How we check

What counts as a private pool

A pool inside the suite, in its own room behind your door. Or a pool on the suite's own terrace, used only by that suite. We label which one on every listing.

These never count: a pool shared by several rooms ("semi-private"), swim-up or "pool access" rooms, private cabanas, rooms with a pool view, and a whirlpool or hot tub on its own. A hot tub is not a pool.

How we find the hotels

We search Google Maps around each destination with several phrasings ("hotel with pool in room", "private pool suite", "suite with private plunge pool") and pin each search to the place's coordinates. So far that gave 1,605 hotels in 17 destinations.

How we check the rooms

We read each hotel's own website, page by page, and look for the room or suite with the pool. If the website is unclear, we read the hotel's listing on a booking site that names it. Then a person reads every match: a review that mentions "the pool", a FAQ question or a page about another hotel is not proof.

For each suite we note: the pool inside or on the terrace, its size, the water temperature, whether it is heated, whether there is a hot tub too, and adults only. If the website doesn't say, we write "not stated".

Our build stops if a quote can't be found word for word in what we read. So a quote on this site is always on the hotel's website, as of the date we checked.

When a place gets a page

A destination gets its own page once 2 or more of its hotels pass the check. Hotels in places with fewer are listed on their country page, so nothing checked is left out.

How we earn money

The "Check prices" buttons go through Stay22 to Booking.com, Expedia or Hotels.com. If you book, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Hotels cannot pay to be listed or to change what we say. Affiliate disclosure.