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 70 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:
alliants shines in onboarding , with exclusive features like Mobile Checkin and Guest Profiles.
Crave Interactive shines when it comes to customer service — especially for brand properties (5.0/5) , with exclusive features like Credit Card Payments and Payments Integrations.
Side-by-side ratings based on 70 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
| HTScore |
|
|
| Likelihood to Recommend |
|
|
| Ease of Use |
|
|
| Customer Support |
|
|
| Value for Money |
|
|
| Starting Price | From $200/mo | From $400/mo |
| Verified Reviews | 3 | 67 |
After analyzing 70 verified reviews, alliants users most value its , while Crave Interactive users highlight customer service, user interface, customization. Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
|
|
|
|---|---|
| Pros | |
|
+
Customer service
▾
|
|
|
+
User interface
▾
|
|
|
+
Customization
▾
|
|
|
+
Guest communication
▾
|
|
| Cons | |
|
−
Hardware issues
▾
|
|
|
−
Seamless system integration
▾
|
|
|
−
Back-end system
▾
|
|
How each product ranks among Hotel Guest Apps vendors for different property sizes, types, and regions — based on verified reviews from hoteliers in each segment.
By Hotel Size
| Segment |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #27 1 reviews | #6 13 reviews |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #29 2 reviews | #9 26 reviews |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | — | #4 14 reviews |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) ▾ | — | #5 7 reviews |
By Property Type
| Segment |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Boutique ▾ | #30 2 reviews | #6 26 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | #25 3 reviews | #5 31 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | — | #4 27 reviews |
| Extended Stay | — | #10 2 reviews |
By Region
| Segment |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| North America ▾ | #26 0 reviews | #4 26 reviews |
| Europe ▾ | #21 3 reviews | #8 31 reviews |
| Asia Pacific | — | #8 2 reviews |
| Middle East | — | #8 1 reviews |
Choosing the right hotel guest app can dramatically influence guest satisfaction, operational efficiency, and revenue. Alliants Guest App by Alliants and Crave Mobile Platform by Crave Interactive both aim to enhance guest engagement—yet they approach this goal differently. Alliants focuses on unified communication and digital itineraries, while Crave emphasizes service automation through a broad set of features and integrations. Which solution aligns best with your hotel’s operational needs and guest expectations?
Both products solve core hospitality challenges: improving guest communication and streamlining service delivery. Alliants offers a highly customizable, chat-based experience with multilingual support, suited for hotels prioritizing personalized communication. Crave provides comprehensive service automation, especially for food and beverage, with a focus on ease of access across the property. Are you leaning toward a communication-centric approach or an integrated service platform?
If your hotel needs a versatile guest communication solution that supports multiple messaging channels, Alliants is the stronger choice. Its ability to unify conversations, offer real-time translation, and generate digital itineraries makes it ideal for properties seeking to elevate guest engagement and personalization.
Conversely, if your focus is on operational automation—particularly food, beverage, and service requests—Crave is more suitable. Its extensive feature set, including in-app ordering, contactless payments, and hardware integrations, helps streamline service delivery and boost ancillary sales.
Your decision should hinge on whether your hotel prioritizes communication or operational automation. Are your guests more likely to engage via messaging platforms, or do you want to automate more services within the property?
If your hotel needs a guest app that emphasizes communication, multilingual support, and itinerary management, go with Alliants. Its high overall rating of 5/5 and recent review activity reflect a strong user base and up-to-date features, especially in contactless check-in/out and messaging integrations.
If operational automation and service speed are your priorities, Crave’s platform, with a 4.75/5 rating and a broader feature set, is the better fit. Its capabilities in in-venue ordering, contactless payments, and hardware integration make it ideal for hotels aiming to boost service efficiency and revenue.
For properties focused on guest communication and personalized experiences, Alliants leads. For those seeking integrated service automation, Crave remains the more comprehensive choice.
Alliants scores slightly higher in ease of use at 4.67/5 compared to Crave’s 4.61/5, with both platforms receiving strong user feedback. Alliants’ onboarding process is rated 5/5, praised for its clarity and support, especially for teams new to guest apps.
Crave’s interface is well-liked for its simplicity, but some users note that menu customization can be complex, suggesting room for improvement. Both platforms are intuitive, but Alliants’ focus on user-friendly communication tools makes it marginally easier for staff to adopt quickly.
Edge: Alliants.
Crave offers 16 unique features, including in-venue ordering, contactless payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay, NFC, and POS integration. Its extensive feature set targets operational automation and seamless guest service across multiple touchpoints.
Alliants provides 11 unique features, such as smart vendor database, package management, mobile check-in, guest profiles, and multi-channel messaging, focusing on personalized communication and itinerary management.
While Crave boasts more features overall, Alliants’s features are highly specialized for guest engagement and communication. For a hotel prioritizing guest messaging and itinerary customization, Alliants is the stronger pick.
Edge: Crave Interactive.
Alliants’ customer support scores a perfect 5/5, with reviews highlighting quick response times and ongoing support. Users appreciate their proactive engagement and technical expertise, often praising their quick issue resolution and helpful onboarding.
Crave’s support, rated 4.79/5, is also highly regarded, with reviews emphasizing fast, helpful responses and dedicated service teams. Some users note the back-end system could benefit from modernization, but overall, support remains strong.
Edge: Alliants.
Crave’s platform integrates with 17 verified partners, including major hotel systems like Infor, ALICE, and POS providers, supporting a wide range of operational needs. Alliants offers 13 verified integrations, including key partners such as Oracle Hospitality and Unifocus.
Both platforms support critical integrations, but Crave’s broader partner network makes it slightly more versatile for hotels with diverse tech stacks. For extensive operational integration needs, Crave has the edge.
Edge: Crave Interactive.
Alliants holds a perfect 5/5 rating from its three recent reviews, with a 97% likelihood to recommend and high satisfaction across all metrics. Its recent reviews highlight its engaging communication, real-time updates, and operational support.
Crave’s rating is slightly lower at 4.75/5 from 48 reviews, with a 93% recommendation rate. Its reviews praise user-friendliness, quick support, and feature richness but note some hardware durability concerns.
For recent, consistent positive feedback, Alliants is the clearer choice. Its small but highly rated review base indicates strong user satisfaction.
Edge: Alliants.
Alliants’ pricing starts at a flat fee of $200, with no freemium or per-room charges, making it predictable and straightforward. Crave’s base price is $400, also without additional monthly or implementation fees.
Though Alliants is more affordable upfront, consider the value of features and support when choosing. Both options lack trial periods, so evaluate based on your specific needs and budget.
Not ideal if your hotel’s primary goal is operational automation for food, beverage, and in-room services.
Not ideal if your focus is on personalized guest communication or itinerary management.
Alliants and Crave serve distinct hotel needs. Alliants excels in guest communication, multilingual support, and digital itineraries, making it ideal for hotels emphasizing guest engagement and personalized service. Crave shines in operational automation, food and beverage service, and integrated hardware support, perfect for properties looking to maximize service speed and revenue.
If your hotel’s priority is enhancing guest communication and creating memorable, customized experiences, Alliants is the right choice. For hotels seeking to automate in-venue services, reduce manual errors, and increase sales through operational tools, Crave is the more suitable platform.
Ultimately, your choice depends on whether your hotel aims to elevate guest engagement or streamline operations—both are capable solutions, but only one will perfectly match your strategic goals.
Hotel Guest Apps 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.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $200/mo | From $400/mo |
According to HTR's product database, Alliants Guest App and Crave Mobile Platform share 9 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
| Feature |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Apple Pay | ||
| Credit Card Payments | ||
| Digital Menu | ||
| Hotel branded confirmations & recommendations | ||
| In-Venue Ordering | ||
| Package Management & Tracking | ||
| QR Codes | ||
| Request Management | ||
| Reservations | ||
| Smart Vendor Database | ||
| Transportation | ||
| Web Based (Appless) |
Showing top differences. 15 more features differ between these products.
Unique capabilities
What hoteliers love
Crave Interactive provides exceptional customer service with quick response times and helpful support staff. Hoteliers appreciate the efficient and pr... Crave Interactive provides exceptional customer service with quick response times and helpful support staff. Hoteliers appreciate the efficient and proactive support, which helps in resolving issues promptly.
While the user interface is appreciated for being user-friendly and intuitive for guests, some feedback suggests it could be more modern and customiza... While the user interface is appreciated for being user-friendly and intuitive for guests, some feedback suggests it could be more modern and customizable to better fit individual hotel needs.
Customization options, especially for menu updates and guest interfaces, are limited and often require support from Crave Interactive's team. Users ex... Customization options, especially for menu updates and guest interfaces, are limited and often require support from Crave Interactive's team. Users express a desire for more control over customizations.
Where hoteliers push back
Several reviews mentioned concerns with the hardware, specifically tablet durability and charging difficulties. These issues can affect overall effici... Several reviews mentioned concerns with the hardware, specifically tablet durability and charging difficulties. These issues can affect overall efficiency and guest satisfaction when using the system.
The system's integration with other hotel management systems, such as Simphony and PMS, is highlighted for making operations smoother and reducing man... The system's integration with other hotel management systems, such as Simphony and PMS, is highlighted for making operations smoother and reducing manual entry. This has been particularly beneficial during large events and for managing room services efficiently.
Ranks higher for
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Alliants Guest App and Crave Mobile Platform share many core Hotel Guest Apps features, but each has unique capabilities. Alliants Guest App offers 13 verified integration partners, while Crave Mobile Platform offers 17. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Alliants Guest App leads in ease of use at 4.7/5 vs 4.6/5. 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.
Alliants Guest App: No. Crave Mobile Platform: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Hotel Guest Apps 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. alliants has an HT Score of 0 and Crave Interactive has 75. Here is how the score is calculated.
| Criteria Group | Weight | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Ratings & Reviews |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 →
Product recommendations advisor