Why mobile wallets matter for direct bookings
Many domestic guests in Bangladesh are more comfortable paying from a mobile wallet than with a card. A booking page that offers only cards pushes some of them back to the phone, or to a booking site, and you lose the deposit that secures the room.
Payment options
| Option | Typically used for | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| bKash | Domestic guests paying from a mobile wallet | The hotel's own bKash merchant account |
| Nagad | Domestic guests paying from a mobile wallet | The hotel's own Nagad merchant account |
| SSLCommerz | Cards, wallets and internet banking through one aggregator | A merchant account with SSLCommerz |
| Bank gateways (Brac Bank, City Bank, DBBL) | Card payments through the hotel's bank | A gateway agreement with the bank |
| Stripe | International cards | A Stripe account; availability depends on where the business is registered |
Merchant requirements are set by each provider, so check their current documents list before you apply.
Decide your deposit policy first
| Deposit | When it fits |
|---|---|
| None | Low season, or trusted returning guests |
| First night | A sensible default for most direct bookings |
| A percentage of the stay | Peak dates, long stays and groups |
| A fixed amount | Events, packages or special rates |
| Card hold for no-shows | Card bookings where you want security without charging upfront |
Show the policy clearly on the booking page and in the confirmation email, together with the cancellation cut-off.
Refunds and cancellations
Refunds should go back through the same gateway the guest paid with, whole or in part, and should need a manager's permission. Letting guests cancel themselves through an emailed link, up to a cut-off you set, saves calls and releases the room for resale straight away.
Reconciliation
Every online payment should post to the guest folio automatically, so the front desk never re-types amounts. Once a week, match each gateway's settlement report against the payments on your folios, and check refunds and gateway fees separately.
Setup checklist
- Apply for a merchant account with each provider you want to offer.
- Write your deposit, cancellation and refund policies.
- Connect each gateway in sandbox mode and test a payment and a refund.
- Switch the gateway live and make one small real booking end to end.
- Show the front desk how online payments appear on the folio and how to issue a refund.
How bedsKey supports it
The bedsKey booking engine has Stripe, bKash, Nagad, SSLCommerz and bank gateways (Brac Bank, City Bank and DBBL) integrated. Deposits can be nothing, the first night, a percentage or a fixed amount, card holds cover no-shows, and every payment posts to the folio automatically. Each gateway starts in sandbox and must be tested before it goes live; bKash go-live depends on the hotel's own merchant account. Payments happen on the gateway's own page, so bedsKey never stores card data. See bedsKey in Bangladesh for BDT billing, VAT and service charge.