If you know the winding road to Hollywood Reservoir, you might already know how to find the headquarters of Swimply, aka “the Airbnb of swimming pools”. In a rare trifecta involving hard seltzer, Justin Bieber’s former mansion and fledgling pool rental company, Swimply celebrated National Pool Day last week with a happy hour at the four-story mansion on Weidlake Drive. Bieber-adjacent influence aside, the idea of bringing swimming holes and booze together isn’t new. Swimply’s model of curating the best pools online and renting them out by the hour? That’s to say.
When I visited Swimply’s headquarters, I accidentally exited the elevator in the mansion and entered the living room, where a white grand piano and a custom Swimply painting (on which the Hollywood sign letters were emblazoned) replaced by the brand name) indicated the startup. the current stage of venture capital financing. (In case you’re wondering, it’s over $62 million in January 2022.) Much like Airbnb before them, Swimply’s intention is to monetize underutilized resources — in this case, a backyard swimming pool. Considering LA rental prices, water shortages, and the fact that many people still don’t want to travel or be in large groups, the timing couldn’t be better. The company is looking to expand by also renting other private outdoor spaces, such as tennis courts or backyards. But for now, swimming pools and the glamor that surrounds them remain their bread and butter.
Like so many made-up holidays that now clog our calendars, National Pool Day has only one name, so media happy hour has doubled as a chance for Swimply and their new hard seltzer partner, high noon, to show what spending a few hours in a private pool with your friends can be like. The honest answer? Good, but expensive. Justin Bieber’s former mansion/Swamply’s current headquarters boasts some of the best views in town, as well as a huge outdoor living area bordered on one side by a tiled pool emblazoned with the word “HOLLYWOOD” in capital letters ( and also in tiles). Not a bad place for a brand to set up shop while spreading the word about private pool rentals by the hour, which has increased by leaps and bounds during COVID-19.
PR executives from the respective brands mingled with the guest list of media and influencers capturing the content, for whom a celebrity pool party on a fake vacation is a gold mine. The patio was stocked with a variety of cheese and charcuterie boards, fries and guac, and other snacks, as well as what looked like an unlimited supply of hard seltzer. The High Noon was handed out in tasting sessions, during which guests could determine their favorite flavor – mine was kiwi, while another attendee’s palate led to peach. Unlike White Claw, High Noon isn’t overly sweet, which makes it easier to drink, but it didn’t seem particularly different from many of the other brands that clock in at 100 calories and hit the gluten-free mark – except , as I was informed, it is made with vodka, not malt liquor, and has no added sugar.
In Los Angeles, a swimming pool is always a question of money and weight: those who are lucky enough to have one retain a certain power within a group of friends or at a party. Those who don’t are usually looking for a chance to spend the day next to them. Swimply founder Bunim Laskin tapped into that desire in 2018, when he convinced his neighbor to offer him a pool pass in return for maintaining the pool itself. Quickly realizing the financial potential, Laskin launched Swimply with only four pools in New Jersey. In the first year, the company racked up over $1 million in bookings.
Future challenges certainly await them – the brand would seem to share the same public responsibilities as Airbnb in terms of property damage, safety issues and the potential impact on Swimply neighbors who want to use their backyards in peace and without strangers don’t show up next door. But they’ve taken steps to mitigate these issues, as hosts have a $1 million liability insurance policy and are eligible for up to $10,000 in property damage protection. Laskin sees Swimply as another way to democratize resources such as swimming pools and as part of a growing trend of changing the ownership model.
“The world, and especially America, is moving away from greed and toward ownership that is either deeply smart (by letting you profit from your assets) or completely wasteful,” he told InsideHook. “Swamply allows owners to cover the cost of pool ownership and maintenance, while providing a meaningful community resource. We already have more private pools in LA than we’ll ever need – Swimply is making it more accessible.
For now, the numerous company registrations (over 350 available in a recent search!) local pools in Los Angeles are a solid draw. With most rentals in the $45-$65 per hour range, a full pool day will cost around $200-$400 – split that up among several people, and it’s not that unreasonable. And unlike the popular ResortPass, which allows non-hotel guests to rent spots in a property’s pool for the day, the guidelines and rules for using a private pool are generally much less restrictive.
Of course, Swimply’s electricity tenants in LA could end up being brands willing to launch private activations on a budget. Don’t be surprised if the next marketing event you attend has a private pool and a giant inflatable swan.
This article was published in the InsideHook LA newsletter. Register now to learn more about the Southland.
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