Canbnb's Success Story: How An Australian Property Management Company Scaled to 148 Listings Through Hostaway’s Direct Bookings & Exceptional Support

Tell us about your business:

Located in Canberra, Canbnb connects guests with property owners and makes finding and booking short-term accommodations easy. They provide a safe, fast, and easy booking process with a wide variety of options.

For property owners, Canbnb offers a complete range of services needed to launch a successful short-term rental business, from listing optimization and dynamic pricing strategy to communications, cleaning, professional linen, design, photography, maintenance, reporting, and payment services.

For guests, Canbnb offers many high-standard properties that meet different needs around the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Western Australia (WA), and New South Wales (NSW), along with 24/7 customer service and support. With a focus on client satisfaction, Canbnb strives to provide the best-qualified service based on its specialized knowledge of Canberra.

So whether you're a property owner or a guest, Canbnb is committed to ensuring you have the best possible experience.

It all started …

… in 2017, Daniel White, the founder of Canbnb, noticed the lucrative potential of Airbnb management as an intrigued neighbor. After moving to Canberra, his curiosity changed to action, leading him to explore the opportunity.

Following his move, Daniel discovered there was an opportunity to offer short-stay property management services in the area, which was not a popular trend at the time. The founder placed an ad on Gumtree and found his first three clients in two months. Through word-of-mouth marketing and slow but steady growth, the company now manages around 148 properties, with 90% of them located in Canberra.

How is Canbnb different from other vacation rental sites?

The 3 BIG factors!

1. One of the things that set Canberra Short-Stay Property Management apart from its competitors is its commitment to building relationships with local suppliers and building managers. By sourcing local suppliers for linen, soaps, tours, and other guest needs, the company can provide a more authentic and personalized experience for guests.

2. Additionally, the company controls its cleaning audits in-house rather than outsourcing them, resulting in better cleaning reviews and guest satisfaction.

3. Finally, the company prides itself on its caring staff, who prioritize the needs of clients and guests alike.

We chose Hostaway for a number of reasons…

Hostaway is possibly the best framework-PMS because it has a comprehensive marketplace for plugins.

Daniel White, Founder CEO Canbnb

Before using Hostaway, the company was using Smartbnb/Hospitable but wanted to shift away from a fully integrated PMS to a framework (platform) PMS that could integrate with Marriott Hotels and other tools. Hostaway's comprehensive marketplace for plugins and open API made it the best option for the company.

One of the things we love about Hostaway is its API integrations, which allow us to connect with other software and tools seamlessly.

Daniel White, Owner & CEO, Canbnb

"Additionally, Hostaway offers a work atmosphere that is welcoming and helpful. In my observation, my staff has expressed their satisfaction with using Hostaway, particularly with the assistance provided by the support team. Furthermore, our Account Manager, Alessandra, has consistently set up meetings with specialists to resolve any issues that have come up. Her efforts are greatly appreciated."

What features of Hostaway does Canbnb find essential?

Hostaway's integrated inbox, integrated calendar, and automated messaging are among the features CANbnb finds essential. They also appreciate the WhatsApp feature, discount codes, owner statements, and web portal for direct bookings.

As a result of accepting direct bookings from Marriott Hotel guests, Hostaway has enabled Canbnb to grow its business significantly in a short span of time.

The product is now a market leader and, more impressively, the culture of the Hostaway team is cooperative and supportive.

Daniel White, Owner & CEO, Canbnb

Hostaway's Contribution to Canbnb Success

In today's vacation rental business, it is crucial to have reliable tools and technology to streamline your operations and ensure your guests have a great experience. Many property managers - including ours - trust Hostaway for this reason.

We couldn't have taken on direct bookings and Marriott Hotels guests, without Hostaway.

Daniel White, Owner & CEO, Canbnb

Our overall experience with Hostaway has been positive. The support team and account manager are fantastic, and they genuinely care about our success.

Daniel White, Owner & CEO, Canbnb

Canbnb's Future Goals - What's in Store?

The company's goals for the future include growing to 200 listings in 2023, taking on new cleaning management software and accounting integrations, and improving owner statements.

The company also wants to offer guest experiences and upsells, a new feature that Hostaway has recently launched. Canbnb believes that Hostaway's best point of difference is its ability to provide IT support when setting up new processes, which has been a significant factor in its success.

Words of Wisdom from Canbnb for Aspiring New Hosts …

For new hosts and property managers, Canberra Short-Stay Property Management advises,

1. Hire a virtual assistant!

2. Hire staff only after you've done everything yourself a couple of times (This is important to understand the flow of the business!) and

3. It is important to understand the management process rather than focusing exclusively on the property.

Canberra Short-Stay Property Management has achieved significant growth by prioritizing local relationships, controlling cleaning audits in-house, and focusing on caring staff. By using Hostaway's comprehensive marketplace for plugins, the company has been able to integrate with Marriott Hotels and take on direct bookings, contributing to its growth.

With its sights set on further expansion and improvements in owner statements and guest experiences, the company believes that Hostaway's IT support and future integrations will continue to be crucial in achieving its goals.