Why fly to Europe to buy a hot tub?
When I learned about a European hot tub manufacturer, Wellis, who had taken over the lion’s share of that market and was breaking into the North American market, I had to find out more. You see, for the past 57 years, my family has brought quality products to families in Northeast Ohio — you know of us as The Place. Our two major product lines are hot tubs and fireplaces. With a motto of “We make it easy, are the experts, and carry the best brands” I had to find out what was so special about this manufacturer.
My brother, Ray, who had worked at The Place before moving to Las Vegas 20 years ago to open Hot Tub Liquidators, had already purchased several truckloads and his clients loved them. However, I am still firmly rooted in Ohio conservatism and needed more research before taking the leap. I wanted to make sure that the manufacturer and their hot tubs met or exceeded our quality and support standards. After all, I see myself as a personal buyer for our clients. They come to The Place for high-quality products and services that aren't found in big box stores or online. I don’t take that responsibility lightly.
After doing all the research I could from here, I packed up and headed to Budapest, Hungary to check out Wellis. I have been to many hot tub factories in the United States and Canada, but I quickly saw that this factory operates at the Super Bowl level compared to many others that are in high school leagues.
The all new, state-of-the-art robotic factory was cranking out high-quality products with amazing precision, organization and speed. December is a slow month in this industry, but they were still building 75 hot tubs a day with the capacity to ramp up to 300. What's more, is that their team of engineers was creating exciting product innovation, adding value for the end user.
For example, hot tub water diverters have been the same design for 30 years — sometimes having issues like being loud and hard to turn. The newly designed Wellis diverter is electronic, silent and operates with the touch of a button. So many positives and the efficiency of scale results in these tubs being sold for less than comparable brands currently in the US. The deal was closed and I purchased several models to add to The Place's “Master Menu of Premium Spas for every budget."
While I was in Budapest, I stuck around and explored for a couple days. Although cold, wet and wintery, I thoroughly enjoyed Buda, west of the Danube River, and Pest, on the east. The architecture is superb — one castle looked like home to a Disney princess! I found a restaurant named after my patron saint and even ran into Ronald Reagan walking across Liberty Square. (Fun trivia to Google if you don’t know why he is there!)
Although worth a trip just to see Budapest, you can now buy the No. 1 European hot tub right here in Medina at The Place. We're located at 2377 Medina Rd., on Route 18 between Beach and Bonita. Learn more about us at YourPlace4.com or call 330.239.4000.
I see myself as a personal buyer for our clients. They come to The Place for high-quality products and services that aren't found in big box stores or online. I don’t take that responsibility lightly.
Although cold, wet and wintery, I thoroughly enjoyed the Buda, west of the Danube River, and Pest, on the east.