sneaking into a pool does not cost a hotel owner but it does. Their fiteration, chemicals etc. ar all based on how much the pool is used. Shame on you AOL!
LUCY Nov 7th 2006 6:22PM
I loved this artical. In fact my husband and I did the same thing. In Miami we went to the new million dollar (long time ago) pool complex, by way of the hotel bar. We sat down and had a drink and lingered awhile, then we wandered down to the beach. I had my suit on with a skirt and shawl. On the beach we took off our outer clothes, wet our feet, and dabbed on some sand then using pool towels(can't remember where we got them) we walked from the beach to the pool. The hotel was the Fountountblu (sic..French name). Not only did we go into the many private hot tubs, I swam into the bar without knowing that it was in the cave and was very suprised when a bar tender asked me if I wanted a drink...I told him that I was SWIMMING and didn't have my purse with me. He was friendly and said that didn't matter it was his treat. TALK ABOUT FUN TIME. After I was missing for 15 mins in the pool my husband came looking for me of course found me in the bar and a good time was had by all...hoping to do it again soon.
Lauren Nov 2nd 2006 2:44PM
My Friend died "Pool Hopping".. make sure if you dive into a unfamiliar pool, that you check which end is the deep end.
Josette Nov 2nd 2006 2:45PM
Brenda, as an old hotel manager and a lifeguard, the prices the hotels charge per room per night now a days more then covers the price of the chemicals and just because someone sneaks into a pool it does not require more chemicals to run the pool the pool get the same amounth of chemicals whether there are no people in it or 100 people in it.
Leslie Nov 2nd 2006 2:48PM
Shame on you AOL! I have worked in the hotel business for years and I am here to tell you...bad, bad, bad! Naughty! Wrong! What about liability??? Most hotels have insurance for registered guests only.
Brenda Nov 2nd 2006 2:54PM
Your a manger! I wouldn't want you working for me. The more a pool is used the more chemicals are needed. Where have you been? Maybe if someone was stealing from you , you would feel differently. Just the liability alone is a killer. Even if someone gets hurt or God forbid killed the hotel is liable, Also, stealing is one reason why prices ar so high in all businesses.It is stealing!!!!!If it wasn't , hotels would let anyone use any and all their facilities. I do not believe for one minute you are a mangaer! It's no wonder you work for a business and do not own your own if that is the case.
Jason Peverett Nov 2nd 2006 3:02PM
It's not stealing, it's having fun. And I encourage everyone to do it. Naked, of course.
Betty Nov 2nd 2006 7:47PM
I've never written to one of these before but I just had to respond to this. I travel a great deal and will often pay more to stay in a hotel with an excellent pool. A pool is definetly a draw. How is it fair if I, a paying customer, can't get a lounge chair or have to share the attentions of the wait staff with someone who didn't pay for the priviledge? Even if the pool were empty it still means I paid for something and someone else cheated and got it for free. Let's put it this way. Do you think it's ok to buy cheap seats to a ball game and then sit in someone's box seats? Since when is that ok? Seriously, what was AOL thinking.
lulubelle Nov 2nd 2006 3:11PM
Of course it is stealing. The use of a pool is part of the package SOLD as a hotel room. It isn't the chemicals and liability; it is the use of a chair that a paying guest will be unhappy not to get; or just the fact that more people makes a pool less attractive to those people there honestly!
It isn't as easy anymore at the hotels with really nice pools- they almost all require you to get a wristband nowdays.
Andy Nov 2nd 2006 3:13PM
Of course it's stealing...but don't count on AOL to stop running such articles. Last I looked they were stealing from me the difference between the $ 25 a month they charge and the $ 10 worth of product they provide !
Tracey Nov 2nd 2006 9:41PM
We did this is Pennsylvania. Stayed one night at a Holiday Inn and the next night at a crappy hotel down the road, but came back for breakfast and the pool! My ex thinks that you could survive on hotel breakfasts because very few make you verify that you are a hotel guest. Not something I would want to do, but it is something you can do.
GLORIA Nov 6th 2006 3:42PM
I manage a pool service company in a resort community. The main reason I see for not allowing any and everyone to use a pool is to keep "undesirables" out. In my experience, most folks who sneak into pools (during pool open hours) are pretty good at acting as though they belong there, and are generally well behaved. In fact, they often behave better than many registered guests, particularly teenagers and young adults who many times have parents close by who haven't the good sense to teach their children how to act. As far as it costing more for chemicals, etc -- well, as long as they don't steal the towels, it doesn't. I say, Come on in; the water's fine.
Bill Nov 2nd 2006 3:30PM
If Ann Coulter got caught doing this, she would just claim she was mistakenly at the wrong "pooling" place!!
Gary Nov 2nd 2006 3:31PM
AND, if it is a Hampton Inn, before 10:00 AM, one might as well get some breakfast too. They never ever ask if you are staying...you just get your free breakfast and set down and eat away...It's a great thing to live in America! BTW: NO, I have never done it but I have to live with it when I stay at a Hampton Inn...It's pretty easy to tell when someone walks in off the steet for a free breakfast and swim
William Nov 2nd 2006 3:33PM
Then again, if Ann Coulter got in the pool, you definitely *would* need to add lots of extra chemicals...
Bret Nov 2nd 2006 3:36PM
AOL steals from us EVERYDAY by making it's paid subscribers watch a 30 second commercial for a 20 second video on AOL Player.
And all of you people lighten up about using a pool for free. Filtration chemicals?? Yeah, whatever.
Jasmine Nov 2nd 2006 5:16PM
I think it's funny that some of you are commenting on chemicals. The worries would be liability as that is what would cost them the big bucks if someone was hurt or even worse, killed. Chemicals are bought wholesale and they stock up on these items. I worked at a hotel for years. Chlorine is cheap, everyone knows that. The water is tested daily for a PH balance. PH up and PH down are not expensive and not much is needed to adjust the water. So leave the chemicals out, it's liability and the fact that they want the pool to only be used by paying guests... that can afford the hotel.