A Cloudbeds alternative for small homestays and guesthouses

HostBooking · Updated Nov 2, 2026 · 7 min read

Cloudbeds is a global hotel platform: PMS, a channel manager linked to hundreds of channels in real time, a booking engine and payments, priced by quote. HostBooking is much smaller and built for homestays in Vietnam: a free plan, VietQR deposits, hourly stays, guest registration export and Zalo, with OTA sync through iCal and email only.

Where the facts come from

HostBooking wrote this page. Cloudbeds details come from the Cloudbeds pricing page, checked November 2026. It publishes no figures: the Flex, One and Experience plans each have a "Request a quote" button, and Enterprise goes through sales. For a price, see the Cloudbeds pricing page and ask for a quote. HostBooking figures come from our pricing page.

Who each one suits

• Cloudbeds suits hotels, hostels and resorts that want a full stack: two-way OTA distribution across markets, a booking engine, payment processing, revenue reporting, several departments or properties, and a team to help with setup.
• HostBooking suits homestays, villas and serviced apartments in Vietnam with a few to a few dozen rooms, run by the owner or a small team, who want a public price, self sign-up in minutes, and the local basics: bank-transfer deposits, Zalo and police guest registration.

Quick comparison

"Not mentioned on the pricing page" means just that. Ask Cloudbeds about it when you request a quote.

Where Cloudbeds is clearly better

• A real two-way channel manager. Cloudbeds says its channel manager connects to hundreds of OTAs and distribution channels in real time. Change rates and availability once and every channel follows. HostBooking does not push rates or availability to OTAs.
• Scale and depth for hotels with several departments or properties, revenue tools and international payments.
• Guided onboarding when you are moving a running hotel.

Where HostBooking fits better

• A public price in dong. No sales call: free, or 99,000 VND/month on Basic, not per room. See pricing.
• VietQR deposits paid straight to your bank account. See VietQR payments.
• Hourly and overnight stays, common in Vietnamese city homestays. See hourly rentals.
• Guest registration from the QR on chip ID cards. See stay declaration.
• Zalo confirmations and payment alerts. See Zalo notifications.
• A bilingual booking website on every plan. See booking website.

What HostBooking lacks

HostBooking is not a channel manager. OTA sync uses iCal (booked dates only) and confirmation emails from Booking.com, Agoda, Airbnb, Traveloka, Trip.com and Expedia; it starts on Basic or costs 59,000 VND/month as an add-on. Guest registration is not submitted to the police portal for you. A hotel selling most rooms on many OTAs with daily rate changes should pick a system with a two-way channel manager, such as Cloudbeds.

Questions to answer before you choose

• How many rooms and OTAs do you have? Under 10 rooms and one or two OTAs, a full stack like Cloudbeds may be more than you need.
• Do you have the budget and time for a sales call, a quote and onboarding?
• Do guests pay by card or bank transfer? Ask about gateway transaction fees.
• Does your staff prefer a Vietnamese or an English interface?
• Will you add more properties in the next year, and how would each tool charge for them?

Switching to HostBooking

1. Sign up and create properties and room types (the Excel template handles many at once).
2. Export upcoming bookings to Excel or CSV and import them under Bookings › Import from file: columns detected, rows previewed, undoable. See importing bookings.
3. Link iCal with each OTA and forward OTA booking emails.
4. Run both systems for a week before turning off the old one.

Not sure yet? Open the demo or read Excel vs OTAs vs your own website.