KCO
Guest
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2020
- Messages
- 25
- Reaction score
- 29
- Points
- 23
The fact that this is the ONLY way to see dates available, other than to click on each individual listing, is a big flaw in my view. I don't find it particularly user friendly.
I spent some time perusing around after this thread....I had looked at the site briefly before, but the high commission fee had put me off. I am still not convinced.
It's certainly more "fresh" looking than Redweek but I feel like the approach is fundamentally flawed. Timeshare's are rented "weeks" at a time. While the proliferation of points systems makes it possible to to reserve (and thus rent) shorter stays, the effort required doesn't make it worthwhile. In addition, it's harder to amortize the cost of things like guest certificates across short reservations and still garner a decent profit (or even just cover your maintenance fees). With that in mind, I don't understand why they've spent the effort on a booking engine that mimics something like Expedia or Orbitz. I think something with a list view makes more sense.
They also have conflicting information on their site - in some places they confirm to renters that the rental "prices you see on Koala include all taxes and fees, including resort fees. Nothing hidden, no surprises." Yet then (as to be expected) on certain bookings they indicate additional fees will be due on-site and collected by the resort. I think it could be a bit confusing to renters....
Finally, they appear to have been operating for three years, but the number of resorts in their directory and the number of listings is quite paltry....and they've got what appears to be a pretty big staff of people. I'm not sure how it all computes. Are they just surviving off investor seed money?
I may post a week or two just to see how it pans out, but by the time I add in the costs of additional commission they charge, I'm not sure my rental prices will be competitive.
Thank you for your feedback on KOALA. I would like to take this opportunity to address some of your comments.
We launched a new search function last week to make the useability and searchability on KOALA more familiar to a traveler who is not necessarily familiar with timeshare rentals. We’ll be doing another update soon that allows the “best of both” search functions, so we really appreciate all your feedback.
The additional update will display ALL related or suggested listings at the top of the results. This update will make it easy for travelers to locate and book relevant listings The ‘suggested’ feature at the top of search results will highlight owner listings that fall within or near the date ranges that were searched.
With regards to our pricing and transparency on pricing, we disclose any and all mandatory fees that a guest would be responsible for at check-in or check-out on each and every listing and also notify hosts when they list that they must disclose all additional resort charges. This has been readily available in our terms and conditions, KOALA’s FAQ’s and Pricing and Fees page. However, we will review this, given your feedback, and work to be even more transparent with the way we display these fees so there is no confusion.
KOALA recently launched in August of 2020 with the goal of building a modernized timeshare rental marketplace. By creating a secure, transparent, and easy way for timeshare owners to rent to travelers, it is unlocking real control and flexibility —and is delivered in a way that today’s traveler absolutely expects. While we grow the platform we have been focused on supporting a number of popular brands first with a view to expanding and adding new brands/resorts every month. Each and every team member at KOALA is valued and contributing to building a better service for the timeshare community.
Thank you for your valuable input, KOALA is continually being updated based on user feedback and it is very much appreciated.