I created and rolled out a national accommodation aggregation website and service for independently owned holiday properties.
Problem Statement: Identifying a gap in the Australian accommodation market for unique, independently owned properties, I aimed to create a central online platform for travelers seeking alternatives to traditional hotel rooms. The challenge was to establish a system allowing owners to list their properties, and users to search, book, and pay with instant confirmation, a feature not commonly offered by competitor websites at that time.
What I Delivered: As the Managing Director of Australia Holiday Apartments, I led the development of a new national website, australiaholidayapartments.com. This platform became the only accommodation aggregation service in Australia offering a central repository for independently owned properties with instant booking and payment confirmation capabilities. I led the implementation of a new backend database which was a pivotal move in enhancing the site’s functionality and user experience.
Outcomes: The new website rapidly gained traction, achieving the number one ranking on Google, Bing, and Yahoo for relevant keyword searches. The updated platform resulted in a 400% increase in website traffic and generated over $1 million in bookings within its first six months. In some regions, AHA gained a market share of more than 80%, leading to the expansion of our business model to other destination and theme-based websites across Australia.
