About one in three guest reviews that talk about the jacuzzi in their own room mention a problem with it. The two complaints that come up most are a dirty tub and jets that did not work, and the share has barely moved since 2024. The big difference is between hotels: at hotels rated 9 or higher, fewer than 1 in 5 of these reviews report a problem; at hotels rated under 7, nearly half do.
These numbers come from 14,003 guest reviews shown on Google Maps, written between January 2024 and October 2026 by guests who had the tub in their own room, at 3,834 hotels listed on TubHotels. How they were counted is at the end of this article.
What guests complain about
34% of the reviews that describe the guest's own jacuzzi mention at least one problem. Two problems account for most of them:
| Problem | Share of reviews |
|---|---|
| Dirty tub, dirty jets or mold | 13% |
| Jets or tub that didn't work | 12% |
| Leaks, or a drain that didn't hold water | 3% |
| Water not hot enough | 2% |
| Slow to fill | 1% |
| Tub too small | 1% |
| Loud jets | 1% |
| Other: an old, worn or cracked tub, hard to get in | 4% |
Guests who call the tub dirty describe hair, residue or black flecks that come out of the jets once they run, and mold in the jets. Jets that did not work include a dead button, a pump that would not start and jets too weak to feel. Water that was never hot enough and drains that slowly let the water out each come up in about 2 in 100 reviews.
The share barely changes from year to year: 34% in 2024, 33% in 2025 and 33% in 2026 so far.
What guests love about the tub
The complaints are only part of it. In a random sample of 1,962 of these reviews, 49% had something good to say about the tub. Among those that say what they liked, the most common answers are that it was relaxing (33%), that it was big enough to share (30%; the hotels with a two-person jacuzzi list is built around that), and that it was the best part of the stay or the reason they booked (14%). Strong jets and hot water (13%), a clean tub (10%) and a romantic night (9%) come next.
Of the 357 reviews in the sample that name the occasion, the most common are a getaway (33%), an anniversary (20%), a family trip (18%) and a birthday (15%). Honeymoons (6%) and Valentine's Day (3%) are a smaller share; for those, see the honeymoon suites and Valentine's Day getaways with a jacuzzi.
Better rated and pricier hotels get fewer tub complaints
One clear signal is the hotel's overall guest rating. The share of tub reviews that report a problem, by the hotel's KAYAK rating:
| Hotel rating | Tub reviews with a problem |
|---|---|
| 9 and up | 18% |
| 8 to 8.9 | 34% |
| 7 to 7.9 | 44% |
| under 7 | 48% |
The starting price points the same way:
| Starting price a night | Tub reviews with a problem |
|---|---|
| under $80 | 46% |
| $80 to $119 | 36% |
| $120 to $179 | 26% |
| $180 and up | 15% |
Rating still matters inside each price range. At every price, the better rated hotels have fewer complaints about the tub:
| Starting price a night | Rated under 8 | Rated 8 to 8.9 | Rated 9 and up |
|---|---|---|---|
| under $80 | 49% | 39% | 34% |
| $80 to $119 | 42% | 37% | 25% |
| $120 to $179 | 42% | 29% | 15% |
| $180 and up | 42% | 22% | 10% |
So on a budget, a well rated hotel is the safer pick, and at any price a rating under 8 goes with more complaints about the tub.
B&Bs and inns stand out: 9% of their tub reviews report a problem, against 40% at hotels.
Bedroom or bathroom: does it matter?
On the face of it, yes: 36% of reviews of a tub in the bedroom report a problem, against 29% for a tub in the bathroom. But tubs by the bed are most common at budget chain hotels, and at the same price the difference almost disappears:
| Starting price a night | Tub in the bedroom | Tub in the bathroom |
|---|---|---|
| under $80 | 46% | 45% |
| $80 to $119 | 37% | 35% |
| $120 to $179 | 27% | 26% |
| $180 and up | 17% | 14% |
So pick the placement you like: a tub beside the bed is part of the room, and a tub in the bathroom keeps the noise and the steam out of the bedroom. Where hotels put the jacuzzi has the full numbers, chain by chain.
How to book a jacuzzi room that won't let you down
- Look at the rating first. At 9 and up, fewer than 1 in 5 tub reviews report a problem. Under 7, nearly half do.
- Book the exact room. At most hotels only some rooms have the tub. Listings on TubHotels name the room to book and say whether the tub is in the bedroom, the bathroom or on the balcony, wherever a source confirms it.
- Read the newest reviews for the tub. Search the reviews for "jets", "jacuzzi" or "clean". A problem from last month says more than a dozen happy reviews from three years ago.
- Run the jets before you get in. Fill the tub above the jets, run them for a minute with plain water and drain it. If anything dark comes out, call the front desk before you soak. How to use the jacuzzi in your hotel room walks through it.
- Consider a B&B or an inn. They had the fewest complaints about the tub of any kind of place.
How we counted
- Source: reviews of the hotels listed on TubHotels as shown on Google Maps, collected with Apify in October 2026. Most were written on Google; about a quarter come from Tripadvisor, Priceline, hotel brand sites and others that Google Maps shows. The search kept the newest reviews (up to 10 per hotel and search word, 30 in the first batch) that use the words jacuzzi, whirlpool, jetted or spa tub, and for part of the hotels hot tub, from January 2024 on.
- Which reviews count: each review was read by an AI agent and kept only when the guest clearly had the tub in their own room or suite. Reviews about the hotel pool, a shared hot tub or the spa are left out. The same text posted twice counts once. Samples of these decisions were checked a second time.
- Problems: the problem a guest describes with the tub was noted in a few words and grouped into the categories above. A review can name more than one. Problems with the room around the tub (a smell in the room, noisy pipes) do not count.
- What guests love and the occasion: tagged by AI agents in a random sample of 1,962 of the reviews.
- Rating, price and placement: the hotel's KAYAK guest rating (10 point scale) and starting price, and where the listing says the tub is, as shown on TubHotels at the time of writing.
- Limits: these are reviews that mention the tub, not all guests. Guests who had a problem are probably more likely to mention it, so the share of all stays with a problem is likely lower than 34%. The comparisons show which kinds of hotels get fewer complaints about the tub; they do not show why.
The hotels themselves are on the state and city lists, where every listing names the room with the tub wherever a source confirms it.