Koala fills a niche that others may not see quite yet, but I see it as a great alternative

[rickandcindy23]

One of my Little Sweden listings, a presidential unit for mid-August, has yet to go live on Koala. I hope Koala is being inundated with listings. That would be awesome.

I did a search on Hilton Head for a friend who wants summer in a Marriott and saw listings for next year at $975 for a week. Those may be exchanges from II. Be careful not to list exchanges.

You don't want to lose your II membership. II watches Redweek listings closely because you can ask to be notified by RW of new listings on various resorts. This ability means that II has a department that gets these notifications and will catch you. Koala may put a system in place that will notify renters of new listings in various areas, so just a warning.

The temptation is there to rent, I know, but it's not worth losing your account over a few bucks. On the other hand, the name on the cheap Koala listings leads me to believe that it could be the timeshare reseller on ebay named Sean, in which case, maybe he is renting something he is selling later. He makes money on both ends of the deal.

 

[heathpack]

One of my Little Sweden listings, a presidential unit for mid-August, has yet to go live on Koala. I hope Koala is being inundated with listings. That would be awesome.

I did a search on Hilton Head for a friend who wants summer in a Marriott and saw listings for next year at $975 for a week. Those may be exchanges from II. Be careful not to list exchanges.

You don't want to lose your II membership. II watches Redweek listings closely because you can ask to be notified by RW of new listings on various resorts. This ability means that II has a department that gets these notifications and will catch you. Koala may put a system in place that will notify renters of new listings in various areas, so just a warning.

I have a unit we were going to use, but I see no possibility of us going. The temptation is there to rent, I know, but it's not worth losing your account over a few bucks. On the other hand, the name on the listing leads me to believe that it could be the timeshare reseller on ebay named Sean, in which case, maybe he is renting something he is selling later. He makes money on both ends of the deal.

I had my Marriott Hilton Head unit listed and I got an almost-immediate booking request which was then very quickly cancelled. It’s wasn’t obvious to me it had been cancelled, just that I was promoted via email to respond to the request but then there was no way for me to respond.

It turns out that somehow Koala listed my week at an egregiously low price. They recognized the mistake and cancelled the request, got in touch with the prospective renter. They just hadn’t gotten around to notifying me yet, which is why I was searching all over for a way to respond to the request couldn’t find one- the request was gone.

Anyway- I wonder if you are seeing that same glitch with other Marriott Hilton Head weeks? Mine is a week I own.

 

[GrayFal]

Around March 25 I listed 6 units on Koala.
Since then I rented 3 units on Facebook - actually 2 within 3 days of listing.

I have not had one inquiry from Koala other then be contacted by them looking for me to book units using Marriott Destination Club points.

I will keep the other three listing active and hope for the best.

Has anyone else got any actual inquiries since Mid March when this discussion started (see the mis-priced HHI one)

 

[rickandcindy23]

I had my Marriott Hilton Head unit listed and I got an almost-immediate booking request which was then very quickly cancelled. It’s wasn’t obvious to me it had been cancelled, just that I was promoted via email to respond to the request but then there was no way for me to respond but couldn’t find one.

It turns out that somehow Koala listed my week at an egregiously low price. They recognized the mistake and cancelled the request, got in touch with the prospective renter. They just hadn’t gotten around to notifying me yet, which is why I was searching all over for a way to respond to the request.

Anyway- I wonder if you are seeing that same glitch with other Marriott Hilton Head weeks? Mine is a week I own.

Oh, could be. $975 for a full week for Memorial Day next year is crazy cheap. If the fees were that low, I would own it.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Around March 25 I listed 6 units on Koala.
Since then I rented 3 units on Facebook - actually 2 within 3 days of listing.

I have not had one inquiry from Koala other then be contacted by them looking for me to book units using Marriott Destination Club points.

I will keep the other three listing active and hope for the best.

Has anyone else got any actual inquiries since Mid March when this discussion started (see the mis-priced HHI one)

Nothing to lose by keeping those weeks active. Not even a dime.
Our daughter rents our units for us because she is a technical person and has a website she keeps updated and is on top of the rentals constantly. She has rented many of our SBP weeks through Koala, which is what alerted me to what a great option this is because our daughter does not list on Redweek because it costs to list. We own a lot of SBP, so listing on Redweek is not something she generally does.

She has also rented a lot of our Wyndham points. They are very rentable for summer.

My own listings, the Shell Peacock Suites, WorldMark Dolphin's Cove (summer dates), and Little Sweden in Door County, none have rented. The indecision with the opening of Disneyland has people hesitant. If they would just open the doors and start reservations soon, that would help my Dolphin's Cove. Some have to be cancelled pretty soon, so I have my fingers crossed.

I need to use my Shell and WorldMark points and not have them go to RCI for another year. Shell points are very expensive to use in RCI, except for the Disney resorts, which are a great way to enjoy Disney, but we can only use about four of those weeks a year. To be honest, I love II for the quality of resorts, and I prefer Marriott over Disney's Saratoga Springs. I do get accused by my kids of being a vacation pusher. That's kind of like a drug pusher. I keep trying to get all of them to go to Disney and stay in their own units at Saratoga Springs for two weeks. That will use about all of the Shell points for a year.

Some people think RCI is really great, but the fees that Hilton and Diamond now charge are a big turnoff for me.

 

[rickandcindy23]

How are the Koala listings going? The Sheratons are easily renting for summer, which is great. Still hoping for my Dolphin's Cove and Peacock Suites to rent.

 

[byeloe]

zero interest on Koala or Redweek for our Lagunamar week 52 units. I have had much more interest from the Marriott/Vistana sales/rentals facebook page

 

[samara64]

Koala is a Joke.

I registered and put a Worldmark Seaside reservation that we will not use on it but it never shows up.

No response from support or anyone else.

 

[GrayFal]

Around March 25 I listed 6 units on Koala.
Since then I rented 3 units on Facebook - actually 2 within 3 days of listing.

I have not had one inquiry from Koala other then be contacted by them looking for me to book units using Marriott Destination Club points.

I will keep the other three listing active and hope for the best.

Has anyone else got any actual inquiries since Mid March when this discussion started (see the mis-priced HHI one)

No interest or inquiries Aruba week 52, week1-3 or WSJ week 7

 

[dioxide45]

It might still be a little early for renting these dates? I would expect people to be waiting a little longer to book in this environment.

 

[rickandcindy23]

It might still be a little early for renting these dates? I would expect people to be waiting a little longer to book in this environment.

Yeah, I think so. Summer Myrtle Beach is renting very quickly. That's the only one I have that is renting quickly, and it's our daughter who is renting it, not me.

 

[rickandcindy23]

If you have a Marriott to rent for this summer, especially a beach location Marriott, I guarantee you will get a hit quickly. Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, any Hawaii resort, Florida beaches, Newport Coast. Anything beach will rent. If you knew how many weeks we own and have rented at SBP, you would all be very impressed.

 

[Fi2]

Rickandcindy23, Thank you for your mention of Myrtle Beach, because not having gotten hits on my July partial week reservations, I just checked and couldn’t find them listed on koala!

It’s hard enough to find Marriotts buried past cheap/cheaper listings, but turns out that if you don’t click on the exact view, the site says “sold out” for the dates vs suggesting that OF (or other views) at the same resort are available. How exasperating! They really should correct that, but I don’t know if it’ll happen in time for my 4th of July week listings

 

[GrayFal]

It might still be a little early for renting these dates? I would expect people to be waiting a little longer to book in this environment.

If you are referring to my week 52, 1-3 Aruba it is not too early as airfare is involved.

And I would consider Sheraton Myrtle Beach June July listings distress at this point, 8-12 weeks out? However I know Cindy’s daughter has been running this business for many years so has a much better idea how & when those units rent and would likely have repeat business.

 

[Fi2]

If you are referring to my week 52, 1-3 Aruba it is not too early as airfare is involved.

And I would consider Sheraton Myrtle Beach June July listings distress at this point, 8-12 weeks out? However I know Cindy’s daughter has been running this business for many years so has a much better idea how & when those units rent and would likely have repeat business.

Maybe we should see if Cindy’s daughter would like to list for us, where she specializes, while waiting for koala to come up to speed?

 

[TheHolleys87]

How are the Koala listings going? The Sheratons are easily renting for summer, which is great. Still hoping for my Dolphin's Cove and Peacock Suites to rent.

If you can hang on until Disney announces that out of state residents can enter the parks, I think they’ll rent quickly after that. While out of state residents are forbidden entry, even VGC owners are hesitant to book.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I really think those of you that are frustrated with the inability to see your own listings to contact Jeff Ruiz at Koala. I am going to look up his email address. Send me a PM for his email. I don't know if it would be nice to post it here.

Also, I have to say after being in the timeshare rental business for many years now, most people don't start thinking about summer vacation until March-April. This is a big month for summer rentals. Most do not plan ahead. That is the difference between timeshare owners, who must plan a year ahead, and timeshare renters.

 

[rickandcindy23]

If you are referring to my week 52, 1-3 Aruba it is not too early as airfare is involved.

And I would consider Sheraton Myrtle Beach June July listings distress at this point, 8-12 weeks out? However I know Cindy’s daughter has been running this business for many years so has a much better idea how & when those units rent and would likely have repeat business.

With SBP, I don't have to cancel until the day before. Then I deposit them into II. I had a lot of deposits last year, which is why we went to Maui for six weeks this year and are going on a lot of trips for the rest of 2021 and 2022. I have weeks to burn. It was overwhelming.

 

[GrayFal]

Also, I have to say after being in the timeshare rental business for many years now, most people don't start thinking about summer vacation until March-April. This is a big month for summer rentals. Most do not plan ahead. That is the difference between timeshare owners, who must plan a year ahead, and timeshare renters.

I think especially with Myrtle Beach you have a drive to crowd. That tends to make for more last minute rentals. And your property isn't ocean/waterfront where people would feel the need to rent early to lock in the best view. It is just a different clientele than I am targeting.

Unless I put in the exact check in date, my resort and listing can't be found.

I tried to search for "Aruba" and could not get results. All that kept popping up was "under $199 per night" results in random places.

Frustrating site

 

[ocdb8r]

I have had zero inquiries from Koala in the past few weeks since I listed. I put three Hawaii summer weeks up (2 at Lagoon Tower and one at Westin Kaanapali) and actually rented the last of the three this past weekend via other means.

I also had a call from Koala this week looking to book a week at the Grand Islander in Waikiki for an inquiry - the offer was $1400 for a week in a 1 bedroom (a 6400 point reservation). I told them I wasn't an owner there so I couldn't rent, but that I would also be surprised if any owner would take that offer as I didn't think it would even cover maintenance fees.

I appreciated the pro-active approach, but they seem clueless as to the main goal of timeshare rentals (at least for me, it's to cover my maintenance fees for weeks I can't use in any given year).

 

[rickandcindy23]

I have had zero inquiries from Koala in the past few weeks since I listed. I put three Hawaii summer weeks up (2 at Lagoon Tower and one at Westin Kaanapali) and actually rented the last of the three this past weekend via other means.

I also had a call from Koala this week looking to book a week at the Grand Islander in Waikiki for an inquiry - the offer was $1400 for a week in a 1 bedroom (a 6400 point reservation). I told them I wasn't an owner there so I couldn't rent, but that I would also be surprised if any owner would take that offer as I didn't think it would even cover maintenance fees.

I appreciated the pro-active approach, but they seem clueless as to the main goal of timeshare rentals (at least for me, it's to cover my maintenance fees for weeks I can't use in any given year).

I agree that some people charge very cheap prices for their timeshares, and it's become an expectation of some renters. People try to talk us down on our rental rates. Then I don't want to deal with them ever again. That is a problem we have always had with Wyndham cheap rentals, especially the last-minute ones on TUG. A 2 bedroom for $700/ week is just too cheap. But that is my opinion. Maybe the owner is making enough on the rental, or just barely wanting to cover MF's, but it's treading water. I mean, if you have a Founder's or Platinum membership with Wyndham, you should do more than recover MF's.

I think the Wyndham prices on Koala are far too low. And the site is Wyndham heavy, as I mentioned before. Wyndham listings just show up when I go to the site, right on the page, before I log in.

 

[grupp]

Koala is a Joke.

I registered and put a Worldmark Seaside reservation that we will not use on it but it never shows up.

No response from support or anyone else.

I would agree with this statement. I have a number of weeks listed on Koala and I have trouble finding them despite the fact I know what I am searching for. I guess someone might accidently stumble across one of my weeks and rent it, but not holding my breath. If you look at their "Team" they have quite a few people listed, but unfortunately, as I mentioned before, it does not seem the understand the business. You think that one of them could at least be enough on the ball to correct the typos on their website and at give the impression they are a legitimate organization.

Certainly hope they figure it out and can be successful, but they have a long way to go.

 

[MikeKennedy]

Hi everyone,

This is Mike Kennedy at KOALA. Thank you to everyone for all your comments here. It’s so valuable to us as a new company to understand how customers are engaging (or not engaging) with the product, and all feedback is helpful and appreciated. I’m responding here to offer some context around what we are looking to accomplish for timeshare owners, and more importantly, why.

Firstly, our goal is not to build a version of something you already have — we are building KOALA to be much better than something you already have. Even if we’ve not yet accomplished that. You may have heard Mark Zuckerberg’s now-famous motto at Facebook: “move fast and break things.” It means a company cannot innovate without trying things and moving quickly. And one cannot move quickly without breaking things. Like many modern companies, we live by this.

When a technology-focused company waits to launch a “flawless” product free of bugs, usability issues or yes, even typos, they’ve waited too long. That means you’ve polished the heck out of a product without the feedback of your users and that’s simply a recipe for disaster. I hope this provides some insight into our process.

Our team has years of experience with the intricacies of timeshare (both the product and the industry) as well as the travel and technology spaces. I myself am a timeshare owner with HGV and worked in the industry for nearly a decade. During my time with HGV, I learned that timeshare can be a wonderful vacation asset if used well, but it can be a costly liability over time if underutilized. So, for timeshare owners, how can we make something easier to use and/or less costly if one cannot use it? And for travelers unfamiliar with timeshare (and more specifically timeshare rentals), how can we make these incredible resorts more accessible? This is our mission.

All that said, to make a product that is better, we must continue to learn about the things that matter to you and the things that matter to the people renting from you. Occasionally, the latter can sometimes conflict with the former.

The last update of our search function (as many of you rightly pointed out) needs considerable improvement. Some updates have already been released and more will be released soon based both on your valuable feedback and our own internal quality assurance.

Here are some ways we’ve made it easier for travelers to find your listings based on your comments: .

• Suggested Listing Search prioritizes listings that are similar to a traveler’s exact dates/locations.
• Our new Stays Page aggregates all bookable listings onto one page with some simple filters.

I saved the best for last! You can now schedule a live Zoom Feedback Session with a member of our product team by emailing us at feedback@go-koala.com.

Get to know us, share feedback, and help shape the future of timeshare rentals on KOALA. After all, we are building KOALA for you and your voice matters. We thank you for your ongoing support and we look forward to hearing more from you!

Sincerely,
Mike Kennedy
Cofounder & CEO
KOALA

 

[SteelerGal]

So far, I have rented my SDO through April. I have a lone one for Memorial Day but I can cancel if needed. My next batch is the fall so will see what happens. I do have 2 MVC Deserts for next year but I’m not expecting ting movement until late in the year.
I do still use Redweek as well because Koala isn’t an option. I’m pleased so far.

 

[Fi2]

(turns out I was writing this while the CEO posted!)

I received a call with koala today, as they were interested in walking through the same process as I did, in order to replicate my inability to find my listings from the renter side... lo and behold, it worked this time! and it seems that they’ve now grouped the four views together, making it a little more obvious that a “sold out” in one view class didn’t necessarily mean “sold out in every view”. Hopefully they’ll also be able to highlight availability in other views, just as they’re now listing close date matches, when you check availability at particular resorts... in any case, a major update has been in the works, and is soon to be released.

To be fair to koala, I have had two bookings: a short points based booking they requested, when I first started listing in January, and my July Newport Coast Villas week, booked mid-March. But, dozens of other listings, many for greater or fewer that 7 days (nearly impossible to find back when searches required exact date matches, and hopefully will meet greater success going forward) have gone unbooked, wasting their team’s time in confirming my reservations, and mine in making and canceling, then rebooking, them... but this is the process I committed to when I chose to commit a few thousand points to koala — without listing fees, it only costs me/them time to “recycle” points until they expire.

In comparison, two of my three summer beach bookings on Redweek were successfully booked in February and March (these full service Redweek listings had been listed in 2020, then co-listed on koala in 2021, with no hits). The third is one of the partial week listings that I couldn’t find in koala this morning, but could in the afternoon, so I’ll know not to hold it against koala if it goes unbooked in both places! I was really hoping that these would represent the last of listing fees for me, but after getting no hits on koala, I did finally place my two Maui Ocean Club Christmas listings on Redweek as well, last week... we’ll see.