KOALA Co-founder & CEO Mike Kennedy
Today KOALA, a technology-driven marketplace for timeshare rentals, launches an official partnership with Expedia Group. It enables the easy distribution of timeshare-by-owner supply for the first time. Using a proprietary transformation engine, individual timeshare owners, rental brokerages, and timeshare developers are able to reach 730 million monthly travelers across Expedia Group’s vast network – including leading vacation rental platform Vrbo.
KOALA’s in-house engineering team devoted several months innovating the engine that deciphers the immense fragmentation and complexity of multiple data layers associated with the timeshare inventory. It was carefully developed based on user feedback and industry expertise.
“Timeshare rentals remain an archaic process and still occur in high-friction places like Facebook Groups or small ‘classifieds-style’ websites. Attempting to rent timeshare weeks or points is inefficient and laborious. We’re thrilled to be an integrated software partner with Vrbo to finally make timeshare rentals easy,” says Mike Kennedy – CEO of KOALA.
A timeshare is a shared-ownership property, where multiple parties own the right to use a unit within a resort for a set period of time. Timeshares (also known as vacation clubs) come in different formats such as fixed weeks, floating weeks, and points which all have a myriad of rules & regulations.
Headquartered in Brooklyn, New York – KOALA’s mission is to empower timeshare owners while opening the doors to the next generation of travelers. KOALA explains how it solves the family traveler’s dilemma: “There’s no more choosing between a cramped hotel room and the uncertainty of a private home rental. KOALA offers insider access to condo-style vacation rentals with hotel service at unbeatable prices.”
Vrbo is top-of-mind for millions of travelers searching for their perfect vacation rental. With over two million properties worldwide, Vrbo’s travel platform provides an engaged, high-value audience that’s ready to book with 65% of Vrbo guests being families and groups of friends. Learn more about Vrbo.
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