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 150 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 when it comes to instant messaging and overall communication — especially for brand properties (4.9/5) , with exclusive features like SMS text messaging and Mobile App.
Reguest shines when it comes to communication efficiency , with exclusive features like Interface Personalization.
Side-by-side ratings based on 150 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | From $500/mo | Contact sales |
| Verified Reviews | 121 | 29 |
After analyzing 150 verified reviews, Akia users most value its instant messaging and overall communication, ai auto-responses, guest feedback and reviews, while Reguest users highlight communication efficiency, user-friendly interface, customization and flexibility. Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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Instant Messaging and Overall Communication
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Communication Efficiency
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AI Auto-Responses
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User-Friendly Interface
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Guest Feedback and Reviews
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Customization and Flexibility
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Pre-registration and Contactless Check-in
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Customer Support
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Virtual Assistant Errors
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Statistics and Reporting
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Credit Card Authorization
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Modular and Template Limitations
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Mobile Accessibility
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How each product ranks among Guest Messaging Software vendors for different property sizes, types, and regions — based on verified reviews from hoteliers in each segment.
By Hotel Size
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| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #5 46 reviews | #9 11 reviews |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #9 54 reviews | #16 13 reviews |
| Large (75-199 rooms) | #16 4 reviews | — |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) ▾ | #10 5 reviews | — |
By Property Type
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| Boutique ▾ | #9 46 reviews | #15 11 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | #11 21 reviews | #15 10 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #10 36 reviews | #23 4 reviews |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #6 15 reviews | #12 5 reviews |
By Region
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| North America ▾ | #3 119 reviews | — |
| Europe ▾ | — | #6 28 reviews |
When evaluating guest messaging platforms, your hotel needs a solution that improves communication efficiency, enhances guest satisfaction, and integrates smoothly with existing systems. Akia by Akia and ReGuest Guest Communication both target these areas but differ significantly in their approach, features, and market presence.
Akia focuses on AI-powered automation and offers a broader set of functionalities tailored to streamline guest interactions, while ReGuest emphasizes its advanced CRM capabilities and omnichannel communication. The key question is: which platform aligns best with your hotel's specific needs and operational goals?
Both Akia and ReGuest aim to elevate guest communication, but their strengths lie in different areas. Akia's core advantage is its automation, AI-driven responses, and extensive integrations, which help hotels reduce manual workload and increase upsell opportunities. ReGuest, on the other hand, excels in its CRM capabilities and omnichannel messaging, making it ideal for hotels prioritizing personalized guest engagement and data-driven marketing.
Akia boasts a higher overall rating (4.93/5 vs. ReGuest's 0/5 based on limited reviews), with more recent feedback indicating strong user satisfaction. Its 113 reviews show a more established presence and a proven track record, whereas ReGuest's 29 reviews are older and less current. This difference affects confidence in their reliability and ongoing support.
Are you seeking a platform with automated guest interactions that minimize staff workload? Or do you need a robust CRM that consolidates all guest communication channels into one organized inbox? Your choice hinges on these priorities.
If your hotel needs a user-friendly, AI-powered platform that automates guest messaging, offers mobile check-in, and integrates with multiple systems, go with Akia. Its extensive feature set—like message routing, SMS, Facebook Messenger integration, and digital upsell tools—makes it suitable for hotels aiming to deliver contactless, personalized experiences efficiently.
ReGuest is better suited if your focus is on sophisticated CRM with omnichannel communication, especially if your team wants a centralized inbox that manages email, WhatsApp, and other messaging channels. Its modular system supports tailored messaging workflows, ideal for hotels that prioritize personalized marketing and guest loyalty programs.
For hotels with smaller teams or those new to guest messaging, Akia's automation features may significantly reduce staff workload. Conversely, larger hotels or brands that need detailed data and customer profiling might prefer ReGuest's CRM-driven approach.
Akia's reviews highlight its intuitive interface, with a user rating of 4.84/5, and praise for its flexible guest and staff apps. Users find Akia straightforward, especially in managing automated responses and pre-arrival communication, with onboarding rated at 4.66/5. Its real-time communication dashboard and mobile apps facilitate staff adoption, making daily operations smoother.
ReGuest's interface also scores highly at 4.97/5 for ease of use, with users appreciating its clean, organized inbox and customization options. Its onboarding process is slightly higher-rated at 4.85/5, reflecting a smooth setup experience for staff.
Edge: Akia. Its recent reviews emphasize its simplicity and quick onboarding, critical for hotels seeking rapid deployment.
Akia offers an expansive feature set with 37 shared features plus 22 unique functionalities, including desktop app, message routing, SMS, Facebook Messenger, guest reviews campaigns, sentiment analysis, and self-learning NLP. Its ability to add menus, upsell tracking, and digital document scanning provides a comprehensive engagement toolkit.
ReGuest provides core CRM functionalities with 37 shared features and one unique feature: interface personalization. Its strengths lie in omnichannel inbox management, AI-driven guest communication, and customizable workflows, ideal for hotels seeking tailored guest interactions.
While Akia's feature count and AI capabilities are more extensive, ReGuest's modular and personalization features cater to hotels emphasizing customization and targeted marketing.
Edge: Akia, given its broader, more advanced feature set and AI tools.
Akia's support ratings are solid at 4.84/5, with reviewers mentioning its helpful onboarding and responsive team, though some note integration challenges. Users praise the platform's ongoing updates and AI improvements, which enhance user confidence.
ReGuest's customer support scores even higher at 4.97/5, with many reviewers citing exceptional responsiveness and support quality. Users appreciate the proactive assistance, especially given ReGuest's complex customization options.
Edge: ReGuest. Its higher ratings and positive feedback suggest more reliable support, especially important for hotels requiring extensive setup assistance.
Akia integrates with 32 verified partners, including major systems like Stayntouch, Mews, and SiteMinder, and offers unique integrations such as RoomRaccoon and WebRezPro. Its extensive partner network supports a wide range of property management and booking systems, reducing operational friction.
ReGuest connects with 20 verified partners, including popular platforms like Expedia, Tiolr, and Casamba. Its integrations primarily focus on hotel-specific CRMs and booking engines, but it has fewer options compared to Akia.
Edge: Akia. Its larger partner network provides more flexibility and easier integration with your existing tech stack.
Akia's overall rating of 4.93/5 based on 113 reviews makes it the more trusted choice among hoteliers. Recent reviews praise its ease of use, automation, and guest satisfaction improvements, especially for boutique and independent hotels.
ReGuest, with 29 older reviews and a rating of 0/5, lacks recent feedback and a broader user base. Its niche appeal is clear, but its ratings suggest it’s less proven in the current hotel environment.
Edge: Akia. The volume and recency of reviews make it the more reliable and highly-rated platform.
Akia charges a flat $500 monthly fee, with no free tier or trial information available. Its pricing is straightforward but may be a consideration for smaller properties with limited budgets.
ReGuest’s pricing is not publicly listed, indicating a possibly bespoke quote based on hotel size and features. Expect higher costs given its modular setup and extensive customization options.
If predictable budgeting is essential, Akia offers clarity with its flat fee. For larger hotels or those seeking tailored solutions, ReGuest’s pricing model might reflect the added flexibility.
Not ideal if your hotel relies heavily on detailed customer profiling or requires deep CRM customization without technical support.
Not ideal if your hotel prefers a more automated, AI-centric platform or has limited IT resources for customization.
Akia specializes in AI-powered automation, offering an extensive feature set designed to streamline operations and enhance guest experiences. Its proven record, recent high ratings, and broad integrations make it the clear choice for hotels seeking efficiency and simplicity.
ReGuest excels in its advanced CRM capabilities, omnichannel communication, and customization options, making it suitable for hotels prioritizing personalized marketing and detailed guest management. Its higher support ratings and flexible platform appeal to larger properties with dedicated staff.
If your hotel values automation, quick onboarding, and proven performance, go with Akia. If a tailored, multi-channel CRM with extensive customization is your priority, ReGuest might be the better fit.
In conclusion, Akia’s more recent reviews, larger user base, and higher overall rating position it as the more dependable choice for most hotels today.
According to HTR's product database, Akia and ReGuest Guest Communication share 37 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
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| Desktop App (non-web based) | ||
| Facebook Messenger Integration | ||
| Interface Personalization | ||
| Message Routing | ||
| Mobile App | ||
| SMS text messaging | ||
| TripAdvisor Review Partner |
Showing top differences. 11 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
Users frequently praised Akia's messaging capabilities, highlighting how it allows for seamless communication with guests for requests, check-ins, and... Users frequently praised Akia's messaging capabilities, highlighting how it allows for seamless communication with guests for requests, check-ins, and problem resolution. Many noted that being able to handle everything via text improves efficiency and guest interaction.
Akia's AI-driven automatic responses received mixed reviews. While appreciated for handling simple queries and saving time, some users noted inaccurac... Akia's AI-driven automatic responses received mixed reviews. While appreciated for handling simple queries and saving time, some users noted inaccuracies and inappropriate replies that required follow-up human intervention. There were calls for better learning algorithms and easy ways to report unsatisfactory responses.
Akia has been effective in garnering immediate feedback from guests both during and after their stay. Users reported that this real-time communication... Akia has been effective in garnering immediate feedback from guests both during and after their stay. Users reported that this real-time communication helps address issues promptly, leading to improved online reviews and guest satisfaction scores.
Where hoteliers push back
Approximately half of the reviewers reported minor frustrations with the chatbot feature, which sometimes misinterprets guest questions and sends inap... Approximately half of the reviewers reported minor frustrations with the chatbot feature, which sometimes misinterprets guest questions and sends inappropriate responses. These inaccuracies necessitate manual oversight and intervention.
Several reviews emphasized the need for improved credit card authorization features. Users mentioned that currently, they need to rely on third-party... Several reviews emphasized the need for improved credit card authorization features. Users mentioned that currently, they need to rely on third-party solutions for secure capture and processing of credit card transactions.
Ranks higher for
Unique capabilities
What hoteliers love
ReGuest stands out for its efficient chat functions, allowing quick and intuitive guest communication which simplifies operations and enhances guest s... ReGuest stands out for its efficient chat functions, allowing quick and intuitive guest communication which simplifies operations and enhances guest satisfaction.
The platform is acknowledged for its user-friendly interface, with quick, intuitive handling and a motivating design that is appreciated by many users... The platform is acknowledged for its user-friendly interface, with quick, intuitive handling and a motivating design that is appreciated by many users.
ReGuest's modular system offers flexibility and personalization but increases costs, which is a concern for some users.
Where hoteliers push back
The system provides clear and fast statistics, although some users wish for more detailed analyses, particularly of specific messages.
While offering some customizable options, the platform has limited self-implementing features and intuitive setup for new templates.
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Akia and ReGuest Guest Communication share many core Guest Messaging Software features, but each has unique capabilities. Akia offers 32 verified integration partners, while ReGuest Guest Communication offers 20. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Akia leads in ease of use at 4.9/5 vs 4.8/5. 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: No. ReGuest Guest Communication: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Guest Messaging Software 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 67 and Reguest has 76. 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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