Million Dollar Idea: Two Competing Apps Are Trying To Become NYC's "AirBnB For Pools"

New York Post: As New York bakes in the summer heat, two companies are fighting to become the city’s go-to “Airbnb for pools.” 

Swimply — a Long Island-based swimming pool-sharing company whose backers include a former Airbnb executive and two Silicon Valley venture capital firms — has held the lead in tri-state pool rentals since last summer. 

But now, a French competitor called Swimmy is taking on the New York market. The company, which has 120,000 users in Europe, told The Post that it plans to launch fully in the New York area in time for Labor Day weekend. 

Both companies let homeowners rent out their pools to strangers by the hour and make money by charging commissions.

Last summer, one Mahwah, NJ, pool owner told The Post he was booking as much as $10,000 in rentals through Swimply in a single week. 

Now, Swimmy is pushing for a piece of the pool rental pie. But despite its plans for a full Labor Day launch, the company listed just three pools available in the New York City area as of Tuesday — compared to 126 on its competitor’s site. 

I have quite a few things I want to touch on here. First of all, I think this is a great idea. One of the worst parts of living in New York City is the lack of pools. You'll get them here and there in the high-end luxury buildings, but I sadly do not live in one of those buildings. (I do have a balcony though). I'm firmly team pool over team beach or team lake, so I do kind of miss how accessible pools were growing up on Long Island. 

But I do think the timing of "Swimmy" (not to be confused with "Swimply") launching is rather odd. Waiting until Labor Day weekend? That would be like promoting your new ski equipment business in May. Or launching an NFL podcast the day after the Super Bowl. I guess there's some indoor pools in the city, but it still feels like they missed out on prime pool season. Point for Swimply. (There is an analogy to be made here from some TV show about two apps with incredibly similar names competing, but I can't think of it for the life of me. I feel like it might be Silicon Valley but I'm not sure. I should probably rewatch that show anyway. So funny). 

I do have a few hesitations though. First of all, it's basically becoming a public pool so I have some sanitary concerns. I know people love to say chlorine kills everything, but as a germaphobe, that's always seemed like a myth to me. Also is the host of the pool there when the bookers come over? They have to be let in somehow. I have a funny visual of a host just getting in the pool and hanging out with the friend group that's renting it. Maybe he's lonely and is just using this as a way to make some friends. Or maybe he's an exotic millionaire and is going to hunt them for sport. That's always a concern of mine. 

Regardless, it still seems like a good idea. People with big backyards should also do this for whiffle ball games. Set up a field and let people rent out the backyard to play a game with friends for a few hours. Impossible to play whiffle ball in New York City, but this idea could really work all across America. I am trademarking it right now because I think I might actually be on to something here. 

PS: The thumbnail pic is actress Katrina Bowden. No shame in that clickbait. Here's her Insta