The trend of renting private pools by the hour is on the rise. In the style of Airbnb with the rental of vacation homes, the Spanish platform Cocopool allows pool owners to get extra income.
Last year more than 20,000 people used a pool through the aforementioned platform, which estimates that it will offer more than one thousand pools in Spain this summer.
Valeria Rebollo, a host in the Community of Madrid, has been renting her pool for three summers: "Before, I saw the pool empty many days and it made me sad. We take care of it all year, but we don't always use it. Now, on weekends we fill it with life. And, in addition, it is a very useful income. This year it has paid part of the mortgage and family vacations."
Like her, more than 500 hosts have published their pool on Cocopool. Currently, the platform shows available pools in the provinces of Barcelona, Madrid, Girona, Seville, Toledo, Tarragona and Valencia.
According to the platform, which allows owners to configure rules, prices and schedules, "average income is around 5,000 euros per season, although in areas with more demand it exceeds 15,000 euros."
"Many hosts tell us that they are proud of their spaces, that they love taking care of the details and that they enjoy receiving respectful people," explains Gerard Xalabarde, CEO of Cocopool.
"The beauty is that this goes much beyond the economic. It is a way of sharing, of giving use to pools and gardens that were underutilized," completes Xalabarde.
The operation is agile: the owner publishes their pool, sets the price - from about 30 euros per person per day, depending on the space - and establishes their own regulations. Most reservations also include the use of the garden, barbecue or chill-out areas. The platform takes care of managing payments, facilitating contracts and offering assistance in the event of any unforeseen event.
In the words of Julián Minguez, host in Barcelona: "The pool had been unused for some time, until one day I decided to share it. Since then, many families have come who tell me that they have lived one of the best days of the year. It is not only profitable, it is beautiful."
Cocopool plans to consolidate in Spain and expand to the European market, starting with Portugal, France and Italy.
