Tim Bennett’s blog – Electron Soup

Planning a trip to Byron Bay? Be careful who you use to make your booking.

Byron Bay Accom calls itself “Byron’s Largest and Official Accommodation Service”. How this is possible is beyond me – its website or its staff seems unable to properly maintain the list of available accommodation, and will take reservations (though not money, thank God) for properties that are already booked out. What’s more, the website will tell you the property is still available.

I’m steamed up because I booked six nights in an apartment on Cape Byron, only to be told that it’s ‘not available’ the day after receiving a booking confirmation. What’s more, the site assures visitors that “Rates and availability are 100% up to date and your booking will be instantly confirmed.” Bullshit. I didn’t get a ‘booking confirmation’, I got a ‘casual confirmation of interest in an apartment that may or may not be available’.

Why is their website inaccurate? I can hazard a guess. A large number of properties on their website are smaller apartment/bed-and-breakfast accommodation, run by private operators. Although Byron Bay Accom can take reservations on behalf of these operators, BBA apparently can’t keep track of bookings that the operators make themselves. Being able to manage their own guest lists is good business for the operators, but bad for BBA and customers, because there’s no guarantee that inventory is actually available. It’s a bad look for Byron Bay that its official accommodation service is such a dismal middleman.

If you’re planning a trip to Byron Bay, here’s what you can do:

• Research online, book over the phone. Dealing with a human being offers better reliability, as they’re in a position to check whether a property is available.
• Better still, see if you can find the operator’s details and contact them personally. For instance, google the property name and address to see if the operator has a website.
• Remember nothing is final until you’ve paid. BBA has proven that, unless money changes hands, you’re out of luck if your ‘booking’ turns out to be wishful thinking.
• Book your accommodation through Stayz.com.au, who gave accurate information first time and had me in contact with the owner in hours.

Oh, and don’t pay any attention to locals who cry about tourism while enjoying all of its benefits.