How to choose homestay management software: the features you need

HostBooking · Updated Nov 5, 2026

Choosing homestay management software starts with the jobs you repeat every day: the room calendar, bookings, deposits, staff and revenue. This page lists each feature you need and how [HostBooking homestay management software](/) handles it. HostBooking runs in the browser, with a room calendar, bookings, QR bank-transfer deposits, staff and revenue reports. Every homestay gets its own booking website so guests can book themselves. HostBooking takes no percentage of your bookings: you pay a monthly plan, and guests pay straight into your bank account.

What should homestay management software do?

A small homestay is often run from a notebook, Zalo (Vietnam’s main messaging app) and a Google Sheet. That works with 2–3 rooms, but gets messy once you add rooms, staff or hourly guests. Good software takes care of the jobs that repeat every day:

• One room calendar: see at a glance which rooms are free and which hours are taken, with no double bookings.
• Bookings that come in on their own: guests choose a room and time, book and pay the deposit, with no back-and-forth messages.
• Clear deposits: know which bookings have paid, which have not, and which account the money went to.
• Instant alerts: you hear about new bookings, cancellations and guests about to arrive.
• Staff with their own access: reception sees bookings, the owner sees revenue.
• Numbers to decide with: revenue, occupancy, where guests come from.

How HostBooking runs a homestay

Room calendar and bookings

Every booking, whether the guest booked on your website or you typed it in after a phone call, sits on one calendar. It shows days or hours, per room and per property. Once a time slot is taken, the booking page hides it, so two guests can never hold the same room.

Rent by the hour, overnight or by the day

Each room type can sell by the hour, overnight, by the day or a mix. Prices are worked out for you: first hour, each extra hour, weekend rates, holiday rates. See hourly booking software.

QR bank-transfer deposits

When guests book, they see a VietQR code (Vietnam’s standard bank-transfer QR) with the amount and transfer reference already filled in. The money goes straight into your bank account, with no middleman. You tap "Deposit received" when it arrives, or turn on automatic confirmation. Details in taking QR bank-transfer deposits.

Staff and several properties

Add staff with their own roles, for example manager of one property, or reception that only sees bookings. The Professional plan runs several properties on one account, each with its own rooms, rates and calendar.

Reports and an AI assistant

The Reports page shows revenue, occupancy, average rate per night and booking sources. On plans with AI you can also ask the assistant in plain words, such as "what is revenue this month?" or "which rooms are free tonight?". The assistant reads only your own homestay’s data and shows where each number comes from so you can check it.

Compared with Excel or Zalo

Read more: running a homestay on Excel or on software.

Cost

There is a free plan for life with unlimited properties and rooms (50 bookings a month), and paid plans billed monthly or yearly. HostBooking takes no percentage of any booking. See pricing for each plan’s limits.