Biaya hotel itu saya bayar lewat transfer sebelum check-in.

Indonesian word order is flexible enough to let you put the topic first.

• Biaya hotel itu saya bayar ... puts focus on the hotel cost
• Saya bayar biaya hotel itu ... is also correct, but it starts with I

So this sentence has a slight topic-fronting feel, like:

• As for the hotel cost, I paid it by transfer before check-in.

This kind of structure is very common in Indonesian, especially when the speaker wants to highlight what is being talked about first.

Itu usually means that, but in sentences like this it often works more naturally as a definite marker, similar to the in English.

So Biaya hotel itu is roughly:

• that hotel cost
• or more naturally, the hotel cost / the hotel fee

In Indonesian, itu often helps identify something already known in the conversation.

Yes, absolutely. That is a normal and correct sentence.

Compare:

• Biaya hotel itu saya bayar lewat transfer sebelum check-in.
• Saya bayar biaya hotel itu lewat transfer sebelum check-in.

The difference is mainly emphasis:

• first version: emphasizes the hotel cost
• second version: emphasizes I

Both are grammatical and natural.

Both are possible, but they feel a little different.

• bayar is common in everyday speech and informal-to-neutral writing
• membayar is more explicitly verbal and can sound a bit more formal or careful

So:

• Biaya hotel itu saya bayar ... = very natural
• Biaya hotel itu saya membayar ... = possible, but less natural in this exact structure
• Saya membayar biaya hotel itu ... = perfectly fine

In conversation, Indonesians often prefer the shorter bayar.

Here lewat means via, through, or by means of.

So lewat transfer means:

• by bank transfer
• via transfer

Other common options are:

• melalui transfer — a bit more formal
• dengan transfer — understandable, but less idiomatic in many contexts

In everyday Indonesian, lewat is very common for methods and channels.

In this sentence, transfer normally means a bank transfer.

So lewat transfer usually means:

• by bank transfer
• via bank transfer

If you want to be extra clear, you could say:

• lewat transfer bank

But in many contexts, just transfer is enough because that meaning is already understood.

Because Indonesian often leaves out words that are already obvious from context.

• sebelum check-in = before check-in / before checking in
• sebelum saya check-in = before I check in

Both are possible, but the shorter version is very natural when the subject is clear.

Indonesian often drops pronouns and other elements when they are not necessary.

Yes. Check-in is very commonly used in Indonesian, especially in travel, hotels, and airports.

This is a borrowed term and is very natural in everyday usage. You may also see:

• cek in in more Indonesian-style spelling
• but check-in is very common in signs, apps, and casual writing

Many modern Indonesian sentences mix native vocabulary with widely accepted English loanwords like this.

Yes. A more formal version might be:

• Biaya hotel itu saya bayar melalui transfer sebelum check-in.
• Biaya hotel tersebut saya bayar melalui transfer sebelum check-in.

Changes:

• melalui sounds more formal than lewat
• tersebut sounds more formal than itu

So the original sentence is natural and standard, but not especially formal.

Yes, you can, but the meaning may shift slightly depending on context.

• Biaya hotel itu saya bayar ... = that/the hotel fee
• Biaya hotel saya bayar ... could mean my hotel fee or simply sound less clearly marked, depending on context

This is because hotel saya can sometimes be interpreted as my hotel, and biaya hotel saya can become ambiguous.

So itu helps make the phrase clearer as the hotel fee in question.

Yes. For example:

• Biaya hotel itu dibayar lewat transfer sebelum check-in.

This means:

• The hotel cost was paid by transfer before check-in.

But notice the difference:

• Biaya hotel itu saya bayar ... still clearly says I paid it
• Biaya hotel itu dibayar ... focuses more on the event and may leave the doer unstated

If you want to keep I as the doer, the original sentence is often more natural.

Indonesian does not have an exact article system like English a/an/the.

Instead, definiteness is often shown through:

• context
• word order
• demonstratives like ini and itu

So in this sentence, itu helps give the sense of the/that. But Indonesian does this differently from English, and often no article is needed at all.

Yes. Sebelum means before, so sebelum check-in tells you when the payment happened.

The structure is:

• sebelum + event/action

Examples:

• sebelum makan = before eating
• sebelum berangkat = before leaving
• sebelum check-in = before check-in

So it functions as a time phrase attached to the main verb bayar.

Not exactly.

• biaya = cost, fee, expense, charge
• harga = price

For a hotel payment, biaya hotel usually sounds more like:

• hotel fee
• hotel cost
• hotel charges

Harga hotel would sound more like the hotel’s listed price or rate.

So biaya hotel fits well if you are talking about what had to be paid.

Yes, it sounds natural. In speech, someone might also say:

• Biaya hotel itu saya bayar via transfer sebelum check-in.
• Saya bayar biaya hotel itu lewat transfer sebelum check-in.
• Biaya hotelnya saya bayar lewat transfer sebelum check-in.

All of these are plausible in everyday conversation. The original sentence is clear, normal, and idiomatic.