Swimply Makes a Splash as the Airbnb For Pools
(CNN) -- Chris, a homeowner in Des Moines, was surprised when a woman he didn't know recently pulled into his driveway and asked if he could move his vehicles.
She believed she had booked his pool for the night after someone had wrongfully listed it on a platform devoted to renting out private swimming pools.
Within minutes of her showing up, he said, a few other cars arrived.That was how Chris learned about Swimply, a relatively new service that has often been dubbed the Airbnb of swimming pools. “I said, ‘Sorry, I’m not renting my pool out,’” said Chris, who asked to withhold his last name for privacy reasons.
He said he was able to find the page on Swimply and within an hour, it appeared to be taken down.Swimply described the situation to CNN Business as “incredibly rare.” The company said there were “no red flags” when the account was created but when it became aware of the situation, it issued refunds, blocked payment to the host, and removed the host and listing from its platform.But Chris remains flabbergasted that such a service even exists. “Why anyone would rent their pool out like that to me is asinine,” he said. “The amount of liability, I would never ever do it.” The pool of Kyle and Fabiola Farrah Williams Founded in 2018, Swimply gained traction during the pandemic as many sought safe ways to travel and socialize outdoors with friends and family.
