When the National Zoo and Aquarium opened the Jamala Wildlife Lodge two years ago, most visitors were local.
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But it didn't take long for animal-lovers around Australia and the world to hear about the safari slumber party, where guests sleep in private bungalows surrounded by animals.
On the accommodation's second birthday on Thursday, the zoo's owners revealed it how it was helping to bring more international visitors to Canberra.
More than two thirds of people who stay at Jamala listed it as their sole reason for visiting the Australian capital.
Roughly 27,000 guests had slept in its 18 rooms since it opened in May 2015. More than 100 bookings were made from Asia.
The zoo's owner Richard Tindale said the lodge, which was once the Tindale family home, was changing Canberra's reputation.
"Obviously a lot of people around Australia have a different perception of Canberra than what we do and I think Jamala has widened that a little," he said.
"It has shown that there is more to Canberra than some of the well-known tourist attractions here."
Animals that join Jamala guests for dinner or simply add a touch of wildlife to their rooms include lions, cheetahs, sun bears, brown bears, giraffes, lemurs and hyenas.
In a previous interview with Fairfax Media, Mr Tindale spoke of the many guests who became emotional when relaying their overnight experience. He said one aim of the lodge was to let people get as close as possible to the animals in the hope they would want to support the conservation of endangered species.
The zoo puts a portion of funds gained from Jamala bookings into in-the-field conservation projects.
The National Zoo and Aquarium has nearly completed an expansion that will triple its size. Mr Tindale said this extension and the zoo's continued financial viability relied on profit from Jamala.
Operations manager and senior wildlife keeper Renee Osterloh said visitation numbers over the past two years exceeded expectations. And staff were working on ways to keep it that way.
"With the expansion of the zoo it will provide a lot more experiences for the guests to go behind the scenes with the animals, and we are looking at how we can incorporate the accommodation into that," she said.
"There are always opportunities to grow Jamala."
