Keep tabs on every stay.
HostTab is an app for short-stay hosts in Kenya. Record bookings and M-Pesa payments on your phone, send check-outs to your cleaner, and always know who still owes and what you keep.
7 days free. No card needed. Then from KSH 750 a month. See prices
- Grace W. KSH 5,000 3–5 Oct, 2 nights Paid
- Peter K. KSH 1,500 6 Oct, day use Paid
- Amina H. KSH 7,500 9–12 Oct, 3 nights Paid
- Brian O. KSH 5,000 13–15 Oct, 2 nights Balance KSH 2,000
- Cleaning and water KSH 2,100 Expenses this period Expense
- Booked
- KSH 19,000
- Expenses
- KSH 2,100
- You keep
- KSH 16,900
- Still to collect
- KSH 2,000
- Pay with M-PesaEnter your PIN and your pass is on
- 7 days freeEvery feature included
- No automatic renewalYou choose when to pay
- Private to your accountNever shared with other hosts
Your day, without the notebook
Three moments every host knows, and what HostTab does with each. The names and amounts are samples.
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Brian pays his balance
Paste his M-Pesa message into HostTab. It finds his booking and fills in the payment, and one tap records it. No scrolling back through messages.
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Brian checks out
Send the check-out to your cleaner on WhatsApp. They tick the checklist on their phone and add three photos, even without signal.
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Your month adds up
Every booking and expense counts the moment you record it, so you always know what you keep.
Know when to charge more
HostTab suggests a rate for each of the coming nights: more for weekends, Kenyan public holidays and the festive season, and a little less for quiet nights in the next few days. With enough history, the suggestions follow your own bookings, and nothing changes unless you tap Use it.
Green nights are worth raising and blue ones worth lowering. Sample for a studio that usually charges KSH 2,500 a night, the next seven nights from .
Next public holiday: Mashujaa Day, (in 4 days). HostTab suggests +15% for that night and the night before.
Your month, in your numbers
The sample above is a studio at KSH 2,500 a night. Put in your own nights, rate and costs to see what your month looks like on the dashboard.
What the notebook cannot do
Most hosts start with a notebook or a spreadsheet. It works until it does not.
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Two people take a booking for the same night
NotebookYou find out at check-in
HostTabThe second booking is refused, even from another phone
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A guest paid a deposit and says the rest is coming
NotebookYou scroll back through messages to check
HostTabThe balance is on the booking, and a reminder is one tap
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The cleaner says the unit was done
NotebookYou take their word for it
HostTabA ticked checklist and three photos, with the time
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The owner asks how the month went
NotebookAn evening with a calculator
HostTabThe owner statement PDF, from the dashboard
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Your phone is lost or stolen
NotebookSo are the records
HostTabSign in on another phone; everything is there
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A public holiday is coming
NotebookYou remember, or you do not
HostTabThe app suggests a rate for those nights
Made for the way you host
One studio or several units, run yourself or for an owner.
Your own studio
One unit, run by you. Bookings, M-Pesa payments and cleaning in one place, and what you keep each month.
A few units and a caretaker
Every unit in one account, each as its own property. Invite your caretaker to each unit with a WhatsApp link: they get their own sign-in, and billing stays with you. Prices for extra units
Hosting for an owner
The owner adds you as a co-host. You run the day-to-day and send them an owner statement as a PDF, while billing and settings stay with them. How it works for owners
Everything else it keeps
It works the same whether guests find you on Airbnb, Booking.com, WhatsApp or by word of mouth.
Bookings and guests
- Add overnight stays and day-use visits in a few taps
- See the next 14 days at a glance
- Refuses a second booking for a night that is taken, even from another phone
- Bring in past bookings from a spreadsheet
- Record deposits, part-payments and balances for each guest
- Send a guest a balance request on WhatsApp
- Share Wi-Fi and check-in details with guests
Upkeep and records
- Keep track of cleaner pay, supplies and repairs
- Log electricity and water meter readings
- Back up your records and export them to a spreadsheet
See it before you start
Three screens from the HostTab app, as they look on a phone.
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Your monthWhat you keep, how full you were and what it cost -
Every bookingWhat each guest has paid and what is still owed -
TodayCheck-outs, check-ins, your cleaner and payments to collect
The names, numbers and amounts are sample data.
Up and running today
There is nothing to download from an app store. HostTab opens in your phone's browser, and you can add it to your home screen so it opens like an app. How to put it on your home screen
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Create your account
Sign up, add your property and set a quick-unlock PIN.
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Use it free for 7 days
Every feature is open during the trial. Record your real bookings from day one.
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Choose a pass
Tap Pay now, enter your M-Pesa PIN on your phone, and your pass is on the moment the payment goes through. Your records carry on as they are.
Simple passes, paid by M-Pesa
Buy the days you need. Nothing renews automatically, so you are never charged without choosing to pay.
A whole year costs KSH 9,000: less than four nights of a studio at KSH 2,500.
| Pass | Price |
|---|---|
| 30 days | KSH 1,000KSH 1,000 a month |
| 90 days | KSH 2,700KSH 900 a month |
| 180 days | KSH 5,000About KSH 833 a month |
| 365 days | KSH 9,000KSH 750 a month |
More than one property?
Each unit you let counts as one property. Extra ones are added for the same dates as your pass, at these prices per property for every 30 days:
- 2nd property KSH 600
- 3rd to 5th property KSH 500 each
- 6th to 10th property KSH 400 each
- 11th property onwards KSH 300 each
- Every pass includes every feature.
- Extra properties are free during the trial, and a longer pass gives them the same discount as the pass.
- Add a property part-way through a pass and you pay only for the days left, at the 30-day price.
Questions hosts ask
Does HostTab connect to Airbnb or Booking.com?
No. HostTab is your own record book. You add each booking yourself and note where it came from: Airbnb, Booking.com, direct (such as WhatsApp or a phone call) or a referral.
Do I need to download it from an app store?
No. Open HostTab in your phone's browser and add it to your home screen. It then opens like any other app. How to add it, step by step
Does it work on an iPhone?
Yes. Open HostTab in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. On Android, Chrome offers to add it for you.
Does it work without signal?
Yes, once you have signed in. HostTab opens from the copy on your phone, keeps what you record and sends it when the signal returns. Your cleaner can also finish a check-out with no signal.
What if I lose my phone?
Your records are stored online in your account, so sign in on another phone and they are all there. The only exception is anything recorded with no signal that the old phone had not yet sent.
Who can see my records?
Only you and the people you invite, such as a co-host or caretaker. Your cleaner's link shows only the coming check-outs: guest first names, how many guests and your cleaning notes, never prices, payments or phone numbers. Each account's records are kept separate and are never shared with other hosts. More about how your records are kept
Will HostTab change my prices by itself?
No. It suggests a rate for each night, and nothing changes unless you tap Use it.
Can my caretaker or co-host use it?
Yes. Send them an invite link on WhatsApp from Settings. Each link works once and expires after 7 days. Owners and co-hosts have separate roles.
How do I pay?
Choose a pass in the app and tap Pay now. An M-Pesa prompt appears on your phone: enter your PIN and your days are added the moment the payment goes through. No card, no bank details. If you would rather send the money yourself, the app shows the number and your reference; then send us the M-Pesa message on WhatsApp and we switch your pass on, usually within a few hours.
What happens when my trial or pass ends?
You can keep editing for 48 hours. After that your records stay in your account, ready to view and export, and you can edit again as soon as you buy a pass.
I have a creator's code. Where does it go?
Open the link the creator shared, or type the code when you create your account. A creator's code can give you a longer free trial; the creator's page shows how long. If you reach hosts yourself, see how creators earn with HostTab.
I need help. Who do I contact?
Message us on WhatsApp. A real person replies, and you can send screenshots of anything you are stuck on.
Try HostTab free for 7 days
Record this week's bookings and see your month take shape. If it is not for you, simply stop using it.