I’ve been noticing a pattern with RedWeek/Koala lately - owners keep feeding these big platforms even though the fees just keep getting worse. As a renter, I honestly don’t understand it, because those fees don’t benefit owners OR guests. They only benefit the platform.
I also checked out Koala recently, and the messaging system feels just like Airbnb/VRBO… owners seem afraid to talk openly because of the platform rules, which makes the whole process way more complicated than it needs to be.
I ended up renting the week i wanted through Finding Meili because the same week was almost $1,000 more on RedWeek after the rw fees.
On Meili, the owner and I communicated directly through their platform, they showed their reservation with Marriott and I had my final confirmation in about two or three days - no extra charges, no hoops to jump through.
It really shows the catch-22: smaller fair-fee platforms can’t grow if owners won’t list, and owners won’t list because they assume the platform won’t grow.
But nothing changes if everyone keeps feeding the same beast.
Just my opinion, but if owners consolidated on one low-fee platform like Finding Meili, renters would naturally follow.
IMO a good week rents no matter where it’s listed - might as well list it where you keep more of your money and guests aren’t hit with insane fees.