How to make an app for a homestay

A homestay is run by a family, often from one phone: which room is free on which date, how many guests need dinner tonight, who has paid the advance and who needs a pickup from the bus stand. A small app keeps that in one place instead of a notebook and old WhatsApp chats.

Updated 2026-11-09

Who uses the app

Usually the host family alone, so the data can stay on the host's phone and works with weak network. If two family members take bookings on their own phones, connect a Supabase database so both see the same calendar.

The screens a homestay app needs

Calendar: Your rooms by date, showing which nights are booked and by whom
Stays: Each guest stay with name, phone, room, dates, number of guests, meals chosen and advance paid
Today: Who arrives and leaves today, pickups to do and how many people eat each meal
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner counts for each day, with vegetarian and other requests
Bills: Room, meals, pickup and extras for each stay, with the bill as a PDF
Guests: Past guests with phone and dates, to welcome back returning families

Features worth asking for

A calendar for three to eight rooms that shows a booked night clearly
Meal counts for the kitchen worked out from the guests staying that day
A WhatsApp button that sends the booking confirmation with directions and the house rules
A pickup list with the bus or train arrival time noted for each guest
A simple bill PDF with room nights, meals and pickup charges
Advance and balance for each stay, and stays with money still due

Where the data lives

If only you take bookings, the data stays on your phone and the app works without network. If another family member books from their own phone, connect your own Supabase database from the chat; to take advances online, connect your Razorpay account as well.

How to make it with AppCub, step by step

Decide what the app does. List the screens you need, for example: Calendar, Stays, Today, Meals, Bills.
Describe it to AppCub. Paste the request below, changed to your own business and details.
Check the plan. AppCub shows the screens and features it will build. Change them in the chat until they are right; seeing the plan is free.
Try it on your phone. The app runs live next to the chat. Scan the QR code to install it, and ask for changes.
Share it. Share it as a web link, an APK file, or publish it on Google Play from your own developer account.

Copy this request, change the details to match your homestay, and paste it into AppCub:

Make an app for my homestay, Kaveri Estate Homestay near Madikeri, Coorg, with three rooms. Screens: calendar, stays, today, meals, bills and guests. A stay has guest name, phone, room, check-in and check-out dates, adults, children, meal plan (breakfast only or all meals), pickup needed with arrival time, and advance paid. Today shows arrivals, departures, pickups and how many people eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bills add room nights, meals and pickup and make a PDF. Add a WhatsApp confirmation with directions and house rules. Green and brown colours.

Tips for a homestay app

Start with the calendar and stays. Add meals and bills after the first few guests.
Put your directions and house rules in the WhatsApp confirmation once, so every guest gets the same message.
If you also get guests from online travel sites, add those stays to the calendar as soon as they come in.
Ask for large buttons and short words if older family members will use the app too.
Try a full weekend with test guests before moving your real bookings in.

What it costs

Describing your app and seeing AppCub’s plan for it is free.
A new app usually takes 60 to 110 credits. Start with the 2-day trial for ₹99 (150 credits, enough for one app and a few changes) or the one-time App Pack for ₹499. Starter is ₹1,599 a month for 700 credits.
Google Play needs a paid plan (it includes the Play Store bundle and your app’s signing key) and your own Google Play developer account, a one-time US$25 fee to Google.
Work that fails or is rolled back costs no credits.

See all plans

Good to know

The app doesn't connect to online travel sites or channel managers, and sends nothing on its own. Confirmations go out when you tap the WhatsApp button.
AppCub builds Android apps. You can also share the app as a web link that opens on any phone; for the iPhone App Store, AppCub’s team can do it for you.

Questions

Is an app worth it for a homestay with only three rooms?

It helps when bookings come from calls, WhatsApp and online travel sites at once, because one calendar stops the same room being promised twice.

Can the app work where the mobile network is weak?

Yes. By default the data stays on your phone and works offline. If you connect an online database to share the calendar, the phones need network to stay in step.

Can the app tell the kitchen how many people are eating?

Yes. Ask for meal counts per day worked out from the guests staying and their meal plan, with vegetarian and other requests listed.

Can guests pay the advance through the app?

Yes, with a payment button on your own Razorpay account, after you connect Razorpay and Supabase in the chat. The money goes to you, not AppCub.

Can my family member and I both use the calendar?

Yes, once you connect your own Supabase database, so a booking made on one phone shows on the other.

Can I send guests directions to the house from the app?

Yes. The confirmation button opens WhatsApp with a ready message that includes your Google Maps link and the route from the nearest landmark.

Make your homestay app

Seeing the plan is free. Building starts with a 2-day trial for ₹99.

Start building