Industries Book a Call ↗
Industries / Hotels & serviced apartments

Hotels & serviced apartments in Singapore: Book the guest direct, before the app does

Guests ring from another time zone at 2am. They WhatsApp to ask about early check-in, or email a group request for next month. If nobody answers, they book on a travel app and you pay the commission. We let you hear what your callers hear, pick up every call at any hour, answer every message, and keep your Google profile working. All of it inside the HLB, URA and CCCS rules that apply to you.

01 / Hotels & serviced apartments

Where a small hotel loses direct bookings

The guest who books on the app anyway. They found you on a travel app, then searched your name. They call to ask one thing before they book. Nobody picks up, so they go back to the app and book there, with the commission on top.

The call from a different time zone. It's afternoon where the guest is and 3am in Singapore. Your night person is checking in a late flight or doing a round. The call rings out and the guest tries the next place on the list.

The group enquiry that waits for the manager. A company wants rooms for a team, or a family wants three rooms for a wedding. Only the manager can quote a group rate, so it waits until morning. The group books whoever replied first.

One person on the desk, everything at once. Check-in, a taxi, a guest who's locked out, and the phone. Ministers have said for years that hotels here face a manpower crunch, and small properties feel it most at night.

The guest who stays once and never hears back. They loved the room and left a nice review. You never had their consent to send an offer, so next year they book through the app again.

Free diagnosticWhere am I leaking revenue?Missed calls, reviews nobody asked for, a slow mobile site, a map listing that doesn't show. Checked for you.Run the leak diagnostic ↗30 seconds. No call.
02 / Hotels & serviced apartments

How guests pick a small hotel in Singapore

Read what Singapore regulators and guests say about booking a stay, and the same five things come up.

01The full price, up frontCCCS wants taxes and mandatory fees in the headline price. A total that grows at the last step is the one guests remember.
02A quick answer to a practical questionEarly check-in, a late arrival after a night flight, where to leave the bags. Many guests confirm these with the hotel itself before they arrive.
03Reviews they can read before they bookOn Google and on the travel apps. Replies from the owner count too.
04A reason to book directLocals planning a staycation often look for packages that are only on the hotel's own site.
05A place that's clear about its rulesMinimum stay, deposit, ID at check-in, cancellation. Stated once, plainly.
Travel apps rank listings partly on what the property pays them. CCCS made one large platform say so plainly in 2025. Your own channels are the one place where your price, your rules and your reply speed decide the booking.
Free matchupWho's beating me, and why?You against your three toughest competitors on 90 days of live data, with a 30/60/90 plan.Run the competitor matchup ↗Two minutes.
03 / Hotels & serviced apartments

The rules your listings, prices and follow-ups have to follow

Accommodation in Singapore has its own rules on who may take short stays, how you show a price, and who you may message afterwards. Here they are in plain words.

You can't
✕Take short stays without a hotel licenceSTB says premises with 4 or more rooms run as a hotel need a licence from the Hotels Licensing Board under the Hotels Act.
✕Take serviced-apartment bookings under 7 daysURA says serviced apartments are rented for 7 days or longer. The long-stay type (SA2) is 3 months or longer.
✕Let a private home for less than 3 monthsURA's minimum for private residential property is three consecutive months. Fines under the Planning Act go up to $200,000 per charge.
✕Show a room rate that grows at checkoutCCCS guidance says taxes, surcharges and service fees belong in the total headline price.
✕Rush guests with urgency that isn't realCCCS raised a short booking countdown timer as something that "might create a false sense of urgency".
✕WhatsApp a one-time guest's Singapore number with offersPDPC says a once-off transaction isn't an ongoing relationship. You need their consent or a Do Not Call check first.
You can
✓Show "subject to GST and service charge", if you really charge oneIRAS lets hotels with a genuine service charge quote before GST with that statement shown clearly. Otherwise GST-registered businesses must show GST-inclusive prices, with fines up to $5,000.
✓Send confirmations and pre-arrival detailsPDPC excludes messages whose only purpose is to confirm or deliver a booking the guest already made.
✓Ask for ID at check-inPDPC's own example: the Hotels Licensing Regulations require hotels to ask every guest for their name and ID number.
✓Market to guests who agreed to hear from youA clear tick box at booking does it.
Two things owners miss. The Do Not Call Register covers Singapore numbers only, so a guest's overseas number isn't on it. Their details are still covered by the PDPA, so you still need consent to market to them. And the IRAS "subject to GST and service charge" option sits next to CCCS guidance that wants mandatory charges in the headline price. On an online booking page, the all-in total is the safer choice.
Sources

STB, "Overview of Licensing" (updated 22 Jan 2025); HLB, "Application for Licence" (updated 4 Aug 2026); URA, "Serviced Apartments" and "Serviced Apartments II (SA2)" (updated 13 Jul 2026); URA media release, 25 Mar 2025; IRAS, "Displaying and quoting prices" (updated 25 Sep 2026); CCCS, "Guidelines on Price Transparency" (in effect from 1 Nov 2020) and a media release on a travel booking platform's website (16 Jun 2025); PDPC, "Advisory Guidelines for NRIC Numbers" (31 Aug 2018), Example 3.5; PDPC, "Advisory Guidelines on the Do Not Call Provisions" (revised 1 Feb 2021). Read 29 Oct 2026. This is a summary, not legal advice.

STB licensing overview

URA serviced apartments

URA minimum stay release

IRAS price display

CCCS price transparency

PDPC DNC guidelines PDF

04 / Hotels & serviced apartments

What guests ask after midnight

The questions are small. Each one is a booking that goes direct if someone answers, and to the app if nobody does.

Any room tonight?Can I check in early?My flight lands at 2am, is that OK?Can I leave my bags after checkout?Price for 5 rooms next month?Weekly rate for the apartment?Can you send an invoice for my company?
Answered. takes these on the phone and Booked. takes them in the chat, from your own rates and rules, in your property's name. A complaint, a refund or anything outside the rules comes straight to you with a summary.
Free offerWhat should I be offering this week?We build your first offer from your reviews, services and local competition.Get my first offer, free ↗Short form. On us.
05 / Hotels & serviced apartments

How we fix it

Answered.: Picks up every call, at any hour

See Answered ↗

Guests call when it suits them, not when your desk is free.

Picks up in seconds, day and nightWeekends and public holidays included, even three calls at once.
In your property's nameAs your booking assistant. If a guest asks, it says so and offers to pass them to a person.
Your rates and rules, straightMinimum stay, deposit, check-in time, cancellation. Never a discount you didn't allow.
Takes the booking on the callInto your calendar or booking system. We confirm the fit on the first call.
Group and company enquiries go to youWith who called, how many rooms and which dates, written up.
Callers told the call is recorded, and whyWe set the wording up with you.
Set-up fee plus a monthly fee, quoted after the call once we've seen how many calls you get.

Heard.: Hear what a guest hears when they call you

See Heard ↗
A guest calls you, every monthAn invented guest with real questions: a room this weekend, early check-in, a rate for five rooms.
At different timesIncluding late at night, only if you approve it.
Every call scoredThe recording, the transcript and a 0 to 100 score with the missed step marked. Was a room offered? Did anyone call back?
One line your team can use next timeA coaching point per call, and a monthly report showing the trend.
Fair to your staffYou approve every call, and staff get a general notice that calls may be reviewed. We give you the wording.
The first test call is free. Regular calls are a monthly fee, quoted on the call.

Booked.: Answers every WhatsApp before the guest goes back to the app

See Booked ↗
Replies in seconds, any hourWhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and your website chat.
Checks what's freeWith your booking system connected, it looks up availability instead of guessing.
The full price, the first timeYour rates with every mandatory charge in, the way CCCS asks.
The deposit, right thereWhen they say yes, the payment link goes out in the same chat.
Follows up the quiet onesThe group that asked for a quote and went silent hears back.
One message every morningWhat came in overnight, what got booked, what needs you today.
Booked. handles messages only. Answered. handles calls. Take both and they run as one system.

Ranked.: Keeps your Google profile working every week

See Ranked ↗
Categories and services set up properlySo you show for the searches you actually serve.
A post and new photos every weekRooms, the street, the breakfast, what's changed.
The questions section answeredBefore guests ask: check-in time, luggage, parking, nearest MRT.
Your details fixed everywhereThe same name, address and number on every directory.
One-page report every monthWhere you show up, and what changed.
06 / Hotels & serviced apartments

How it starts

  1. 1
    FirstOne free test callYou approve the line and the time. We call like a guest and send you the recording and the one thing to fix.
  2. 2
    On the callWe listen to it togetherAnd look at your chats, so we know whether calls, messages or both are where guests drop off.
  3. 3
    Within a weekAnswered. starts picking upSet up from your rates and house rules. You hear how it answers and approve it first.
07 / Hotels & serviced apartments

Read next

08 / FAQ

Questions hotel and serviced-apartment owners ask

Can it take a room booking on the phone?

+

Yes, if it can see your availability. It books into your calendar or booking system, and we confirm the fit on the first call before you commit.

Guests call from overseas in the middle of the night. Will it pick up?

+

Yes. It answers every call at any hour, public holidays included, and picks up even when three come in at once.

Will it quote a lower price than the travel apps, or give discounts?

+

Only if you tell it to. It quotes the rates and rules you set, and never a discount you didn't allow.

Will guests think they're talking to a bot?

+

It speaks in your property's name and answers the actual question. If someone asks, it says it's your booking assistant and offers to pass them to a person.

What is Heard., and will my night staff know?

+

Heard. calls you like a guest every month and scores how the call went. Staff need a general notice that calls may be reviewed for training. They won't know which call is the test.

We're a serviced apartment. Will it take a 3-night booking?

+

No. We set it up with your minimum stay, so it says no to anything shorter and offers the stay you can take.

Can we send offers to past guests?

+

Only with care. One stay is a once-off under PDPC's rules, so you need the guest's consent. A tick box at booking does it. For Singapore numbers without consent, the Do Not Call Register is checked first.

Should our rates show GST and service charge?

+

If you're GST-registered, IRAS wants GST-inclusive prices, unless you charge a genuine service charge and say "subject to GST and service charge" clearly. CCCS guidance prefers mandatory charges in the headline price, so we quote the all-in total in chats and calls.

Do you guarantee more direct bookings?

+

No one can honestly guarantee that. You'll see the numbers yourself: calls picked up, chats answered, bookings taken, and how your Heard. scores move.

What does it cost?

+

Answered. is a set-up fee plus a monthly fee, quoted after the call. Heard. starts with one free test call, then a monthly fee. Booked. is S$997 a month, month to month, with message usage on top. Properties with a team of one to five can check if they qualify for a scholarship. Ranked. is S$1,200 a month plus a S$700 setup.

09 / Start free

Not ready for a call? Start free.

No call, no card. Each one runs on your real business.

10 / Fit

Is this for you?

✓

Who it's for

  • Independent hotels, boutique hotels, hostels and guesthouses in Singapore with an HLB licence
  • Serviced-apartment operators taking stays of 7 days and longer
  • Small teams where one person runs the desk at night
  • Owners who want more guests to book direct, without a night of extra staff
✕

Who it's not for

  • Hotel chains with their own reservations centre
  • Anyone letting private homes or rooms for short stays without a licence