Find Out More

Much of the joy of travel is in the anticipation of the experience and Google statistics show that travellers spend hours researching. They’re looking for great places to stay, places to brag about, and photos to post on Facebook. Fossick is about helping them find these places – which means finding you. If you’re great, then Fossick is your soapbox for “book me!”

Why Fossick?

Helping locals find and choose you

  • It’s free and easy to list>>

    Our free listing plan sets Fossick up to become the most complete source of real accommodation information for Australia and New Zealand. Lots of properties have been pre-listed to help customers find places they’ve stayed at and leave a review. If you’re not here, register with our FREE plan and add your property.

  • Independent and
    impartial recommendations>>

    We don’t sell accommodation or listing space so our recommendations are independent and impartial. Which is great for you – an independent site telling the world you’re great. If you’re a fan of SEO you’ll know this also contributes to improved search rankings for you.

  • We’re all about local >>

    We specialise in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. Run by locals, for locals, with a passion for helping the local travel industry thrive - we’re not just a minor off-shoot of a worldwide site that doesn’t even have an office down under.

  • Sick of the hype>>

    Our mission is to tell it like it is. We have no hidden agenda and we’re not being paid to promote a country or an area. We’re locals who just want a “real” perspective.

  • We love details >>

    We want to know what makes you tick; what makes you different from the place next door. Our audience loves those extra special details about why they should stay with you - stuff like what’s around the local area and all that great insider knowledge that you don’t often get the chance to share. This is your chance to have a rave!

5 Easy Steps to Join

Register and add your property or claim your property's existing page.

 

The etiquette of Fossicking

  1. Don't write your own reviews. It's usually glaringly obvious (see below).
  2. Don't pay people to write good reviews. This will bite you in the bum, because if the expectations are high and unmet, you'll motivate unhappy customers to write more 'accurate' reviews.
  3. Don't write reviews on competitors. This is against the law (remember the florist who changed all the Google business listings to her own?). Plus, do you really want to be that kind of person? Anyone caught doing this will get a big sign on their listing.
  4. Do send a follow-up email to your guests to 'thank and remind'. Fossick offers a service to help you do this.

Who do we list?

We freely list any commercial accommodation that

  • Is available all year round
  • Includes linen and cleaning in the cost
  • Has staff on-site or readily available

We reserve the right to remove any property from our site.

Holiday homes
Our listing policy generally excludes holiday homes that are only rented from time to time. The holiday homes we do list are described as "Residences available for hire".

What about bookings?

Fossick does not offer a booking service. Instead we direct customers to your own or third-party booking sites via our "book now" section. We charge a small referral fee for any traffic that we direct to other sites via the 'book now' section.

If you have upgraded to add your website, this link is displayed with your summary information, customers may use this link to contact you and book (no commission is charged).

When and how customers make their bookings is entirely up to them; we simply present options.

  1. Img_pink_frame

    Recommendations by other locals

    Okay, so the reality is Tripadvisor is massive. Whether you like it or not, potential customers are online right now, looking for reviews and recommendations about you. For locals, the most important thing is reading about what other locals think - they share similar expectations. Fossick is the place for them to get those local reviews and opinions. Along with a whole lot more too

  2. Free. How does that work?

    For a customer, the biggest fear is missing out on something better. At Fossick we decided that we’d list every accommodation provider for free, then create really great search filters to help users find the ones that suit them. To make it easy to leave reviews, we’ve pre-listed heaps of properties – you might already be here. All you need to do is register and say “this one’s mine”. Then customise it to include the details that make you fabulous.

    View Pricing Plans
  3. Img_feedback_people

    Why customers love Fossick

    Fossick, at it’s heart, is a community. All our content is created by fellow Australians and New Zealanders who take pleasure in hunting for, uncovering and then sharing their “finds” – the best possible accommodation experiences on offer in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. It helps that the site is gorgeous and easy to use.

  4. Img_best_bath_trans

    5 reasons to list in detail with Fossick

    1. Our site is beautiful, intuitive and usable. Aesthetics matter.
    2. It’s free (with upgrade options available for a small fee) – the only cost is the 15 minutes it will take you to enter your details.
    3. It’s local. Locals book over 60% of all room nights. Sure international travellers are sexier, but locals will still be there when markets change.
    4. It’s independent. When customers talk about your lovely pool or bathrooms, it's far more compelling than when you say it. (Sucks, but it's true)
    5. No sales. We recommend the best, not just places that have bought advertising space. We make our money referring customers to other sites to book, but we leave it up to the customer to book where they feel comfortable.
  5. Img_angry_customer_trans

    Img_pk_quotes Taking a more proactive approach to participating in, monitoring and controlling online reviews may very well be one of the many ways organizations can influence both consumer consideration and, ultimately, the buyng decision."

    IT Business Edge: Online Customer Reviews: Take Bad with the Good.

    It’s true you may not always get a 10 out of 10

    Lets face it, no one’s perfect. In order to get glowing recommendations you also need to be prepared to receive a few complaints.

    But some of the most successful companies in the world have turned criticism - and more importantly, the way they handled it, into a major selling point. And it’s much better to receive this feedback in one forum like Fossick, where you can respond to it.

    We suggest you:

    • Respond politely. Your response could have more impact than the original comment itself.
    • Rectify any issues. There's always room to improve. Make sure your response highlights the changes you've made as a result.
    • Get more reviews. Most of your guests leave happy - you know that. Encourage those happy customers to tell others.

      • And finally, it may be worth checking that you're not setting customer expectations too high through descriptions or photos that are misleading.

  6. Img_green_frame

    If you can’t beat them – join them

    Some accommodation owners describe reviews as a "necessary evil". However, despite all their faults, pitfalls and short-comings, peer-to-peer reviews of services and products are just a part of running a modern business. The day is coming when your doctor and plumber will be ruled by reviews too. Your best defence is to learn how to make this new game work for you.

    Need more info? We've compiled a great list of links to recent research about online reviews.

  7. Subscribe to our blog - Reviewing the review

    For ideas and inspiration, check out our round-up of the latest international news and research into the art of customer reviews; case studies of those companies who are doing it well, and loads of general best practice tips and insights. We promise to keep you ahead of the game.