A modern accommodation business can own valuable assets that never appear in a guest room.

Its website, domain name, booking database, telephone number, email addresses, photography, social-media presence and online reputation can all play a role in generating reservations.

For Launceston hotel, motel and boutique accommodation owners preparing to sell, these digital assets should be identified just as carefully as furniture and equipment.

Tourism Tasmania reported record visitor numbers to Tasmania in the year ending March 2026, while earlier regional data showed Northern Tasmania reaching record visitation during 2025.

For an accommodation buyer, understanding how a particular business converts that visitor activity into bookings is commercially useful.

List Every Digital Asset

Create a register covering items such as:

• domain names

• business website

• email accounts

• booking engine

• property-management system

• channel manager

• telephone numbers

• Google Business profile

• social-media accounts

• image library

• video content

• customer databases

• email marketing lists.

Identify who legally controls each account.

Do Not Assume OTA Accounts Transfer Automatically

Online travel agencies and booking platforms operate under their own contractual terms.

A seller should not promise that every profile, ranking, review history or account will automatically transfer unchanged to a buyer.

Check the relevant platform's procedures and incorporate necessary changes into the handover plan.

Protect Guest Information

A customer database can be commercially useful, but it can also contain personal information.

Guest names, contact details, booking history and payment-related information need to be handled lawfully and securely.

Sellers should obtain appropriate privacy and legal advice before transferring customer data.

Establish Ownership of Photography and Content

Professional photographs may have been commissioned under different copyright arrangements.

The same applies to videos, logos, written website content and marketing material.

If these assets are intended to transfer with the business, confirm that the seller actually has the necessary rights.

Keep Control of the Domain Name

A strong website is difficult to transfer smoothly if no one knows who controls the domain registration.

Confirm:

• registered owner

• registrar

• renewal date

• hosting provider

• administrative access.

The Australian Government's business guidance notes that domains are separately registered assets used as the address for a business website.

Review Online Reputation

Buyer due diligence may include reviewing major booking and review platforms.

A seller does not need perfect reviews.

What matters is providing an accurate picture of the business and demonstrating professional management of customer feedback.

Do not attempt to manufacture reviews before sale.

Plan the Digital Handover

Settlement day is not the ideal time to discover that the former manager's personal email address controls critical systems.

Prepare a digital handover checklist covering administrators, subscriptions, passwords, software contracts and required account changes.

Passwords themselves should only be transferred securely at the appropriate stage.

Norton’s Resort Brokers can assist Launceston accommodation owners with identifying the commercial information buyers require and structuring a confidential sale process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do hotel reviews belong to the seller or the property?

Treatment varies between platforms. Sellers should check the applicable platform rules rather than promising that reviews will transfer.

Can the guest database be sold with the business?

Privacy and contractual considerations can apply. Obtain legal advice before transferring personal information.

Should my website be updated before selling?

It should accurately represent the business. Major expenditure solely to redesign a website immediately before sale may not always be necessary.

Disclaimer: General information only. Privacy, intellectual property, platform rules and contractual rights vary. Obtain independent legal, privacy, accounting and IT advice where required.