CleanClac + Hostaway: Automate Cleaning for Your Portfolio

Your portfolio has grown. Ten, twenty, fifty properties managed in Hostaway: bookings come in, guest messages go out automatically, Airbnb, Booking and Vrbo calendars stay in sync. Yet every morning, the same question: who is cleaning where, at what time, and most importantly, was it done properly? Between the PMS Tasks module, a WhatsApp group and a shared spreadsheet for supplies, cleaning remains the manual link in an otherwise highly automated operation. This is exactly the gap CleanClac fills, plugged into Hostaway via a direct connector.

Hostaway in brief: the all-in-one PMS for structured managers

Hostaway is an all-in-one PMS and channel manager founded in 2015, headquartered in Toronto. The platform claims over 20,000 manager clients worldwide according to Hotel Tech Report, and announced a $365 million growth investment led by General Atlantic at the end of 2024. It is one of the global heavyweights in short-term rental software.

In practice, Hostaway covers the essentials for property managers:

• Channel manager with two-way API sync: Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, Google Vacation Rentals.
• Unified inbox and AI-powered automated messaging: according to Hotel Tech Report, up to around 93% of guest replies can be automated.
• Direct booking engine with integrated website.
• Owner portal with automated statements and financial reporting, a key point for agencies who report to owners.
• Integration ecosystem: the official site lists over 300 integrations (dynamic pricing, payments, smart locks, operational tools).

Hostaway is clearly aimed at professional operators. Its pricing is segmented by portfolio size (2-14, 15-49, 50+ listings) and is by quote only, with no public prices. An independent 2026 review places the core offer at around $25 to $50 per listing per month depending on volume, as a ballpark, not an official rate. For a single listing, the tool is generally oversized; for a structured agency, it’s a powerful machine. For the difference between a simple channel manager and a full PMS, see Channel manager, PMS, cleaning tool: who does what?.

What Hostaway’s Tasks module already does well

To be fair: Hostaway does not ignore cleaning. Its native Tasks module is functional, as detailed in the Hostaway help centre:

• Auto-tasks triggered by booking events, synced with check-in and check-out times. If dates change, the task automatically updates.
• Reusable checklist templates to attach to tasks.
• Assignment to users or teams, including cleaners, with notifications to both parties if reassigned.
• A four-stage lifecycle: To Do, Accepted, In Progress, Completed.
• Mobile dashboard with automatic reminder at 8am local time on the day.
• Cleanliness status per listing visible in the PMS.

For an in-house cleaning team, comfortable with an English-language back office, and a need limited to “who does what and when”, this module is often enough. It’s a real strength of Hostaway compared to lighter PMSs.

However, an interesting sign: Hostaway maintains official integrations with specialist cleaning operations tools. Even the software provider recognises that deep cleaning management is best handled by connected third-party tools. The PMS orchestrates, the specialist tool executes.

Where a dedicated cleaning layer changes everything

The Tasks module remains a general-purpose system within a PMS designed in English. Three limitations come up repeatedly among portfolio managers:

1. Proof. A “Completed” task in Hostaway only means the cleaner clicked a button, not what state the property was actually left in. The stakes are high: according to a Vrbo survey from April 2026 of 1,758 travellers, 78% cite spotless cleanliness as the number one sign of a quality listing (Vrbo / Businesswire). Listings rated 5 stars for cleanliness are booked about 25% more often, according to data cited by Smoobu. When a guest disputes, you need more than a status.

2. The cleaner experience. Your housekeepers do not live in your PMS. Many do not speak English and staff turnover is high. Forcing them into a manager’s back office means risking missed tasks and “I didn’t see the notification”.

3. The business around cleaning. Consumable stocks, linen, restocking, today’s access codes, room-by-room quality control, property history: all this goes beyond what a task module, however well designed, can handle.

CleanClac: the cleaning layer that plugs into Hostaway

CleanClac is a cleaning management app (web, iPhone, Android) designed for short-term rentals. Crucially: CleanClac does not replace Hostaway, it connects to it. Hostaway remains in charge of bookings, channels, rates and guest communication; CleanClac handles the operational cleaning layer. This is covered in detail in Does CleanClac replace your PMS? No, and that's intentional.

Via the direct Hostaway connector (alongside Beds24, Guesty, Lodgify, Smoobu and Superhote), CleanClac pulls bookings from the PMS: each guest departure automatically creates a cleaning task, scheduled at the property’s default slot. No double entry, no spreadsheets. Then, the CleanClac workflow takes over:

• Property-specific illustrated checklists, built from a catalogue of around 200 tasks organised by section: cleaning, finishing touches, linen, restocking, comfort, extras. The cleaner knows exactly what’s expected, room by room.
• End-of-clean proof: photos or video timestamped by the server, with digital file fingerprint and GPS location. Neither cleaner nor manager can backdate.
• On-site geolocated check-in and actual cleaning duration, with “Overdue” flag if the job overruns.
• Arrival condition rating (1 to 5 stars) given by the cleaner: any damage is flagged before cleaning starts.
• Consumable stock tracking per property, with gauge and low-stock alerts.
• Access vault: key box codes and location sent to today’s cleaner, and only to them.
• Unlimited free cleaners, for life: you pay per property, never per team member.
• Interface in 6 languages (French, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German): each cleaner works in their own language, while the Hostaway back office remains English-first.

The Manager role also lets you delegate a group of properties to a sector supervisor, a common setup for agencies.

Hostaway Tasks and CleanClac checklists: who does what

The right way to think of the duo is not “either/or” but “each on its own layer”:

Hostaway keeps:

• The source of truth for multi-channel bookings and calendars.
• Automated guest communication (confirmation, instructions, review reminders).
• The cleanliness status visible in the Multi-Calendar for reservations teams.
• One-off maintenance tasks managed from the back office if you wish.

CleanClac handles:

• Automatic transformation of each departure into a scheduled cleaning job, assigned and tracked.
• On-the-ground execution: illustrated checklist, geolocated check-in, actual duration.
• Quality control: server-timestamped photos and videos, impossible to backdate, as detailed in Cleaning Quality Control: Always Require Photos.
• Logistics: stocks, consumables, access codes, property condition rating.
• Cleaner relations: built-in messaging, app in their language, and the “Find a cleaner” function near the property, free, with radius in km.

This split avoids the classic trap: asking the PMS to be a cleaning tool it isn’t, or vice versa.

Setup: connecting Hostaway to CleanClac step by step

Setup takes half a day for a medium-sized portfolio, with most of the time spent customising checklists, not on the technical side.

Step 1: Create your CleanClac account. The trial is free for 14 days, no card required, with unlimited properties during the trial. You can test it across your whole portfolio.

Step 2: Activate the Hostaway connector. Choose Hostaway from the PMS connectors and authorise the link. Properties and bookings are imported, and each guest departure generates a cleaning job at the property’s default slot (for example, between check-out at 10am and check-in at 4pm).

Step 3: Build your checklists. Start from the catalogue of around 200 tasks and adapt per property: the house with a hot tub does not have the same checklist as a city studio. Add your own reference photos.

Step 4: Invite your cleaners. They install the app (web, iPhone, Android), free for them, for life, and choose their language. Assign each property to its usual cleaners.

Step 5: Enter logistics. Key box codes and locations in the access vault, low-stock thresholds for consumables, estimated duration per property.

Step 6: Let it run and supervise. Hostaway bookings feed the schedule, cleaners check in on site, complete their checklist and send photo proof. You supervise from the dashboard, including remotely.

How much does it cost, and who is it for?

Hostaway pricing is by quote, depending on portfolio size and modules chosen. CleanClac’s pricing is public: from €9.99/month for 1 property, €14.99 for 2-3 properties, €19.99 for 4-5, then +€4 per property beyond that. Annually: €59.99, €89.99 or €119.99 per tier, then +€24 per extra property. Cleaners are always free, no matter how many.

Compare that to the cost of a single mistake: one poorly documented guest dispute can wipe out the margin from several stays. For an agency with 20 properties, CleanClac costs around €80 per month on the monthly plan, less than a single large house cleaning in France (around €200 on average for over 100m² according to 2026 price guides). The maths is simple if the tool prevents one missed clean or dispute per quarter.