WA travel booking platform Aussie Holiday Stays closes suddenly, citing funding shortfall for national rollout
Western Australian holiday booking service Aussie Holiday Stays has abruptly shut down after eight years, with founder Amanda Walker saying the company couldn’t secure the funding needed to expand nationally and integrate with multiple property management systems.
PEOPLE & COMMUNITY
Sudden closure of WA-owned booking platform
A Western Australian holiday booking platform has been forced to shut down after eight years, with its ambition to challenge national giants running out of financial runway.
Aussie Holiday Stays - formerly known as WA HomeStay - was founded in 2018 as a cheaper, locally owned alternative to major accommodation booking platforms. The service charged guests a 5 per cent booking fee, compared with up to 20 per cent on other sites, and promised better cash flow for accommodation owners.
Founder and chief executive Amanda Walker had aimed to take the WA-based business national, but the expansion proved too costly. In a statement posted to Instagram on Sunday, Ms Walker said the company had been unable to secure the funding needed to continue developing a national booking platform.
“We wanted to send an email to thank everyone for their support of our dream over the last eight years,” she said.
“Unfortunately, over the last few months it has become clear that we do not have the runway to continue to push for a national booking platform.”
Vision, fees and community focus
Ms Walker previously told the Canning Gazette the business was founded on the belief a local booking platform could be fairer to both owners and guests while giving back to the WA community and promoting sustainable tourism.
“We are different because we only charge guests 5 per cent booking fee, compared to others that charge up to 20 per cent,” she said.
“We believe a local booking platform is fairer to both owners and guests as it gives back to the WA community and promotes sustainable tourism at the same time.”
The business had aimed to provide better cash flow for accommodation owners while keeping more tourism spending within WA.
Technical hurdles and integration costs
As the company worked towards its national expansion, the cost and complexity of integrating with different property management systems (PMS) became a major hurdle.
“We haven’t been taking reservations or advertising while we have been building to the different PMS,” Ms Walker said.
She said there had been strong support for an Australian-based booking platform, but the logistics of connecting to different systems ultimately proved too expensive.
“Although there is a huge amount of support for an Australian based booking platform, the logistics of connecting to different PMS meant we were not financially able to do it,” she said.
Founder’s background and pandemic resilience
Ms Walker was previously recognised at The Australian Business Awards as one of WA’s leading entrepreneurs under 40 for her work with the booking platform. She also ran the business through the COVID-19 pandemic, when travel was severely impacted.
Message to customers and supporters
In her Instagram post, Ms Walker thanked customers who had supported the business and its expansion plans.
“We were blown away by your belief in us and your willingness to support us with your houses or reservations,” she said.
“Thank you and keep supporting those that are willing to give things a go.”
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