Should you run your homestay on Excel, OTAs or your own website?
HostBooking ·
Excel and Zalo cost nothing, but they take time and double bookings creep in once you get busy. Booking and Agoda bring new guests, but take a commission on every booking, usually around 15–25%, and keep the guest’s contact details. Your own booking website has a fixed fee, takes no percentage, and lets returning guests book direct with you. Most homestays use OTAs and their own website together.
Quick comparison
| Criteria | Excel / Zalo | Booking, Agoda | Your own website (HostBooking) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 0 VND, but hours of work | Commission on every booking | Fixed plan fee, including a free plan |
| New guests | No | Many | From Google, social media, word of mouth |
| Returning guests | By message | Through the OTA, paying commission again | Book direct, with membership tiers |
| Guest contact details | Yours | Kept by the OTA | Yours |
| Double bookings | Easy to happen | Blocked within that OTA only | Blocked by the system |
| Where the money goes | Your account | Paid out later by the OTA | Straight to your account |
Each OTA’s commission varies by contract and region; 15–25% is the common range, so check your own contract.
When is Excel no longer enough?
When you have more than 3–4 rooms, take hourly stays, have staff taking bookings too, or start losing bookings because you reply too slowly. That is the time to move to software. See Excel or software.
Should you drop Booking and Agoda?
Usually not entirely. OTAs are a good way to find new guests. What works is letting the OTA introduce guests to you, then having them come back and book direct on your own website. See relying less on Booking and Agoda.
Frequently asked questions
Can my own website replace Booking.com?
Not completely. Your own website keeps returning guests and guests from Google and social media; OTAs remain a source of new guests. Using both usually costs the least.
Does HostBooking take a percentage like the OTAs?
No. HostBooking only charges a monthly or yearly plan fee; guests’ payments go straight into your bank account.