Daylesford Country Retreats (DCR) has been purchased by Hometime, one of Australia’s leading short-term rental operators.  DCR manages around 120 local properties and is one of the premier accommodation services in the region.
Founded nine years ago by Brendan Hutchison and Troy Daff, Daylesford Country Retreats has built a strong reputation for service quality sitting at 4.85/5 stars across nearly 7,000 reviews. The business is widely respected for its relationships with homeowners, guests, and local businesses across Daylesford. DCR has a small, local core management team and a well developed network independent contractors and service providers including cleaners, laundry, property maintenance and gardeners.
Samantha Fray, the newly appointed General Manager along with Jessica Walsh as the new Operations Manager of Daylesford Country Retreats, will lead the local team going forward. Mr Hutchinson and Mr Daff will continue working in the business during the transition period, alongside the existing DCR team, who will remain in place with the added operational and strategic support of the Melbourne based Hometime team.
Hometime is an Australian property technology firm founded by Billy Crock and Dave Thompson . It recently secured USD$13.3 million in a funding round to fuel an aggressive expansion strategy. The capital injection is a strategic mix of venture funding and a debt facility, designed to finance further acquisitions across the short-term rental market. This move underscores investor confidence in Hometime’s robust business model and its significant growth potential within the property management sector.
Hometime is essentially an ‘aggregator’, with local on the ground partners. The group operates by partnering with local teams with the aim of preserving the local character and relationships that underpin guest experiences, while sharing support and best practises across the network. Hometime provides a scaled up technology platform for automated guest communication, coordination across accommodation services, dynamic pricing and back office support.
As part of its expansion strategy, home time sees Daylesford as a highly attractive tourism market with strong year-round demand from domestic travellers. Hometime saw Daylesford Country Retreats as a good fit given their strong local reputation and the impressive development of the business over time in a strong tourism market.
Daylesford and Macedon Ranges region welcomed approximately 3 million visitors in 2022, including more than 886,000 overnight stays. The visitor economy generated an estimated $780 million in direct expenditure across the Hepburn and Macedon Ranges Shires and supports around one in seven local jobs, underscoring the importance of high-quality accommodation providers to the region.
Hometime says it is keen to maintain continuity for homeowners and guests while providing the Daylesford Country Retreats team with additional resources, systems and support to continue delivering outstanding experiences in one of Victoria’s most iconic tourism destinations. The challenge for Hometime’s business model will be to balance the efficiency of a scaled up technology platform and management model with local responsiveness and relationships.
