Guides for homestay owners
What homestay owners ask most, answered briefly and ready to act on.
A Smoobu alternative for small homestays in Vietnam
Smoobu vs HostBooking: pricing, free plan, OTA connection, VietQR deposits, hourly stays and police guest registration, compared honestly for Vietnam.
· 7 min readRead
A Cloudbeds alternative for small homestays and guesthouses
Cloudbeds vs HostBooking for small properties: quote-based pricing vs a free plan, channel manager vs iCal, VietQR, hourly stays, guest registration.
· 7 min readRead
A Lodgify alternative for homestays and villas in Vietnam
Lodgify vs HostBooking: pricing, free plan, booking website, OTA API vs iCal, VietQR deposits, hourly stays and police guest registration in Vietnam.
· 7 min readRead
A Little Hotelier alternative for homestays and guesthouses in Vietnam
Little Hotelier vs HostBooking: per-room pricing vs a free plan, channel manager vs iCal, VietQR deposits, hourly stays, police guest registration.
· 7 min readRead
An ezCloud alternative for small homestays in Vietnam
ezCloudhotel, ezCms and ezBe vs HostBooking: per-room pricing with a 10-room minimum vs a flat fee, OTA channel vs iCal, booking website, registration.
· 7 min readRead
Can a foreigner own or run a homestay or guesthouse in Vietnam?
What foreigners can own in Vietnam, legal ways to run a homestay or guesthouse, licences, guest registration, visas and the Airbnb mistakes to avoid.
· 9 min readRead
Listing a homestay on Airbnb in Vietnam: host fees, payouts and calendar sync
Hosting on Airbnb from Vietnam: the host service fee, when payouts reach your bank, what a host cancellation costs, and syncing the calendar by iCal.
· 8 min readRead
Listing a homestay on Booking.com in Vietnam: commission, getting paid and calendar sync
Booking.com for Vietnam homestays: typical commission, pay at property vs Payments by Booking.com, reporting no-shows, and syncing the calendar by iCal.
· 8 min readRead
Listing a homestay on Agoda in Vietnam: commission, virtual card or bank transfer, calendar sync
Agoda for Vietnam homestays via YCS or Agoda Homes: how compensation works, Agoda Collect vs Property Collect, UPC virtual cards, payout timing, calendars.
· 8 min readRead
Listing a homestay on Traveloka: using TERA, understanding commission and reconciling payouts
Listing a Vietnam homestay on Traveloka via TERA: what to ask in the contract, batched payouts and how to reconcile them, who funds promotions, calendars.
· 7 min readRead
Listing a Vietnam homestay on Trip.com: eBooking, how commission works and getting paid
Trip.com for Vietnam homestays via eBooking: fixed or tiered commission by room nights, what it is charged on, virtual card or bank payouts.
· 7 min readRead
Listing a Vietnam homestay on Expedia: commission, Expedia Collect vs Hotel Collect, calendar sync
Expedia Partner Central for Vietnam homestays: typical commission, Expedia Collect (virtual card) vs Hotel Collect (invoice), and syncing the calendar.
· 7 min readRead
Listing a homestay on Mytour: what to ask about commission, payment and availability
Mytour, a Vietnamese OTA: what to ask before signing, commission and VAT invoices, who collects from guests, month-end checks, calendars.
· 6 min readRead
Listing a hostel or homestay on Hostelworld: the deposit is the commission, you collect the rest
A Vietnam hostel or homestay on Hostelworld: documents, the deposit that pays commission, collecting the balance at check-in, no iCal in Inbox.
· 7 min readRead
Syncing Airbnb and Booking.com calendars so a room never sells twice
Airbnb re-reads outside calendars every 3 hours, Booking.com every 2. How to link iCal both ways, Booking.com’s one-unit rule, and what to do on a clash.
· 7 min readRead
Syncing Airbnb and Agoda calendars so a room never sells twice
Link Airbnb with Agoda via Calendar connections in YCS: which room types qualify, why to measure Agoda’s delay yourself, and what to do on a clash.
· 7 min readRead
Syncing Booking.com and Agoda calendars so a room never sells twice
Booking.com and Agoda only allow iCal when each room type has one unit. How to link them, what to do with identical rooms, and the rules after a clash.
· 7 min readRead
Syncing Airbnb and Traveloka calendars so a room never sells twice
Traveloka has no public iCal guide for TERA. How Traveloka bookings can block Airbnb, how to close Airbnb stays in TERA, and when a channel manager pays.
· 7 min readRead
Syncing Booking.com and Traveloka calendars so a room never sells twice
Booking.com imports iCal every 2 hours; Traveloka TERA has no public iCal. Pick a method by room count, keep a buffer room, and handle a clash.
· 7 min readRead
Syncing Agoda and Traveloka calendars so a room never sells twice
Agoda imports iCal for single-room types, Traveloka has no public iCal, neither publishes a delay. Combine booking emails, manual closing, a daily routine.
· 7 min readRead
Syncing Airbnb and Trip.com calendars so a room never sells twice
Trip.com eBooking has no public iCal guide. Trip.com bookings block Airbnb via email, the other way is closed by hand; channel manager caveats.
· 7 min readRead
Syncing Booking.com and Trip.com calendars so a room never sells twice
Booking.com imports iCal every 2 hours; Trip.com eBooking has no public iCal. Link one way, read Booking.com’s sync status, plan a relocation ahead.
· 7 min readRead
Syncing Airbnb, Booking and Agoda calendars by iCal: the bugs behind double bookings
iCal only carries booked dates and always lags. Two real bugs that reopened sold nights or shifted stays by a day, and habits that keep a homestay safe.
· 7 min readRead
Forwarding OTA booking emails so bookings enter your software
Set a Gmail filter or Outlook rule that forwards Booking.com, Agoda and Airbnb confirmations to a private address: bookings with guest, price and OTA code.
· 8 min readRead
A cancellation policy for your homestay: three tiers, worded to avoid disputes
A homestay cancellation policy with three refund tiers, written in dates and amounts, plus deposits, no-shows, date changes, weather and OTA bookings.
· 7 min readRead
New bookings and payments on Zalo, without a Zalo Official Account
How homestay owners and staff get new-booking and payment alerts on Zalo, and send guests confirmations from a personal Zalo, with no OA and a daily cap.
· 6 min readRead
Cleaning a homestay room between two guests
A checklist for bedroom, bathroom and kitchen, restocking, damage and lost items, photo proof, and an inspection before a room is called clean.
· 7 min readRead
ADR, RevPAR and occupancy: how to calculate and use them
What occupancy, ADR and RevPAR mean, the formulas, a worked example in VND for a six-room homestay, and how to use the figures to set prices.
· 8 min readRead
Keypad door locks for a self check-in homestay
Keypad, card or app locks; why a gateway matters; a code per stay or one fixed code; batteries, backup keys and online check-in before guests arrive.
· 7 min readRead
Choosing free homestay management software: what to check first
Where free homestay software plans usually stop: properties, rooms, bookings a month, a cut of each booking, who holds the money, exporting your data. 8 checks.
· 6 min readRead
Tax for homestay household businesses in Vietnam from 2026
From 2026 the flat tax is gone: homestays under 500 million VND a year pay no VAT or income tax; above it, quarterly filing. Rates and books to keep.
· 7 min readRead
Notifying the police of overnight guests: what, when, how
Homestays in Vietnam notify each overnight stay before 11 pm on arrival day, or by 8 am for late arrivals. What form CT14 asks for, and doing it fast.
· 6 min readRead
How to build a booking website for your homestay, step by step
Build a booking website for your homestay in Vietnam: pick a name, add rooms and prices, take VietQR deposits, get on Google. No coding, works on a phone.
· 7 min readRead
Managing a homestay in Excel or software: when should you switch?
Excel, Google Sheets and Zalo vs software for a homestay in Vietnam: pros and cons, 6 signs it is time to switch, and how to move without losing bookings.
· 6 min readRead
Take homestay deposits by QR bank transfer
How homestays in Vietnam take deposits by VietQR transfer: the exact amount and reference, money straight to your account, booking confirmed on arrival.
· 5 min readRead
How to get your homestay on Google Maps and Google Search
Set up a Google Business Profile, add your booking link and verify your site in Search Console, so guests find your homestay in Vietnam on Google.
· 8 min readRead
Rely less on Booking.com and Agoda: how to get more direct bookings
How a Vietnam homestay gets guests to book direct instead of via Booking.com and Agoda: your own website, Zalo, Google Maps, perks for repeat guests.
· 6 min readRead
Running an hourly homestay or private cinema room
Running hourly rooms or private cinema rooms in Vietnam: hourly prices, time slots, cleaning gaps, deposits, and how to avoid double bookings.
· 7 min readRead