HostBooking, late October 2026: what’s new

HostBooking · Updated Oct 28, 2026 · 5 min read

Since the last update, HostBooking can turn OTA confirmation emails into bookings, send booking alerts from a personal Zalo without a Zalo OA, apply cancellation tiers you define, let guests check themselves in with their own door code, sell rate plans per room type, and have an AI assistant do the data entry. Some parts need the Basic plan or an add-on.

OTA bookings from confirmation emails

Besides the iCal calendar, you can now forward confirmation emails from Booking.com, Agoda, Airbnb, Traveloka, Trip.com and Expedia to your brand’s own address. The email carries the guest’s name, dates and price, so the booking is complete once you approve it; the room type with the OTA’s name is picked for you. iCal calendars are now read every 5 minutes, and can be linked to a single room. See OTA calendar sync.

Booking alerts on Zalo, no Zalo OA

Scan a QR code once to link your brand’s personal Zalo, with no Zalo OA to register: it sends new bookings and payments to your staff and messages to guests. The platform is also preparing a HostBooking Zalo number that alerts owners too; the option shows in the notification bell once that number is running. See Zalo notifications.

Cancellation tiers you set

Besides the ready-made levels, you can set your own day cut-offs and refund percentages. The settings page spells out how much each tier refunds, so you and the guest read it the same way.

Guest self check-in and door locks

• The guest opens a link from the booking, registers everyone staying, photographs their ID and signs the house rules before arriving; the desk approves once. See Guest self check-in.
• With a TTLock lock and gateway, each stay gets its own door code for its dates, deleted when the booking changes or is cancelled, and shown only to that guest. See Smart locks.

More ways to sell

• Rate plans per room type (breakfast included, up or down by a percentage or an amount per night); guests pick one when booking. See Booking website.
• Room types sold by the bed, for hostels and dorms.
• Merge one guest’s separate bookings into a group right from the booking page. See Group bookings.
• Hourly rooms that open overnight: guests can book tonight and see the right dates and times.

At the front desk

• Undo within 15 minutes after a mistaken check-in, check-out or no-show.
• Up to 10 attachments per booking: OTA confirmations, company orders, damage photos.
• Print a receipt, a booking confirmation and a registration card from the booking page.
• Your own payment methods at the desk, and guests paying in foreign currency. See Front desk.
• Rooms grouped by area (Block A, Garden house…) on the Today board.

An AI assistant for the data entry

On plans with the AI assistant, say what you need: a draft property with room types and room numbers, descriptions and house rules in two languages, a cover photo, a Tet surcharge, a batch of discount codes. The assistant only proposes; nothing changes until you press Confirm, and it cannot delete. Images drawn from a description are labelled as AI illustrations so guests do not mistake them for real photos.

Buy single features, switched on at once

No need to move up a plan for one feature: self check-in, door locks, e-invoices, Website Pro, the Zalo chat button, more staff and more photos are all add-ons. Pay the full amount by bank transfer and the add-on turns on immediately, with nobody to approve it. Pay too little and the QR code shows exactly what is still owed.