Akia Marketing Suite vs. Smart Host CRM:
Which Is Right for You?

The Decision

When choosing a hotel CRM and email marketing platform, your goal is to find a solution that enhances guest engagement, streamlines communication, and increases bookings. Both Akia Marketing Suite and Smart Host CRM aim to fulfill these needs, but they approach the challenge differently. Akia focuses on guest messaging, mini-apps, and simplifying check-in processes, while Smart Host offers a comprehensive CRM with advanced segmentation, automation, and analytics. Which one aligns better with your hotel’s strategic priorities?

The key difference lies in their scope and maturity. Akia, founded in 2019, has a much smaller footprint with only one review and limited features, but high ease of use and customer support scores. Smart Host, established in 2017, has a proven track record with 217 reviews, a high rating, and extensive feature sets. So, which platform should you invest in?

Is Akia Marketing Suite or Smart Host CRM Better for Hotels?

Both Akia and Smart Host are designed to improve guest communication, but they diverge in their core strengths. Akia, with its focus on messaging, mini-apps, and experience management, excels at direct, personalized interactions through a simplified interface. It helps hotels reduce paper forms at check-in, upsell, and facilitate tipping, making it ideal for smaller or boutique properties prioritizing guest experience.

Smart Host, on the other hand, offers a full-fledged CRM with 29 unique features that enable detailed segmentation, automated campaigns, and comprehensive guest profiles. It’s a better fit for hotels that want to deeply harness guest data for targeted marketing, manage multiple properties, and analyze campaign performance. Does your hotel need a broad marketing automation platform or straightforward guest messaging?

Akia vs Smart Host: Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If your hotel needs a lightweight, easy-to-use platform to improve messaging, streamline check-in, and upsell with minimal training, Akia is the right choice. It boasts a perfect 5/5 review score, no recent complaints, and a highly positive customer feedback emphasizing its guest messaging and mini-app capabilities.

If your hotel requires a robust system for personalized marketing, segmentation, automation, and detailed analytics, Smart Host is the better option. It has over 200 reviews with a 4.87/5 support rating, highlighting its effectiveness in campaign management, guest profiling, and ROI. For larger or multi-property hotels aiming for sophisticated marketing, Smart Host is the superior fit.

Is Akia or Smart Host Easier to Use?

Akia scores 4/5 for ease of use, with reviews praising its straightforward setup and intuitive interface. Customers mention that Akia’s guest messaging and mini-apps are simple to implement and manage, even for smaller teams with limited technical expertise.

Smart Host outshines with a 4.7/5 rating for ease of use, supported by reviews that cite its user-friendly dashboard and efficient onboarding process. Users highlight its well-designed interface that simplifies complex tasks like segmentation and automation, though some note the system's extensive features can require a learning curve.

Edge: Smart Host.

Which Has Better Features: Akia or Smart Host?

Akia primarily offers messaging, mini-apps, and guest experience management, with no additional features listed. Its core strength is facilitating guest communication and simplifying check-in, upselling, and tipping processes.

Smart Host provides a comprehensive suite of 29 features, including a centralized data warehouse, guest profiles, segmentation, email marketing automation, A/B testing, GDPR compliance, loyalty segmentation, and open API integrations. It enables detailed targeting, automation, and analytics, making it suitable for complex marketing strategies.

Edge: Smart Host.

Which Has Better Customer Support: Akia or Smart Host?

Akia receives a perfect 5/5 customer support rating, with reviews emphasizing the friendliness, competence, and ease of onboarding. Customers report that Akia’s support team is responsive, helping them quickly resolve issues and maximize platform benefits.

Smart Host also boasts an outstanding 4.87/5 support rating, with reviews praising its proactive, knowledgeable, and client-focused team. Users appreciate the ongoing assistance and personalized guidance in leveraging the platform’s advanced features.

Edge: Akia.

Which Has More Integrations: Akia or Smart Host?

Akia connects to 32 verified partners, including major PMS and booking systems like Mews, WebRezPro, and innRoad, offering broad interoperability for hotels seeking flexible integrations.

Smart Host integrates with 25 partners, including Oracle Hospitality, PMS systems like protel and SuitePad, and booking platforms. While slightly fewer in total, it offers a rich set of integrations that support seamless data flow and multi-property management.

Edge: Akia.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: Akia or Smart Host?

Smart Host, with 217 reviews and recent feedback, consistently scores highly, especially among larger hotels, resorts, and brands. Its support and functionality are praised in recent reviews for enabling targeted campaigns and automation that boost revenue.

Akia, with only one review and no recent feedback, cannot be definitively rated by the hotelier community. Its high ease of use and support ratings suggest customer satisfaction but lack comparative data for other property types.

Edge: Smart Host.

How Much Do Akia and Smart Host Cost?

Akia does not list pricing publicly, indicating a possible custom quote or per-hotel fee structure. Its lack of a free tier or clear pricing model suggests it may be more suited for hotels prepared to invest in a tailored solution.

Smart Host’s base price is $900, with no mention of additional implementation fees or monthly charges. This pricing reflects its more comprehensive feature set and enterprise-level capabilities, making it a clear investment for hotels seeking detailed CRM automation.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Akia?

• Hotels that want a straightforward messaging platform to improve guest communication and check-in processes.
• Teams that prioritize guest experience, upselling, and operational efficiency without complex automation.
• Small boutique hotels or inns looking for an easy-to-implement solution with high support ratings.
• Hotels that focus on guest messaging and mini-apps to manage guest expectations and streamline operations.

Not ideal if...

• Your hotel requires advanced segmentation, automation, or detailed analytics.
• You need a multi-property CRM with centralized data management.
• Your team prefers extensive customization options for email marketing and newsletter design.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Smart Host?

• Hotels that seek a full CRM with guest profiles, segmentation, and automation features.
• Larger properties or chains managing multiple locations, needing centralized guest data.
• Hotels aiming to increase direct bookings through targeted campaigns and personalized communication.
• Teams that want detailed analytics and ROI tracking for marketing efforts.

Not ideal if...

• Your hotel is very small or only needs basic messaging capabilities.
• You seek a platform with a free plan or minimal upfront investment.
• Your team is new to CRM systems and prefers a simpler, less feature-rich interface.

The Bottom Line for Hotels

Smart Host and Akia serve different hotel needs. Akia excels at guest messaging, mini-apps, and operational simplicity, making it perfect for small properties prioritizing guest experience without heavy automation.

Smart Host provides a broad, data-driven CRM with automation, segmentation, and analytics, suitable for larger hotels or those focused on sophisticated marketing strategies. It is the preferred choice given its extensive reviews, recent feedback, and feature depth.

If your hotel needs a quick, user-friendly messaging tool to improve guest interaction, Akia is a strong candidate. However, if your goal is to develop a data-centric marketing engine that drives direct bookings and guest loyalty, Smart Host should be your choice.

Overall, for hotels looking for proven, well-supported solutions with recent positive reviews, Smart Host emerges as the more reliable and scalable option.