Swimply, dubbed the “Airbnb for pools”, is now offering a new category: tennis court rentals. The platform, which allows owners of private pools list them for rent, and guests be able to hire them by the hour, launched in Australia in November 2022.
The new category builds on the success of Swimply’s private pool experiences and is launching (at least at first) in New South Wales and Victoria. It says it’s aiming to help tennis players overcome the potentially daunting experience of practicing on public courts, surrounded by skilled players and coaches, as well as the issue of long wait times when booking a court.
“Cost and difficult of finding access to courts has been a major barrier for many players,” says Swimply CEO Bunim Laskin. “With our launch into tennis, we’re thrilled to be able to provide Australians with an affordable and easy way to access these facilities, while also helping homeowners to monetise their underutilised assets.”
TV personality Darren McMullen who serves as an ambassador for the brand says that he often finds it hard to book a tennis court when it’s nice weather.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve driven past pristine, empty courts in beautiful homes around Sydney and wished I could jump on,” he says. “Well, now we all can. You’ll never have to worry about not being able to get a court again. Australians are now able to play on stunning, high-end tennis courts, in the best areas, all ‘round Australia, in private.”
Tennis court rentals will start at $18 per hour, with many set up on sprawling estates that emulate an exclusive country club. Guests will even be able to book a court and pool at the same time.
“Australians love tennis and if we can capture 2% of the private courts in Australia that will disproportionately positively impact the number of accessible courts by 10%,” says Swimply Australia Managing Director, Sam McDonagh.
Swimply launched in the US in 2019, and now has more than 25,000 pools around the world on its platform. Swimply hosts have welcomed over one million guests to swim in their pools. While in Sydney, there still aren’t too many pools available to rent, the number is steadily growing.