Something borrowed: the rise of the pool renter

Here’s a question for you: if you were lucky enough to own a swimming pool or a tennis court – or indeed both – would you want to rent it out per hour to the hoi polloi, the great unwashed, the General Public? Although I am not in the happy position of being able to answer this question personally, I would have thought the answer would be a hard no. No to other people’s verucas, no to other people’s splashing and cavorting in earshot, and absolutely no to other people’s children bombing into your pool all day long. I concede that tennis might be a different matter. A quick set or two, the odd grunt and then time’s up. But inconvenience aside, the question is, do owners of luxury assets want – or even need – to rent out their symbols of privilege?

According to Jamie Windsor-Clive, founder of Ploot, the answer is yes.