At first glance, websites like Booking.com, Airbnb, or Expedia seem like the easiest way to book a room. But the truth is, these OTA’s (Online Travel Agents) are not always working in your best interest—or ours. Book Direct and save, Book direct for personal service.
Behind their polished websites are high fees, misleading marketing, and tactics designed to undercut small businesses like ours. So here’s the truth: booking direct isn’t just better—it’s smarter.
1. You’ll Get the Best Price—Guaranteed when you Book Direct
Contrary to the “best price” claims made by OTAs, the best rates are found by booking direct.
Why? Because we’re hit with up to 15% commission on every booking they take which we pass on to their users. We aren’t meant to publicly advertise cheaper rates due to their clauses— we can offer perks like flexibility and lower prices if you book directly on our site or over the phone.
💡 Insider tip:Use their website to find the property you’re interested in and call us or head to our website to book.
2. You’re Being Tracked—and Manipulated
Ever noticed how the moment you click on an OTA listing, it suddenly says:
“Only 1 room left!”
“12 people looking at this right now!”
“Book before midnight for this special rate!”
These are pressure tactics designed to force a quick booking—and they’re misleading. The “scarcity” and “urgency” they promote can create panic, even when plenty of availability exists.
Worse still, they’ll track your visit and increase the price the next time you click back, hoping you’ll feel the urgency and hit “book now”.
3. They Pretend to Be Us
Try Googling “Kimo Estate” or “Flash Jacks” and you’ll likely see a Booking.com or Airbnb ad below our advertisement that we have to do to ensure our own website is first in the search.
This is called ambush marketing.
They bid on our brand name in Google Ads so they appear above our website, pretending to be the “official site”—often using our own photos, reviews, or even confusing domain names.
It’s deliberately misleading. Many guests book thinking they’re on our site… and only realise later they’ve gone through a third party. By then, it’s too late—and they’ve paid more for less flexibility.
4. They Try to Undercut the People Who Host You
Even when we’ve spent money and time marketing our own business, these OTAs will swoop in and offer “member discounts” or secret prices—without our permission—just to win the booking. This is why we have to charge more through their sites to prevent them undercutting us.
Meanwhile, we’re left with a fraction of the revenue and none of the guest details, making it harder to give you the personalised experience you deserve.
We believe in fair business, and that means not playing a rigged game.
5. The Profits Go Overseas—And They Pay Minimal Tax
Here’s a sobering fact:
In 2023, Booking Holdings (parent company of Booking.com, Agoda and Priceline) reported over $23 billion USD in annual revenue. Airbnb made over $9 billion USD, and Expedia Group nearly $12 billion USD.
Yet, despite making hundreds of millions from Australian consumers and accommodation providers, many of these companies pay little or no corporate tax here in Australia.
They funnel profits through offshore entities, exploit loopholes, and operate in ways that siphon money away from local communities. When you book through them, a significant chunk of your money leaves the country—and doesn’t come back.
Booking direct means your dollars stay in Australia, supporting small businesses, local staff, and regional economies.
6. Book Direct and Get Real Service
When you book through a giant platform, you deal with automated messages, generic call centres, or outsourced customer service agents who don’t know our property or your needs.
But when you book direct, you’re speaking directly to us—the people who will welcome you, prepare your room, set the fire, and answer your questions.
Need a special arrival time, dietary notes, or change the date? Only a direct booking guarantees that level of service.
7. You’re Supporting a Family Business, Not a Tech Giant
Every direct booking helps us reinvest in what really matters:
- Local staff from Gundagai
- Beautiful renovations and expansion to our offerings
- Guest experience is better as we can offer personal service
- Sustainable business practices
- keeping our local economy strong
We’re a small, family-run business on a 6,500-acre farm. Booking direct helps us grow, hire locally, and reinvest in our region—not in Wall Street.
In Summary:
Here’s what booking direct gives you:
- Better rates and personalised service
- No hidden fees or commissions
- Access to exclusive upgrades and extras
- Direct contact with real humans who care
- Protection from underhanded OTA tactics
- The satisfaction of supporting a local, family-run business
- And the knowledge that your money stays in Australia, not offshore tax havens
👉 Book direct at:
We’d love to host you the right way—the personal way.
