About Takeabreak.com.au

Overview

TakeABreak.com.au is the only independent online travel site specialising in boutique accommodation in Australia. Over 11,000 hotels, B&Bs and guest houses - and even houseboats - are listed on the site complete with in-depth information and guest reviews. The properties are easily searched via experience – pet, family, seniors, gay and lesbian-friendly and geography. The booking process is quick and simple with a “Best Deal” guarantee to ensure guests receive the cheapest price for that stay.

TakeABreak.com.au was established in 2003 to fill a gap for travellers in Australia’s accommodation market. While the chain and city accommodation markets were being well served by global sites such as Expedia.com or Zuji, TakeABreak.com.au provides travellers with comprehensive information and a booking service that is especially useful for regional destinations and small or niche accommodation options.

In fact more than 50% of accommodation that TakeABreak.com.au lists is not found on popular last minute and hotel websites. This style of accommodation, which provides the critical support system for driving holidays in Australia, would have previously only been found by numerous painstaking phone calls to real estate agents, regional tourist offices or road service organisations.

Nearly five years ago the site began with just 300 properties, today it lists over 11,000 properties and attracts three million unique visitors annually. – In January 2008 TakeABreak attracted nearly 350,000 unique visitors, more than ninemsn travel (305,723 for January 2008). The site also averages 20,000 enquiries per month and has been in the Hitwise Top 10 consistently since 2005.

TakeABreak.com.au contributed around $15 million in accommodation bookings to the industry in the 2007 financial year.

In the short time since the business started, TakeABreak.com.au has now become a nationally Accredited Tourism Business (ACT Tourism Industry Council), NSW Tourism Award Winner 2006 and 2007, Hitwise Top 10 website, and Finalists in the NSW Telstra Business Awards (2007) and the Australian Tourism Awards (2006 and 2007). In addition the company has received a High Commendation from the National Work and Family Awards (2007).

Who owns TakeABreak.com.au?

TakeABreak.com.au began in 2003 as a family operation . Pooling their talents, Penny and Paul Young (accommodation operators) and Michelle Kothe (Penny’s sister) and her husband Craig Davis (programming and internet specialists) set out to research and build a comprehensive online resource.

They now employ 16 staff and contractors and operate from offices in Canberra and Sydney.

How does the site work for travellers ?

TakeABreak.com.au enables visitors to easily find and book the holiday that suits them across 1,400 localities, 39 different accommodation types, prices and dates. Visitors can easily search by special interests using holiday themes such as pet-friendly, family-friendly, luxury, romantic as well as by geography or specific facilities (e.g. spa, kitchen, pool, and playground). TakeABreak.com.au is the only such website to provide this search facility to visitors without them having to leave the main site.

The system then puts the visitors in touch with the individual operator by email, fax or SMS.

TakeABreak.com.au receives up to 1500 guest feedback responses monthly from its customer satisfaction forms. Over 90% of users say they’d refer the site to their friends. Guest comments are not edited by the team but are immediately placed on the site. The properties have the opportunity to respond to the comments online if they feel they have been unjustly criticised. However most just take the recommendations as useful ways to improve their offering.

TakeABreak.com.au inspires visitors to travel to new destinations through an online magazine Holiday Inspirations which has over 150,000 subscribers. It includes information and articles on events, activities, and things to do.

This makes TakeABreak.com.au a comprehensive full service holiday resource – The best place to plan your next holiday. This rich destination information is now also the source for holidayinspirations.com.au – a second website established in 2006 as an adjunct to the core business.

How does the site work for operators?

Operators are listed on the site free of charge. They are asked to provide detailed descriptions of their property including local information, sleeping configuration, attractions, activities, facilities and pricing. The site also includes an interactive availability calendar allowing visitors to the site to easily view availability for their specific holiday dates.

TakeABreak.com.au. also allows for 12 photos – more than other sites - as the company believes these are critical to visitors in their search experience. Maps and videos can be added.

Each property pays TakeABreak.com.au a nightly or percentage booking fee for each booking they receive through the site.

As a benefit to operators, TakeABreak.com.au also publishes Business Breaks – a monthly newsletter on how to make their businesses even more profitable and attractive to visitors. It also provides tips on specialist subjects such as environmental initiatives they could be undertaking or how to get the best out of photography.

TakeABreak.com.au has made a commitment to promoting professionalism in tourism by improving customer service at the small end of the tourism sector. They provide a dedicated telephone and online support team to assist operators with their listing and booking management processes along with an online operator resource facility.

In 2007 TakeABreak.com.au introduced an awards program to recognise their operators for high standards of service and property management. This will now become an annual event.