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Marquis: Crowning Series

After delayed start, Marquis flagship ready to launch

At Marquis’ dealer conference in February, there were rumblings about the coronavirus, but no one was expecting what came next. The company is celebrating its 40th anniversary and announced at the meeting a brand-new Crown Collection, which was set to replace its flagship Signature Series this year.

“I can’t wait to get it on my floor,” Pete Kennish, store manager for Pool Guy Plus in Olympia, Washington, said at the meeting.

“We’re really excited,” said Cole Taylor, owner of Southern Leisure Spas in Texas. “That line was due for a refresh.”

But despite enthusiasm and orders from its dealers, Marquis put the launch on hold as it worked through the uncertainty of 2020.

“We are going to be relaunching Crown in November, with two more units added to the three displayed at the meeting,” says Jim Johnston, vice president of marketing for Marquis. Marquis originally planned to launch new Summit, Resort and Spirit models this year, but the Crown now includes new Epic and Euphoria models as well.

Marquis reimagined the Signature series from the ground up to create the Crown Collection, with updated features, molds and look. In collaboration with CMP, Marquis created a jet system that could effortlessly be turned up and down to increase flow — a concept that’s been used for awhile. The two companies worked to perfect it so when the patented Dynamic Flow Control diverter valve is turned, it moves easily, the jets respond immediately, and the valve doesn’t slowly creep back up as the flow pushes against it. That fine-tuned control, along with the new flush-mount jet design, improves the massage experience. It also has simple red and blue color coding, so when users turn the valve toward blue, it activates the jets with a corresponding blue nozzle and vice versa. Each seat has either a Dynamic Flow Control valve or auxiliary button to maintain control.

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“The jets were amazing,” says Steve Nelson, owner of Hot Tubs Albuquerque in New Mexico. Nelson religiously tries every hot tub that he sells, having friends test them as well so he can see how different body types and sizes work in each model. At the February dealer conference, he wet tested each of the new Crown models. “You can’t even tell where [the jets are] on your back,” he says. “They’re flush. It just feels like a seat back and then when you fire it up, they’re intoxicating.”

Nelson is a massage therapist and loves that by selling hot tubs, he has thousands of clients getting a massage versus only a handful he could see in a day. The massage background gives him a unique perspective on the quality of hot tub jets. He loves the location of the Whitewater jet in the Summit. “I could get my full calf muscle on that Whitewater jet, and it was unreal,” Nelson says. “[When giving a massage] I work really deep on calves, but you would never work deep on hamstrings. That type of a jet would hurt [hamstrings], but a calf can take it.”

“We will begin to make the units that we sold [at the dealer show] first,” Johnston says. “We’re also reopening order-taking for those three, plus the two new ones.”

The Crown Collection has updated technology, including the MQTouch touch-screen control panel, which allows for mobile device control through the Control My Spa app. The MQTouch also flips so users can change settings inside or outside the hot tub.

Crown hot tubs have horizontal synthetic skirting and optional Jewel LED lighting systems. The interior points-of-light LEDs are multicolor, and users can choose the color to fit their mood or have the colors rotate. The white exterior LEDs are dimmable, so users can attain the right level of lighting for both mood and safety. MicroSilk can be added to all Crown models as well.

But for Nelson, the jets and massage steal the show. “When you sit back and let those jets work, it was this smooth feel all down your back,” Nelson says of the Crown Collection. “[In] most spas, I can pick out exactly where the jets are. I was impressed.”