For a family-facing business, a playground is not decoration — it is the deciding amenity. Parents filter accommodation by it, restaurants keep tables longer because of it, and campsites list it above the pool. This guide covers what a commercial site actually needs, because the rules differ sharply from a private garden.
The rule that surprises owners
The moment play equipment serves guests rather than your own household, it is legally a public playground — EN 1176 applies, covering the structure, its installation, safety zones and surfacing. A residential swing set installed at a guesthouse is non-compliant from day one, uninsurable in practice, and (with our sets as with most) its residential warranty is void. The full standard, explained without jargon: EN 1176 for parents and operators.
What a compliant installation includes
- Certified structure — our Family Play range in EN 1176 versions: commercial 86 × 86 mm cedar framing, adult-rated, with public-use details such as modified slides where required
- Professional installation — mandatory; self-assembly voids the certificate
- Documented safety zones and impact-attenuating surfacing to EN 1177
- Handover documentation — what you show the inspector and the insurer
A worked example: our Grand Olympic is sold in both versions — private for home gardens, and EN 1176-certified for semi-public sites at a premium that covers the modified build, professional installation and paperwork. That price gap is what compliance genuinely costs; sellers who charge nothing extra for "commercial use" are usually not delivering it.
The business arithmetic
Take a guesthouse charging €90 a night. If a certified playground wins ten additional family bookings a month in season, it returns its cost inside two seasons — and unlike a pool, cedar needs one coat of sealant a year and an annual inspection, not a maintenance contract. Cedar also matters aesthetically for exactly the venues we serve: an agritourism farm wants timber in the landscape, not powder-coated steel.
Sizing for guests
Guest children arrive in waves, not pairs. The Grand Olympic is rated for ten children at once inside an 11 × 7.5 m safety zone; larger Treehouse configurations run to 21.8 m² of play space across multiple forts. The sizing question is your peak Saturday, not your average Tuesday — describe both to our team and we will size honestly.
How the process runs
Site assessment (measurements and photos are enough to start) → set and zone proposal → delivery from our Polish warehouse → certified installation by our team or verified partners → handover with documentation. Our team runs it in English, Spanish, Italian, Polish or Lithuanian, and answers the same day.
