How Much Do Beach Chair Guys Make?

If you’ve ever been to a swanky hotel pool, you’ll notice a guy running around. giving beach chairs, towels or refreshments to guests. How much do beach chair guys make?

On average, a beach chair person (known as a pool attendant) makes about $11 dollars an hour. However, this will vary depending on the pool that employs them, along with experience and tips.

But first, it’s important to understand that “beach chair guy” is not the official title for the job. These people are essentially pool, resort or beach attendants. Some people refer to them as cabana boys. In the rest of this article, you’ll find out more about this job, their duties, and how much money they earn.

How Much Do Beach Chair Guys Earn?

Beach chair guys can make as little as $9 per hour to as much as $20 per hour. But the national average places it around $11 per hour, which means they take home about $88 to $96 per day. However, this is without tips.

Factors That Determine Salary

The variance in salary is due mostly to which hotel or organization is employing the attendant. Other factors include what the job description entails and how much experience the person has. Even geographic location will play into this because of a high demand for cabana boys in that area.

For instance, those who are starting out will make the least amount of money, about $9 per hour. Those who have been working as a professional beach chair guy for more than 10 years will earn around $20 per hour. But the starting wage in places like California or NYC is about $11 per hour.

Typical Wages for Beach Attendants

In the case of the average wage of $11 per hour, it pans out to around $30,000 for top earners per year, which doesn’t include tips from guests. The following list indicates how much a beach chair guy can make depending on experience level:

• Starting – $9 per hour (with tips about $17,500 per year = $1,450 per month = $335 per week)
• Some Experience – $11 per hour (with tips about $21,600 per year = $1,800 per month = $450 per week)
• Vast Experience – $15 per hour (with tips about $23,000 per year = $1,920 per month = $480 per week)
• Professional – $20 per hour (with tips about $31,000 per year = $2,600 per month = $650 per week)

Is There Room for Advancement as a Beach Chair Guy?

There’s a lot of leeway and room for advancement being a beach attendant. It can lead to managerial positions within the hotel or to similar positions in other parts of the world. Beach chair guys hob knob with wealthy, affluent and famous people.

When they do an excellent job attending to their requests, it’s not uncommon for cabana boys to find cushy jobs with this upper echelon of society. They become attendants or butlers for private estates, yachts, country clubs or other such thing. In this case, a beach chair guy can earn much more than $20 per hour.

What Tasks Do Beach or Pool Attendants Do?

You’ll find pool or beach attendants at places like luxury hotels, high-end resorts, membership country clubs, personal yachts and cruise ships. This is a hospitality job and, as such, they greet guests, escort them to an appropriate area and provide them with things like towels, beach chairs, beverages and other similar things.

They also help to keep the swimming area clear and clean. Cabana boys also keep an eye on swimmers, particularly children and they ensure all equipment functions properly. This job also requires enforcing safety rules, answering any possible questions the guests may have and attending to their every desire.

Typical Tasks

The list below details all the tasks that a hotel or resort may require of beach chair guy:

• Monitor and observe product inventory related to the pool or beach
• Observe, monitor, coach and train service and sales staff
• Moving chairs, tables, umbrellas and other items around the beach or pool
• Comply with rules, procedures and regulations as required by law and the establishment
• Must create an inviting atmosphere with the true intention of making people happy
• Informing all staff as well as clientele of products available for purchase
• Some administrative tasks such as compiling reports, faxing, answering phones, replying to emails and etc.

What Other Skills / Requirements Must a Beach Chair Guy Have?

Because of all the duties necessary to be an attendant, they must also be in great physical shape and be able to lift at least 50 pounds with ease. They have to be able to carry these beach chairs for long distances and work under any weather condition.

A beach chair guy must also have a saint-like tolerance for being on his feet for several hours at a time without sitting. Ergo, there’s an extensive list of additional requirements and skill sets to do this job:

• Beach chair guys must have a High School Degree or other equivalent, like a GED (general education degree)
• They must have a positive and optimistic attitude with a desire to please even the rudest people
• Strong work ethic that includes strict attention to detail, punctuality and a sense of perfection
• Strong problem solving and decision making skills
• Must be able to maintain composure under pressure and stress
• Must be able to take care of customers needs with a smile regardless of how difficult they may be
• Well-versed with safety protocols and knows what to do in the case of emergencies
• Great management skills with the capacity to multitask at the same time

How Do You Tip a Beach Chair Guy?

Whenever a beach chair guy performs a service for you, give him $5. You’ll hand it to him right after he delivers whatever it is you request. However, if you receive an overall bill, then you will tip him 15% to 20% of the grand total.

When to Tip

This means giving a tip when he places a beach chair for you, brings you extra towels or you make some other request above and beyond his job description. It expresses gratitude for their services. Plus, when you tip the cabana boy well, he will remember you next time and ensure you have a great experience.

In the event that your beach chair guy does a superb job that’s over the top and impressive, you should definitely tip more than $5. Of course, you don’t want to overdo it but you should never squelch on tipping.

How Much Money Do Beach Chair Guys Earn in Tips per Day?

On average, most beach chair guys make anywhere from $90 to $150 in tips each day. However, they often make more during special events or busier seasons. In this instance, it could be anywhere between $200 to $500 or more. Unfortunately, tipping fluctuates, so none of these estimates is a constant.

For example, on a Monday, they could make only $75 in tips but the weekend convention brings in $325 on both Saturday and Sunday. However, the following Wednesday and Thursday, they may only rake in $65 for both days. So, there’s never really any one set standard or average per se.

FAQ

Why Should I Tip a Beach Chair Guy?

Tipping your beach or pool attendant shows appreciation for the work he does. It’s not only polite but it also illustrates to the person you understand how difficult and demanding their job can be. Plus, it encourages the beach chair guy to be better and maintain that standard.

Why Is $1 Not Enough for a Beach Chair Guy?

With inflation rising as it is, $1 tips are no longer enough for the beach chair guy. $5 is appropriate and adequate. Giving anything less than $5 either says you are dissatisfied with his services or you are insultingly cheap.

What Is the Average Age and Gender of a Beach Chair Guy?

The average age for a beach, resort or pool attendant is about 33 years old with over 70% of them being men. Having said all that, most you see are under 30 years old. It’s not necessarily a game for those over 40 years old.

What Cities in the US Pay the Most for Beach Chair Guys?

Sunnyvale, California pays the most for beach attendants with an average of over $29,000 per year. Santa Rosa, California and Cambridge, Massachusetts are also top paying places, about $28,000 per year. But, Florida is also another premium payer in several of its major cities along with NYC.

Conclusion

So, to recap how much do beach chair guys make – it’s about $11 or $12 per hour. In a typical eight-hour shift, this translates to somewhere between $88 and $96 per day plus anywhere from $90 to $150 in tips. Of course, skill level, experience and the kind of establishment will all be contributing factors.