Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for homestays and guesthouses.
A checklist built from how homestays and guesthouses work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Room and bed calendar
- Enquiries, rates and holds
- Guest register and arrival cards
- Deposits, extras and final bill
- Housekeeping and turnaround board
- Meals and host-cooked menus
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For hosts and owners
- For whoever is on duty
- For housekeeping
- For cooks
- For accountants
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Occupancy by room and by night
- Bookings by source and by season
- Deposits awaited and holds about to expire
- Guest register for a date range
- Meals served and extras billed by stay
- Linen and room turnaround by day
- House income against expenses by month
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- SMS
- Card and payment gateway
- Accounting export
- Listing site calendar
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Will it stop a double booking?
- Can dorm beds be sold individually?
- How are deposits tied to bookings?
- What about guest identity records?
- Can the helper see only housekeeping?
- Does it work for a farm stay that serves meals?
- Can we move over our bookings from the wall diary?
- Can I take my records out later?
- What does a project cost?
- Who helps when a guest arrives and something is wrong?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Dates are held in three places
- Advance deposits are not tied to a room
- The register is filled late
- Extras never reach the bill
- Turnaround is verbal
Prefer to talk it through? See the homestays and guesthouses page.