Guide · Homestay software
Homestay management software, built at a working homestay.
What a homestay PMS does, what to look for before you choose one, and how Host Labs PMS runs the day for an owner and a caretaker.
What is homestay management software?
Homestay management software is a property management system (PMS) sized for a small property: it keeps every booking, room, guest, bill and channel in one place, so the owner and the caretaker run the day from a phone instead of a register, spreadsheets and several OTA extranets.
A homestay does the same jobs as a hotel with far fewer people: taking bookings from several websites and from WhatsApp, keeping a room from being sold twice, cooking and billing food, collecting payments and keeping records for tax. Host Labs PMS was built at a working homestay in Bhimtal to do exactly that, and it is still run there every day.
What to look for before you choose
Choose software that stops double bookings across every channel, works on the phone your caretaker already has, and handles food, UPI and GST without extra tools.
- A channel manager built in, not a second subscription
- One availability count shared by every OTA and your own website
- Roles, so a caretaker can run the day without seeing the money
- Food orders billed to the right room
- UPI on the bill, and payments your team confirms
- GST invoices with the slab worked out per room per night
- A guest app with nothing to download
- Your own booking website, so direct guests skip OTA commission
- Daily backups, and a link for every screen so nothing gets lost
How the usual tools compare
Most homestays start with a paper register, WhatsApp and spreadsheets, then add OTA extranets. A PMS replaces all of them; Host Labs PMS also replaces the separate channel manager.
| Register and WhatsApp | Spreadsheet and OTA extranets | Host Labs PMS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A room is never sold twice | Depends on memory | Only if every extranet is updated by hand | Availability goes to every channel after each change |
| Works on a phone | Yes | Partly | Yes, on any phone, with nothing to install |
| Caretaker access without the money | No | No | Yes, by role |
| Food billed to the room | By hand | By hand | Guests order from their phone; it lands on the bill |
| GST invoices | By hand | By hand or a separate tool | Built in, with the slab per room-night |
| Direct bookings | Phone and WhatsApp | Phone and WhatsApp | Your own booking website with live availability |
| Guest history | Scattered | Scattered | A guest book with each guest's lifetime timeline |
A day at a homestay on Host Labs PMS
The day starts on the Today screen: who arrives, who leaves, who is in which room, and what still needs a room, a payment or an answer.
- Morning: bookings that came in overnight from the OTAs are already on the calendar, with a room assigned
- Check-in: ID details captured, and the guest app link shared
- Lunch: orders from guests' phones arrive in the kitchen queue at your prices
- Evening: requests for towels or a cab, each with a live status
- Checkout: one bill with rooms, food and extras, paid by UPI, and a GST invoice issued from the stay
Who it is for
Homestays, B&Bs, guest houses, cottages and boutique hotels with a handful to a few dozen rooms and a small team, anywhere in India.
Owners see everything; caretakers run the day; guests see only their own stay. Several properties can run from one account on request.
Questions
Can I run my homestay from my phone?
Yes. Host Labs PMS runs in the browser on any phone, tablet or laptop and installs on the home screen like an app. The owner and the caretaker each sign in with their own phone number or Google account.
Do I need a separate channel manager for Airbnb and Booking.com?
No. Host Labs PMS has its own channel manager for Booking.com, Airbnb, MakeMyTrip, Goibibo, Agoda and Expedia. If you already use one and want to keep it, we help you connect it.
Can my caretaker use it without seeing revenue?
Yes. Caretakers handle check-ins, rooms, food and requests; revenue, receivables and reports stay with the owner.
How do I switch from a register or spreadsheet?
We set up your rooms, rates, website content and channel mapping with you, and import your existing bookings from Excel, so you switch over on a day you choose.
Does it handle GST for a homestay?
Yes. The slab is worked out per room per night, food carries its own rate, and invoices show CGST and SGST with SAC codes and a financial-year number series.
Read next
- Channel manager: How a channel manager keeps Booking.com, Airbnb, MakeMyTrip, Agoda and your own website in sync, and why Host Labs PMS has one built in to stop double bookings.
- Hotel GST invoicing: How GST on hotel and homestay rooms works in India from 22 September 2025: slabs per room per night, CGST and SGST, food at 5%, OTA prices with tax, and GST invoices.
- Features: Everything in Host Labs PMS: front desk, room calendar, built-in channel manager, rates, booking website, guest app, AI assistant, kitchen, GST invoices, reports and roles.
- Product tour: Screens from Host Labs PMS with a sample property: the Today dashboard, room calendar, bookings, invoices and GST, guest profiles, rates, kitchen, reports and the guest app.