The project dashboard is a free tool that is only available to verified hoteliers to make adopting new technology easier by streamlining their research and simplifying their communication workflow.
TLDR
We analyzed 42 verified hotelier reviews, compared feature sets, pricing, and real-world case studies to break down where each platform delivers. The right choice depends on your property type and priorities:
Akia shines in ease of use and customer support — especially for brand properties (5.0/5) , with exclusive features like Mobile Friendly and Guest History.
ICG Software shines .
Side-by-side ratings based on 42 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | Contact sales | Contact sales |
| Verified Reviews | 42 | 0 |
After analyzing 42 verified reviews, Akia users most value its guest messaging, team communication and task management, contactless check-in, while ICG Software users highlight . Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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ICG Software |
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Guest messaging
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Team communication and task management
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Contactless check-in
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Customer feedback and reputation management
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Automated responses
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Integration and data synchronization
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Guidebooks and digital tools
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How each product ranks among Contactless Check-in vendors for different property sizes, types, and regions — based on verified reviews from hoteliers in each segment.
By Hotel Size
| Segment |
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ICG Software |
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| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #4 17 reviews | — |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #4 18 reviews | — |
| Large (75-199 rooms) | #19 0 reviews | — |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) | #16 0 reviews | — |
By Property Type
| Segment |
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ICG Software |
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| Boutique ▾ | #4 17 reviews | — |
| Luxury ▾ | #6 7 reviews | — |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #4 10 reviews | — |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #7 6 reviews | — |
By Region
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ICG Software |
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| North America ▾ | #2 41 reviews | — |
Choosing between Akia Contactless Check-In and ICG Check-in Online hinges on your hotel’s specific needs for guest communication and operational automation. While both solutions aim to streamline contactless arrivals, Akia offers a comprehensive, feature-rich platform with a proven track record of positive reviews, whereas ICG’s platform appears more basic with limited user feedback.
Your decision should be guided by which features and support levels are most critical to your operation. Are you prioritizing ease of use and extensive integrations, or do you need a simple, straightforward check-in process? Let’s explore the key differences.
Akia and ICG serve the same fundamental purpose—contactless check-in—but they diverge significantly in scope and maturity. Akia’s platform is built around robust guest communication, automation, and integrations, backed by 38 reviews and recent activity. It outperforms ICG in overall ratings, ease of use, and customer support, with an overall rating of 4.95/5 from 38 reviews, compared to ICG’s zero ratings.
While ICG provides a basic contactless check-in, Akia’s extensive feature set and high user satisfaction suggest it’s better suited for hotels seeking a full guest engagement solution. The real question is whether you want a mature platform with proven results or a minimal, less-supported option.
If your hotel needs a versatile, highly-rated guest communication platform with automation, Akia is the clear choice. It’s ideal for boutique hotels, resorts, and properties that want to enhance guest experience through digital tools, boasting features like automated replies, guest history, messaging integrations, and PMS compatibility.
Conversely, if your hotel requires a simple, no-frills contactless check-in system with limited features and minimal support, ICG might suffice. However, given Akia’s strong reviews and recent validation, most hoteliers should lean toward Akia for a more comprehensive solution that can grow with your property.
Akia excels in ease of use, with a 4.82/5 user rating based on 38 reviews, and users frequently praise its intuitive interface and straightforward onboarding. Reviewers highlight its mobile friendliness, chatbots, and clear messaging, which make staff adoption smooth.
ICG’s platform, by contrast, lacks publicly available ratings or reviews, suggesting limited feedback on user experience. Without user data, it’s difficult to assess its ease of use, but Akia’s strong, recent reviews strongly favor its usability.
Edge: Akia
Akia leads with an impressive list of 35 unique features, including mobile-friendly operation, photo sharing, chatbot booking, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger integrations, automated replies, guest history, document scanning, PMS integration, and door lock compatibility. These features enable automation, guest engagement, and operational efficiencies that ICG doesn’t detail or appear to offer.
ICG’s feature set is not elaborated, and it appears to lack the extensive integrations and automation capabilities of Akia. Given the feature count and user feedback, Akia’s platform provides a broader, more advanced toolkit for hoteliers seeking contactless and guest communication solutions.
Edge: Akia
Akia’s customer support earns a 4.86/5 rating from 38 reviews, with comments emphasizing knowledgeable staff and quick problem resolution. Users describe Akia’s support as "the easiest and best customer service we’ve experienced," and praise its responsiveness.
ICG’s support ratings and reviews are unavailable, which diminishes confidence in their service level. Given Akia’s recent reviews and high ratings, it’s clear they offer superior support, especially important during onboarding and troubleshooting.
Edge: Akia
Akia integrates with 32 verified partners, including PMS systems like AutoClerk Cloud, RoomRaccoon, WebRezPro, Stayntouch, and door lock systems like Flexipass. This extensive network allows smooth data transfer and automation across various hotel operations.
ICG does not list any verified integrations, indicating a limited or nonexistent integration ecosystem. For hotels wanting to connect their existing systems effortlessly, Akia’s integrations provide a decisive advantage.
Edge: Akia
Akia’s recent reviews paint a compelling picture, with a 4.95/5 overall rating and a 97% likelihood to recommend, based on 38 reviews. Hotels across segments like boutique, resorts, and inns praise its ease of use, automation, and responsiveness. The most recent reviews reinforce its positive reputation.
ICG has no publicly available reviews or ratings, which suggests it’s untested or less trusted among users. Therefore, Akia’s higher, more recent review volume makes it the more validated choice.
Edge: Akia
Pricing details for both platforms are not publicly available. They likely operate on custom quotes or subscription models, common in hotel SaaS solutions. You should contact each vendor for tailored pricing based on your hotel’s size and needs.
Not ideal if you require only a very basic check-in process without the need for advanced features or integrations.
Not ideal if you want a feature-rich, scalable platform with strong support or extensive integrations.
Akia is a mature, feature-rich platform with a proven track record. Its high ratings, recent reviews, and extensive integrations make it the better choice for hotels seeking a reliable, scalable contactless check-in solution that improves guest experience and operational efficiency.
ICG offers a basic check-in tool that may suffice for very small or budget-conscious hotels, but without supporting reviews or documented features, it’s a less certain choice. If your hotel values proven performance and comprehensive features, Akia stands out.
Choose Akia if you want a platform with proven results, extensive integrations, and high guest satisfaction. Opt for ICG only if you need a simple, no-frills check-in and are willing to accept limited support and features.
Contactless Check-in pricing is rarely straightforward. Here is what we know from each vendor's public pricing data. Always request a custom quote for your property size.
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ICG Software |
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According to HTR's product database, Akia Contactless Check-In and ICG Check-in Online share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
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ICG Software |
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| Automated Replies | ||
| Chatbot Booking Agent | ||
| Desktop App (non-web based) | ||
| Mobile Friendly | ||
| Photo Sharing | ||
| Whatsapp Integration |
Showing top differences. 23 more features differ between these products.
We analyzed 1 verified case studies to compare what hotels actually achieve with each platform across four key business objectives.
"Automation emphasizes the guests experience at their fingertips. Akia closes the gap of missed opportunities by acting as a liaison to our guest satisfaction efforts. We have been..."
No published case study for this goal yet.
What hoteliers love
The messaging system is prized for facilitating real-time communication with guests, enhancing service quality. It helps staff manage guest requests a... The messaging system is prized for facilitating real-time communication with guests, enhancing service quality. It helps staff manage guest requests and issues promptly, which positively impacts guest satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Internal team communication and task management features are highlighted as significant benefits. These tools help hotel staff coordinate efficiently,... Internal team communication and task management features are highlighted as significant benefits. These tools help hotel staff coordinate efficiently, track tasks, and manage guest needs more effectively. Users believe improvements could be made in the clarity and usability of these systems.
Reviewers consistently appreciate Akia's contactless check-in feature, stating it makes the check-in process seamless and efficient. This feature redu... Reviewers consistently appreciate Akia's contactless check-in feature, stating it makes the check-in process seamless and efficient. This feature reduces physical interactions, streamlines the guest arrival experience, and ensures compliance with health guidelines, especially valued during the pandemic.
Where hoteliers push back
Many users highlight the benefit of Akia's automated responses which save time and effort. However, several reviews mention that these automated respo... Many users highlight the benefit of Akia's automated responses which save time and effort. However, several reviews mention that these automated responses can sometimes be inaccurate or mistimed, causing confusion for guests and requiring manual intervention from staff.
Users appreciate Akia's integration capabilities with PMS and other systems but desire improvements such as seamless credit card transaction integrati... Users appreciate Akia's integration capabilities with PMS and other systems but desire improvements such as seamless credit card transaction integration and better synchronization features to eliminate duplicated efforts and manual data entry.
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Akia Contactless Check-In and ICG Check-in Online share many core Contactless Check-in features, but each has unique capabilities. Akia Contactless Check-In offers 32 verified integration partners, while ICG Check-in Online offers 0. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Akia Contactless Check-In leads in ease of use at 4.8/5 vs 0.0/5. Look for transparent pricing and a trial or demo option. Filter reviews on each product page by property size to hear from hotels like yours.
Akia Contactless Check-In: No. ICG Check-in Online: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Contactless Check-in vendors offer demos or trials — request one from each to evaluate before committing.
The HT Score is a composite ranking that considers 4 criteria groups and over a dozen variables to help hoteliers objectively compare hotel technology products. Akia has an HT Score of 63 and ICG Software has 0. Here is how the score is calculated.
| Criteria Group | Weight | What It Measures |
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| Customer Ratings & Reviews |
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How highly do users recommend this product? Ratings Score, Review Volume, Share of Voice, Review Depth, Review Recency, Success Stories ▾ The most heavily weighted factor. Analyzes average satisfaction ratings (likelihood to recommend, ease of use, support, ROI), total review count relative to category peers, review recency (at least 20 reviews in the trailing 6 months), and share of voice across unique hotel clients to detect selection bias. |
| Partner Ecosystem |
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How highly do tech partners recommend this company? Partner Recommendations, Integration Quantity, Integration Quality ▾ Evaluates partner recommendations as expert votes of confidence, the number of verified integrations, and ecosystem quality — the average HT Scores of integration partners. Products with higher-quality integration ecosystems are more likely to deliver a connected tech stack. |
| Customer Centricity |
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How customer-centric is this organization? Certified Support, Review Consistency, Profile Completeness ▾ Assesses whether the company has earned HTR Customer Support Certification, maintains consistent review collection over time (an indicator of feedback-driven culture), and keeps product profiles complete with capabilities, screenshots, pricing, and features. |
| Reach, Staying Power & Resources |
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How extensive is this company's reach and resourcing? Geographic Reach, Staying Power, Company Resources, Trending Score ▾ Measures global presence (countries and regions served), years in business as a stability proxy, team headcount as a resource proxy, and a trending score based on trailing-twelve-month buyer inquiries, reviews, partner recommendations, and press activity. |
Customer ratings and reviews are by far the most important factor in the HT Score algorithm. HTR does not accept payment for higher rankings. All reviews are verified — only hotel industry practitioners with confirmed affiliations can submit ratings. View full HT Score methodology →
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