Canbnb, Canberra’s first and largest short-term accommodation management company, is driving local tourism and employment through its women-led team. We spoke with Dan White, Founder of Canbnb, about the company’s unique business model, its impact on the local economy, and how it empowers women in the workforce.
What is Canbnb?
Canberra is unique — many of our residents spend extended periods interstate or overseas for work, often leaving behind their furnished homes. Combined with a shortage of hotel accommodation, this creates a prime opportunity for Canberrans to share their properties through online booking platforms.
That’s where Canbnb comes in. We help over 175 local homeowners list their properties on platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, Marriott, CanStay and Booking.com. Our team, led by our chief of operations Sarah Clark, manages every aspect of the guest experience — from bookings and pricing to guest communication, cleaning, and maintenance. Property owners earn income with no daily involvement and benefit from our rigorous oversight, including up to 60 property inspections per year. Our clients also love the ability to stay in their homes whenever they return to Canberra.
A women-led workforce
Women are at the heart of Canbnb’s operations — over 80% of our team are women, including senior managers, finance, HR, marketing and housekeeping staff. We offer flexible work arrangements and autonomy, helping to balance work with family life. Most of our team take time off to study, raise families, or maintain other employment. The trust we instil in our staff is returned through the energy and commitment they bring to their work. Attention to detail is one of the reasons we maintain a 9.5/10 average review score for cleanliness.
Boosting local tourism and the economy
Each year, Canbnb hosts around 10,000 guests — including government contractors, corporate guests, tourists, those visiting family and migrants. While most of Canbnb’s properties are located in Civic, Braddon and Kingston, we also manage homes in suburbs like Wright, Fadden and Gungahlin — areas not typically served by hotels.
Most people don’t know that Canberra often runs out of accommodation, especially during double-parliamentary sitting weeks and major events like Floriade, Spilt Milk and Summernats. Without short-stay properties, some visitors simply wouldn’t be able to come, and our local cafés, restaurants, retailers and businesses would miss out.
Our female-led communications team coordinates help from local tradespeople, including plumbers, electricians, builders, locksmiths and gardeners. In addition to having a team of 60, including 45 women, Canbnb supports hundreds of jobs throughout Canberra’s economy.
What are your thoughts on the new ACT short-term accommodation levy from 1 July?
We support regulation of the short-term rental industry and have followed the best practices from NSW, however, the ACT levy will likely be harmful to the broader local economy. Adding 5% plus GST to accommodation doesn’t seem like the right approach to welcome tourists. Although we don’t expect it to significantly impact our portfolio — most of our guests are corporate and government travellers — it will make our city less accessible to families and lower-income tourists.
What’s next for Canbnb?
Canbnb will always be Canberra based, but we are exploring expansion into other regions, including New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland and Victoria. If we remain focused on our team, our guests, and our community I’m sure we will continue to thrive.
Canbnb
4/23 Lonsdale St, Braddon ACT 2612
T: 02 6152 8308
