The closure of public swimming pools has not started the desire and need of Ile-de-France residents to take a dip, far from it. In search of swimming, more and more people are opting for a solution that is still little known: renting a private pool at the home of individuals.
The figures provided by Swimmy *, the “AirBnB for swimming pools”, speak for themselves. This platform, the first to be launched on this market in the summer of 2017, has more than 50,000 users and more than 2,200 owners registered on its site.
VIDEO. Swimmy, the “AirBnB for swimming pools”
Since May 11 and the start of deconfinement, the number of reservation requests at the national level compared to the same period last year has increased tenfold. On the Ile-de-France scale, Swimmy notes a multiplication… by thirty!
Over the last three weeks of May, the platform recorded 636 requests and 157 reservations in the Ile-de-France region. A year earlier, over the same period, only 23 requests and 14 reservations had been made.
Health recommendations issued by the platform
This enthusiasm surprised even Raphaëlle de Monteynard, the founder and manager of Swimmy. "We didn't really know what to expect," she says. Are people afraid to go to other people's homes? In fact, they couldn't take it anymore! The good weather that accompanied the deconfinement did the rest.
If the spread of the virus has slowed significantly, the platform has made some recommendations to its rental companies. "We tell them that it is important to clean the furniture around the swimming pool, or even to suggest to the tenants to take a shower before bathing", slips Raphaëlle de Monteynard.
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Anja, a sparkling German who rents her pool in Seine-et-Marne, confirms. "The water is more chlorinated than before," she says. And everything that bathers come to touch is disinfected. "
This Wednesday afternoon, two thirty-something Parisians enjoy their garden and barbecue for 40 euros each. Olivier and Sébastien bought skewers and a bottle of rosé, took the car and drove for three quarters of an hour to get green.
Seine-et-Marne, the most attractive department
“The confinement accelerated the desire to take the air far from Paris (Editor's note: 35 km east of Notre-Dame) , says the first, who had rented the same pool for the first time in mid-May . The owners are discreet. We have the impression of being in our second home but without the constraint of maintaining the pool or mowing the lawn. "
Lying in a lounge chair, his colleague Sébastien enjoys this peaceful moment. "It's something other than a picnic at Buttes-Chaumont, where there are a lot of people," he says. Here, the noise level really drops compared to Paris. "
The two friends opted for Seine-et-Marne, the Ile-de-France region most popular with Swimmy users. "It's far enough to be exotic, without having to drive two hours," says Olivier.
Despite the abolition of the 100 km barrier since June 2, the drop in temperatures in June and the possible reopening of public swimming pools on June 22, the trend observed since May 11 remains "stable and strong", he says. we at Swimmy's.
"We are receiving more and more requests for July and August for birthdays or bachelor parties," notes its founder. The ban on gatherings of more than ten people ( Editor's note: which in fact only concerned public places ) also hampered large bookings. "
The rental can bring in several thousand euros per year
In Ile-de-France, the second most “efficient” region on the platform after the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, demand is stronger than supply. Consequence: the rates posted by the owners, on which the company charges a 12% commission, are higher than in other regions.
"Our Ile-de-France owners are clearly kings," emphasizes Raphaëlle de Monteynard. Prices are around thirty euros per person for half a day. The pools listed in Ile-de-France are, for the most part, in the Grande Couronne.
The activity can turn out to be juicy, even very juicy ... A Parisian registered on Swimmy thus won almost 7,800 euros last year just by renting his private pool.
"A preconceived idea wants the owners of swimming pools to be wealthy people, without the need for additional income," points out Raphaëlle de Monteynard. Half of them earn less than 3,000 euros per month. They are happy to be able to make ends meet. "
More info and reservation on www.swimmy.fr
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Where to swim in Ile-de-France?
Public swimming pools are closed to the public in Ile-de-France, as are gymnasiums and sports halls.
To prepare for the return of bathers to the pools, the Ministry of Sports has selected 26 facilities in France in which a health protocol is being tested. In Ile-de-France, the Lagardère-Paris-Racing swimming pool in Paris (XVI), that of Grigny (Essonne) and the Gabriel-Menut nautical stadium in Corbeil-Essonnes (Essonne) serve as test pools.
It was not until June 22 that the other Ile-de-France facilities were authorized to reopen their doors. The success of private pool rentals since May 11 proves that many residents did not wait until this date to satisfy their desire to dive.