How to Choose Hotel Software in Nepal: 10 Checks

The best hotel software for you is the one your front desk will actually use at 10 pm on a full night, and whose vendor answers the phone when it breaks. Features lists look alike. What separates a good purchase from an expensive regret is a short set of checks you can run before paying anything.

1. Start from your own property, not the brochure

Write down five facts before you talk to any vendor: number of rooms, number of room types, who takes bookings (phone, WhatsApp, agents, walk-ins), whether you have a restaurant or bar, and how many staff will log in. A vendor who cannot design around those five facts is selling a generic product. A 12-room guesthouse and a 50-room hotel with a banquet hall are different problems.

2. Ask for a demo with your room names

A demo on someone else's sample hotel proves nothing. Ask the vendor to enter your room types, your high-season and low-season rates and one agent booking, then check out a guest. If this takes ten minutes and your front desk can follow it, that is a good sign. If every step needs a workaround, you have learned something cheaply.

3. Test the tax and bill, line by line

Nepali hotel bills usually mix room charge, food, service charge and 13% VAT. Ask the vendor to produce a sample invoice and check three things: how the service charge is applied, whether VAT is shown separately, and whether the printed layout carries your registration details. The software should be configurable, because rules and rates are set by the authorities and can change. Confirm current requirements with the Inland Revenue Department and the tourism-related bodies, then ask the vendor to set exactly that.

4. Check what happens at checkout

Checkout is where money is lost. Create a guest with a room charge, two restaurant orders, laundry and an advance payment. Can the system show everything on one folio? Can the bill be split between a company and the guest? Can a charge be reversed with a reason and a user name? A system that handles this cleanly will save you more than any other feature.

5. Look at housekeeping and room status

Many buyers skip this because the owner does not see it. Yet delays between "guest left" and "room ready" cost nights of revenue in busy season. Ask how a housekeeper marks a room ready, and whether the front desk sees it instantly.

6. Question the vendor about data

Who owns your guest data? Can you export it to a spreadsheet? Where is it stored and how often is it backed up? If the vendor disappears, you should still be able to retrieve your records. Be wary of any arrangement where your bookings are locked in a format only they can read.

7. Understand support before you buy

Hotels do not work office hours. Ask how you reach support, in which language, and what happens on a Saturday night. Local support on WhatsApp is often faster than a ticket queue abroad. Ask for the answer in writing rather than a verbal promise.

8. Plan for the power cut and the weak connection

Whether the software is installed locally or runs online, you need a plan for outages. Discuss a UPS or inverter for the desk computer, a backup mobile data connection, and a simple printed arrivals list for emergencies. A good vendor raises this before you do.

9. Count the real cost drivers

Prices depend on the number of rooms, which modules you want, how much data entry and training is needed, and whether you need custom reports. Ask what is included in setup, what recurring fees exist and what a change request would cost. Compare quotes on the same scope, not on the headline figure.

A quick comparison grid

Check	Good sign	Warning sign
Demo	Uses your room types and rates	Only a pre-built sample hotel
Billing	VAT and service charge are settings you control	Fixed tax layout that cannot change
Checkout	One folio with every charge	Extras handled on separate slips
Data	Exportable, with backups	No export, unclear storage
Support	Named contact, written terms	Verbal promises only

Questions to ask every vendor

• Can I see a real invoice with room charge, service charge and VAT on separate lines?
• Who can change a rate or give a discount, and is it logged?
• What happens to my data if I stop paying or stop working with you?
• Who will train my staff, and is a second session included if people forget?
• Can I speak to an existing hotel user about how support has been?

Write the answers down and compare them across vendors the next day, when the sales pitch has faded and only the facts remain. Vendors who answer plainly and admit what the product cannot do are usually easier to work with later than those who say yes to everything.

10. Start small, then grow

You do not have to switch everything on day one. Many properties begin with reservations, check-in and billing, then add housekeeping, restaurant posting and WhatsApp confirmations once staff are comfortable. Ask whether the vendor supports that phased approach.

One more point: ask who will be responsible on your side. Software projects stall when nobody owns them. Name a manager who will attend the demo, approve the setup and report problems in the first month.

If you want to see these checks applied to your own hotel, read about hotel management software from WebsNP, and if you also run a dining room, look at our restaurant POS software. Message us on WhatsApp on +977 9846280400 with your room count and we will arrange a demo and a written quote.

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