What homestay software should do
A homestay is usually run by the family that lives there. Bookings arrive by phone, on WhatsApp, from a walk-in guest and from two or three booking sites. The notebook works until two people promise the same room for the same night.
Homestay management software replaces the notebook with one shared calendar that everyone in the house can see and trust. At minimum it should:
- show every room and every night on one screen,
- stop a room being booked twice for the same night,
- keep Airbnb, Booking.com and other sites in step with the bookings you take yourself,
- keep guest details, IDs and payments with the booking,
- make a proper bill.
What InnRow does for your homestay
| What you need | How InnRow does it |
|---|---|
| See what's free | One booking calendar: rooms as rows, nights as columns, on your phone |
| Never sell a room twice | Each room is locked night by night the moment a booking is saved |
| Keep Airbnb, Booking.com and other sites in step | Calendar sync brings each site's bookings in within about 15 minutes and shares your booked dates back |
| Check guests in | ID photos from the phone camera, guest details and a digital register |
| Bills | Tax invoices with numbering and credit notes; GST slabs built in for India |
| Money | Guest advances and balances by cash, card, bank transfer or UPI in one place |
| Hosting in India | Form C reminders for foreign guests within 24 hours |
| Talk to guests | WhatsApp messages for confirmation, directions, payment reminders and reviews |
| Staff | Six roles with discount and refund limits, plus an activity log |
Built for how homestays actually work
- Phone first. Staff use the InnRow Android app, or add InnRow to the home screen on iPhone. Big buttons, one main action per screen. See the phone app.
- Custom prices. Every booking can have its own price, for the regular guest, the long stay or the family discount. Set a price per night or one total for the stay. See rates and seasons.
- Holds that let go. Put a room on hold while a guest sends the advance. If they don't pay in 24 hours, the hold releases itself.
- Whole house or by the room. If you let the whole house to one group and single rooms to others, InnRow links them: booking the house closes every room, and booking any room closes the house.
- Extras. Add meals, Ayurveda sessions, a campfire or an airport pickup to the booking and the bill.
Hosting in India
InnRow was first built for a working homestay, and it already handles the paperwork hosts in India deal with:
- GST invoices using the 5% slab for rooms up to ₹7,500 a night and 18% above, once you add a GSTIN. Read the GST on homestays guide.
- Form C reminders for foreign guests, who must be reported within 24 hours. Read the Form C guide.
- A digital guest register with ID photos.
- UPI and cash payments, with advances and balances tracked.
Setting up takes about 20 minutes
- Add your rooms. Name each room or unit and its usual price. If a villa can be booked whole or room by room, link them, so booking one closes the other.
- Connect your booking sites. Paste the calendar (iCal) link from Airbnb, Booking.com, Agoda or MakeMyTrip into InnRow, and paste InnRow's link back into each site. Step-by-step help.
- Add your staff. Give each person a role, so the caretaker can check guests in while only you see the money.
- Take bookings. Tap the + button, pick dates, see which rooms are free, and save the booking as an enquiry, a hold or confirmed.
Is it right for your homestay?
InnRow fits homestays, farm stays, eco stays, heritage homes and cottages with 1 to 6 rooms on the Homestay plan, or up to 25 rooms on the Hotel plan. If you only ever take bookings through Airbnb and nowhere else, Airbnb's own calendar may be enough. Once you take bookings from two or more places, a single calendar saves you from double bookings.
Questions people ask
What is homestay management software?
It is an app that keeps all your homestay bookings on one calendar, stops a room being booked twice, and keeps guest details, payments and bills with each booking. Good homestay software also syncs with Airbnb, Booking.com and MakeMyTrip so a booking on one site reaches InnRow within about 15 minutes and the dates close on the other sites when each next reads your calendar.
How much does InnRow cost for a homestay?
Free for up to 2 rooms. A 3 to 6 room homestay uses the Homestay plan: ₹999 a month in India, US$15 in most other countries, US$10 in emerging markets. No booking fees. See pricing.
Can I use InnRow on my phone?
Yes. Install the InnRow app on Android, or add InnRow to the home screen on iPhone. It also works on a laptop or tablet.
Does InnRow work with Airbnb and Booking.com?
Yes, through calendar (iCal) sync. Bookings from those sites close the dates in InnRow, and bookings you take in InnRow close the dates on those sites, usually within about 15 minutes.
Do I need GST registration to use InnRow?
No. InnRow makes simple bills without GST until you enter a GSTIN. Once you add one, invoices show GST at the right slab.
Is there a free homestay app?
Yes. InnRow is free for homestays with up to 2 rooms, with no time limit: one calendar, the double-booking lock and calendar sync with every booking site. Bigger homestays use the Homestay plan at ₹999 or US$15 a month (US$10 in emerging markets). Free plans compared. Other free tools usually lack room locking, GST bills or booking-site sync.