The Aussie company bringing tiny holiday homes to the world
In 2017, a trio of friends decided to start a business that built tiny holiday homes using sustainable materials then installed them in picturesque private locations in Australia. The country, they felt, was ripe for it.
Pirates Retreat Tiny Away home at Eaglehawk Neck, Tasmania.
“For so many reasons, tiny house stays are becoming a growing tourism movement around the world – especially in Australia where low-impact holidays and ecotourism are increasingly valued by travellers,” one of the three, Singapore-based Jeff Yeo, says.
The business is called Tiny Away and in 2019, it had 45 houses on offer, mainly in NSW and Victoria. In 2021, that had grown to 100 and right now, the figure stands around 200 with the recent opening of six new properties in destinations such as the Hunter Valley, Noosa and the Port Arthur region of Tasmania.
Tiny Away has also recently expanded into New Zealand, Europe (Spain, Italy and France), Taiwan, and Malaysia as well as launching a sub-brand, Tiny Away Escape.
“Tiny Away Escape sites are geared toward a more communal experience, with multiple tiny houses on site as well as facilities,” says Yeo.
View of the Tassie wilderness from Pirates Retreat.
There are now two of these, one in The Grampians in Victoria and another, Tiny Away Escape @ Lazarus Island in Singapore.
Tiny Away is not stopping there. Yeo says they are hoping for another 200 tiny houses this year in Australia, and 5000 globally by 2026.
The key to all that growth lies in the Tiny Away business model, which is far from just a booking platform.
All of the Tiny Away homes are made using sustainable materials.
“Our business is structured in two key sections,” says Yeo. “Firstly, we offer investors a chance to participate in our sale and leaseback scheme. Essentially this allows investors to purchase a tiny house to be deployed and managed by Tiny Away and (to) earn a share in rental income. “Then on the accommodation rental side, landowners host our tiny houses on their privately-owned land, maintaining the houses, and hosting guests – all while sharing a cut of the earned revenue. There are no costs to our hosts and the revenue share is up to 45 per cent.
“This ‘social enterprise’ model within which we work with landowners means these hosts become their own micro hoteliers. From the outset, Tiny Away helps landowners unlock the full potential of their land by identifying the perfect location as well as the type of activities guests can enjoy during their stay.”
Eco-credentials are important and Yeo says the company is constantly investing in decreasing the environmental footprint of the stays.
So, which Tiny Aways are most popular?
“It depends on the season,” says Yeo. “Over the winter we see a lot of interest in our wine regions. The seclusion of our tiny houses coupled with some of the most spectacular scenery in places like Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, and the Hunter Valley and Mudgee, guarantees a perfect wintry getaway.”
See tinyaway.com
There are now 200 Tiny Away homes with the recent opening of six new properties, including one in Noosa (pictured).
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