Story details

MilestoneTen years since the first paid booking
16 November 2016

Celebration13 October to 16 November 2026
Closes 10.48am, Sydney time (AEDT)

ExploreBirthday celebration

At 10.48am on 16 November 2016, a system-generated email confirmed the first real, paid booking on Room-Res.com. For co-founders James and Nic, it was the moment ten months of planning and late nights building a platform became something tangible: a professional travel agent had trusted Room-Res with their customer’s booking.

The platform had launched that morning to a small group of test agents. That first booking was celebrated wildly and watched like hawks, setting the tone for the attention and care that would follow.

Ten years later, Room-Res is marking the milestone with a celebration that puts those agents at its centre.

The celebration closes at 10.48am on 16 November 2026, exactly ten years to the minute after that first booking.

A decade of change. The same commitment.

Much has changed in the Room-Res world over the past decade. Its commitment to helping travel agents win, recognising the trust behind every booking and supporting good outcomes for agents and their customers remains at the heart of the business.

In their birthday message to agents, James and Nic reflect on the three things that have stayed the same:

  • We still talk incessantly about evolving our platform to help travel agents win, and still have late nights working with the tech team to deliver it.
  • We remain honoured by the trust agents put in Room-Res every time they make a booking. It’s a trust we take very seriously.
  • We watch every booking like hawks to do our best to ensure a great outcome for the customer and the agent. Though we now have a large, award-winning onshore service team doing most of the watching :-)

Their message to agents is simple: “Thanks for trusting us with your bookings and for being part of our story as well.”

A birthday thank-you to travel agents

The birthday celebration runs from 13 October until 10.48am on 16 November 2026, Sydney time (AEDT), with two rewards offers running together.

Agents can activate double Room-Res Rewards on qualifying paid bookings across hotels, transfers, attractions, car rentals and multi-day tours.

A separate hotel booking mission unlocks automatically after ten qualifying paid hotel bookings, with an email sent to the agent when they reach the milestone. Each of the next ten qualifying paid hotel bookings earns $10 in additional Room-Res Rewards, up to $100 extra. This mission does not require activation.

Agents who complete all 20 qualifying hotel bookings receive the full $100 bonus immediately. Those who finish with 11 to 19 receive the bonus earned after the celebration ends, at $10 per qualifying hotel booking beyond the first ten.

A celebration on Sydney Harbour

Room-Res is also giving agents a chance to join its biggest birthday party ever at The Island on Sydney Harbour.

The Top 10 Bookers for the celebration period, ranked by the total dollar value of qualifying confirmed, paid bookings, go into the draw to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Sydney, including flights, accommodation and a VIP spot on the guest list for the Room-Res Island 10th Birthday Party.

Finishing in the Top 10 qualifies an agent for the draw; it does not guarantee an invitation. Full eligibility and prize conditions are available in the terms & conditions.

The next chapter

The tenth birthday is a chance to look back at the first booking and recognise every agent who has put their trust in Room-Res since. It is also a chance to look ahead, with the same focus on evolving the platform and supporting the agents who use it.

From a small group of test agents to a decade of bookings, the story has always started with that trust.