How to grow your payments app with small hotels and lodges
By SendPay Business · · 2 min read
Independent hotels and lodges, from town-centre hotels to safari and mountain lodges, run on bookings that come in by phone, message and walk-in. They need deposits to hold rooms, payment at check-out and a way to charge for meals, drinks, laundry and tours. Guests often come from other regions or countries and want to pay without cash. A payments app that sends a deposit link when a booking is made, takes the bill at check-out and handles bar and restaurant payments can win these hotels, and every guest who pays sees your app.
Talk to small hotels and lodges
Ask local hotels and lodges:
- How do guests book and pay a deposit today?
- How often do guests book and then not arrive?
- How do guests pay for meals, drinks and extras during their stay?
- Do travel agents or tour firms pay you, and how?
Take deposits when guests book
Sending a payment link for a deposit as soon as a guest books holds the room and cuts no-shows.
Make check-out quick
Letting guests settle the room, meals and extras by phone at check-out means no waiting for change and a clear receipt.
Grow through guests and tour firms
Guests come from many places and talk about where they stayed. Tour firms and agents book many rooms. When they pay through your app, they see it working.
Build it
Create your own financial platform.
Pick a template, name it, brand it, preview every page before you pay. Your brand, your users, your fees.
Build my platform →Questions people ask
What about guesthouses?
The guesthouses guide covers small guesthouses, B&Bs and holiday lets taking deposits and payments from guests near and far.
Guesthouses →What about holiday parks?
The caravan and holiday parks guide covers deposits and balances for stays, yearly pitch fees and payments at the shop, bar and pool.
Caravan and holiday parks →Can I call it a bank?
In most countries "bank" is a protected word you can only use with a banking licence. Call it an account, a wallet, an app or a platform. The accounts and payments behind a SendPay Business platform are powered by licensed partners.
Is there a step-by-step plan I can follow?
Yes. The free launch checklist takes you from picking your people and naming your app to setting fees, going live and winning your first ten customers.
Digital bank app launch checklist →How do I start?
Pick a template, name it and preview every page before you pay. Your platform can be live on your own domain within 24 hours of confirmation.
Build my platform →Read next
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank, and does not take deposits; regulated services on the platforms are provided by licensed partners. PayPal, Patreon and Substack are named as reference points only and are not affiliated with SendPay Business.