A property management service that oversees short-term rentals in Orange has created its own online booking site in an effort to avoid paying US-based companies service fees.
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BNB Made Easy founder Tim Mortimer said $7,085,000 in revenue was made through short term rentals during the last six months of 2020 in Orange but his business has created bookorange.com.au to keep more of the service fees in Orange.
"In the last six months of 2020 more than $1 million was sent to America through service fees through Airbnb," Mr Mortimer said.
He said that figure would be much higher when other booking platforms were taken into account.
Mr Mortimer said there has been an increase in domestic tourism since the June long weekend when coronavirus restrictions were eased. However, he said despite public perception, the number of short-term rentals in Orange has decreased by 12 per cent since October, 2019.
"In October, 2019 that was the peak of Airbnb in Orange," Mr Mortimer said.
He said the decline was mainly due to Airbnb owners converting their properties to longer-term rentals during the early months of COVID when the number of properties went from 267 in October 2019 to 228 in June 2020. It has now risen to 236.
All up, including other platforms, he said there are about 300 short-term rentals in Orange.
"I think a lot of these rentals went to miners for 12-month leases," he said.
However, he said he has more recently been getting more inquiries for property management services after putting signage on BNB Made Easy's shopfront in March Street and opening the business for drop-ins.
He said there are a wide variety of people who have short-term rentals that BNB Made Easy manages, including people out west who have an investment property.
He said others who employ BNB Made Easy's property management services are families from out west who have children at boarding school and have a house in Orange where they stay while visiting their children, or otherwise rent out.
"We have a few, not as many as you think, Sydney investors," Mr Motimer said.
He said the creation of Book Orange also gave BNB Made Easy a project to work to earlier in the coronavirus pandemic when bookings were down.
Mr Mortimer said the booking service would be launched next month but people can already book their accommodation on the site and down the track more guest services will be provided such as a baby sitter, a wine tour or a cheese platter on arrival.
He said as the site develops people will also be able to access more recommendations and services.
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Tanya Marschke
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
