Comparative Smoobu and other PMS for short-term hire

Smoobu : simple “all-in-one” for small structures

Smoobu is designed for clarity and quick. With a single subscription, you found the key to start and operate properly : channel manager, PMS, creating a booking site, commission-free, unified messaging, online check-in and guide digital travellers. The philosophy is to offer a stand complete and easy to set up, which covers the key needs of a concierge novice or a small portfolio (up to a few tens of units). The interface is sleek, the functions neatly, and the synchronization of the major OTAs is reliable to avoid double-bookings. In return, some automations “profondues” or ‘modules’ in a very advanced stage is still limited or pass through integrations with external.

Guesty : the arsenal of “enterprise” – built for the scale

Guesty is intended for operators ambitious of some of the properties to several hundreds, with a very wide : multichannel distribution scope, owners complete portal, automations flare-ups (e-mail, operations, finance, CRM, in-depth reporting, and extensive marketplace integrations. Its value is revealed to the scale, when it is necessary to standardize processes, closely follow the performance, coordinate teams, and provide transparency and reporting to the owners. The natural counterpart of this power is a learning curve more pronounced and a higher cost, better justified for the structures already established or strong growth.

Smily : DNA concierge and distribution very wide

Smily is historically close to the agencies and conciergeries european. It combines a PMS complete (site direct, payments, messaging, contracts and e-signature, reporting) with a capacity of dissemination particularly extensive, to list the property on a very large number of international partners. The economic model, often indexed to the volume of bookings, is comfortable to start without a big subscription fixed ; it can, however, become less competitive with very high scale. For portfolios oriented Europe, multilingual and multi-niche, its ecosystem and support local are real assets.

Lodgify : the balance “plug-and-play” with a strong focus web site

Lodgify is appreciated for its balance between features and simplicity, and for its website creator very successful. There is a channel manager reliable for the major channels, one-engine-direct booking without commission, unified messaging and automation of database, which will cover the essential. The user experience is modern, the onboarding is smooth and responsive support. This is an option for “turn-key” coherent up to several tens of property, especially if the strategy is based on the own-brand and direct booking.

Hostaway : platform premium unified for larger portfolios

Hostaway combines robustness, broad functional scope and cover supported. On the menu : sync real-time multi-OTA, unified inbox, automation of operational tasks, housekeeping, maintenance), advanced reporting, owner portal, and great wealth of integrations (smartlocks, accounting, pricing). The positioning is clearly “pro” : 24×7 support, deployment, accompanied scalability without friction. The cost follows this promise, which the reserve, especially in the conciergeries already solid or agencies amid growing in power seeking to replace multiple tools with a unified platform.

Beds24 : the extreme flexibility for technical profiles

Beds24 seduced by his model to the map and its flexibility is virtually unlimited, it activates only the necessary modules, the connections are very fine, and the platform covers almost everything (PMS, channel manager, advanced booking engine customizable, automation, multi-property, reporting, integrations many). In exchange, the interface is more austere and the configuration application of the method. It is a solution which is dreadful for those that like to “put her hands inside” and optimize the cost, less appropriate if you are in search of a UX and modern settings-express.

Features that make the difference every day

Regardless of the PMS, the blocks fundamental to come back with synchronization of the channels to avoid double-bookings, e-mail centralized to respond quickly, automations (emails/SMS, express check-in/out, reminders household), integrations, third-party to enhance the workflow (pricing dynamic, locks, connected, payments, accounting), dashboards, and reports to drive occupancy and revenue, and finally a customer support available in your languages and your schedule. The difference is the depth of each brick, the quality of the ergonomics, the wealth of integrations… and on the total cost of ownership, including the learning time.

Ergonomics and grip : a criterion often under-estimated

Smoobu and Lodgify prefer the immediacy you feel quickly at ease, the mobile app, and interfaces a modern make life easier for teams in the field. Guesty and Hostaway, more dense, require a bit of training, but then provide a remarkable productivity thanks to the modules, powerful, and greater functional coverage. Smily occupies a middle ground, thought for the uses european and the relationship owner. Beds24 is, itself, requires patience ; once mastered, it allows a level of customization that few tools are equal.

Rates and report quality-price : look beyond the label

The models vary with the subscriptions fixed by well, the commissions on bookings, hybrid schemes, the cost of onboarding… The good reflex is to simulate your annual cost real volume of bookings, needs to integrations pay, time spent to set up and maintain, and additional software that the PMS would save (management of the household, channel manager separate reporting tool). Smoobu and Lodgify remain very competitive to start and up to 20-30 property. Smily is interesting when the multi-sites grow significantly in the CA. Hostaway and Guesty take the advantage when the industrialization and consolidation of tools to avoid the hidden costs of coordination. Beds24 is unbeatable in price if we are willing to invest time technique.

Use case types to move rapidly

For a concierge debutante (1 to 5 units), the priority is the simplicity and cost : Smoobu or Lodgify fits perfectly, with a rise in the skill almost immediately and a base complete. In the growth phase (5 to 20 properties), we will look for more automation, and integrations ; Smoobu Pro and Lodgify Professional remain relevant, Smily can boost the dissemination, and Beds24 is suitable for profiles technically comfortable. Between 20 and 50 properties, operational efficiency becomes central : Lodgify Ultimate, Smily, or a passage to Guesty/Hostaway depending on the complexity of operations and the size of the team. Beyond 50 properties, the scalability and the premium support shall prevail, Guesty and Hostaway dominate, Smily remaining a reliable alternative, according to the european context and the supplier relationship desired.

How to choose in practice ?

Send your portfolio at 12-24 months, and list your “must-have” : a portal owner, integration, accounting, planning, cleaning, pricing dynamic, mobile application, supported languages, SLA support. Evaluate honestly the time of acceptable training for your team, a tool that is “simple” which runs as soon as tomorrow, may be worth more than a juggernaut under-exploited. Compare finally the total cost over a year, incorporating commissions, modules, and external costs of implementation and negotiate, especially if you have the volume. Test, test, test, 1 or 2 solutions in real-life conditions and the quality of support during the test, fluidity integrations, returns from your team… these signals are worth as much as a product card.

And Zenivia in all of this ?

Regardless of the PMS retained, Zenivia integrates with your stack to automate the messaging travelers 24/7, thin the follow-up household, reduce the mental load and improve the customer experience. Our assistant AI adapts to your team size and your equipment (Smoobu, Lodgify, Guesty, Hostaway, Smily, Beds24) to save you time from the first days.