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 1,561 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:
Altitude shines .
Canary Technologies shines in ease of use and customer support — especially for independent properties (4.9/5) , with exclusive features like Network security and Threat lifecycle management.
Side-by-side ratings based on 1,561 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
| HTScore |
|
|
| Likelihood to Recommend |
|
|
| Ease of Use |
|
|
| Customer Support |
|
|
| Value for Money |
|
|
| Starting Price | From $500/mo | From $300/mo |
| Verified Reviews | 0 | 1,561 |
After analyzing 1,561 verified reviews, Altitude users most value its , while Canary Technologies users highlight contactless check-in and pre-arrival registration, guest messaging and broadcasts, upsells and ancillary revenue. Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
|
|
|
|---|---|
| Pros | |
|
+
Contactless check-in and pre-arrival registration
▾
|
|
|
+
Guest messaging and broadcasts
▾
|
|
|
+
Upsells and ancillary revenue
▾
|
|
|
+
Digital authorizations and payment collection
▾
|
|
| Cons | |
|
−
PMS and third-party integrations
▾
|
|
|
−
AI messaging and automated replies
▾
|
|
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 |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | — | #2 98 reviews |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | — | #1 1042 reviews |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | — | #1 228 reviews |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) ▾ | — | #1 105 reviews |
By Property Type
| Segment |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Boutique ▾ | — | #1 727 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | — | #1 573 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | — | #1 680 reviews |
| Extended Stay ▾ | — | #1 116 reviews |
By Region
| Segment |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| North America ▾ | — | #1 1308 reviews |
| Europe ▾ | — | #3 65 reviews |
| Asia Pacific ▾ | — | #1 27 reviews |
| Middle East ▾ | — | #2 11 reviews |
Choosing between Altitude by Altitude and Canary Contactless Check-In hinges on your hotel’s specific needs. Both solutions aim to streamline check-in procedures, but Altitude offers a broader guest experience platform, while Canary specializes in contactless check-in and guest messaging. Your decision depends on whether your focus is on comprehensive property management or a targeted guest arrival process.
Altitude aims to replace clunky processes and improve back-of-house operations, but it lacks recent reviews or high ratings. Canary, on the other hand, boasts over 1,391 reviews with recent feedback that underscores its effectiveness. So, which platform truly benefits your hotel today?
Altitude promises a modular, cloud-based platform designed specifically for accommodation operators, providing tools like guest apps, self-service kiosks, and in-room apps. However, its zero ratings and reviews signal a lack of recent user feedback or proven efficacy.
Canary Contactless Check-In, with a 4.68/5 rating from over 1,391 reviews and a recent uptick of 368 reviews in the last six months, demonstrates strong, current user satisfaction. Its highly positive reviews emphasize ease of use, security, and revenue boosts, making it a clear front-runner.
Both products address guest check-in and communication, but Canary’s well-established reputation and active user base mean it’s proven to deliver consistent results today. Do you want a platform with a long-established track record or a less documented solution?
If your hotel prioritizes a quick, secure contactless check-in solution with proven ROI, go with Canary. Its features like digital check-in, fraud prevention, and upselling, combined with a high review score, make it ideal for hotels seeking immediate results.
Altitude may appeal if your hotel needs a broad property management system that includes guest apps, operational management, and modular features, especially if you prioritize future scalability. But, given its lack of recent reviews and ratings, Canary offers a more reliable, current solution for hotels focused on contactless check-in and guest engagement today.
Canary’s user rating of 4.82/5 from over 1,391 reviews and recent positive comments about its intuitive interface highlight its ease of implementation and staff adoption. Guests and staff alike find it straightforward, with many reviews praising its quick setup and simple guest experience.
Altitude, with no current ratings or reviews, offers a platform that might be feature-rich on paper but lacks user feedback to confirm ease of use. Its lack of recent validation suggests it’s less tested for user friendliness today.
Edge: Canary Contactless Check-In.
Canary offers 19 shared features and 7 exclusive features, including network security, threat lifecycle management, PCI compliance, and automatic translations—features vital for security and multilingual needs. Its upsell capabilities, guest messaging, and fraud prevention are highly rated.
Altitude features over 100 modular guest experience tools like online check-in, mobile keys, live chat, and back-of-house management but has no unique features listed. Its feature set appears broad but unverified with recent user feedback.
Edge: Canary Contactless Check-In.
Canary’s recent reviews reflect a 4.69/5 customer support rating, with users citing quick responses and helpful onboarding. Testimonials mention support as a key part of their satisfaction, especially for small hotels and boutique properties.
Altitude, however, has no available ratings or recent reviews, making it impossible to assess support quality. Lack of current feedback suggests it may not be as reliable or responsive today.
Edge: Canary Contactless Check-In.
Canary integrates with 54 verified partners, including major PMS and booking platforms, with 10 shared integrations such as SiteMinder, Stripe, and Cloudbeds. This extensive network allows flexibility across diverse hotel tech stacks.
Altitude offers 17 verified partners, with several integrations in revenue management, PMS, and guest experience, but fewer overall. The broader integration ecosystem favors Canary for hotels seeking variety and depth.
Edge: Canary Contactless Check-In.
Canary’s 4.68/5 rating from 1,247 reviews and recent feedback indicate strong, current satisfaction across hotel types, especially boutique and branded hotels. Hotels like Dream Hollywood and The Wigwam report increased revenue and guest satisfaction.
Altitude has no reviews or ratings, making it impossible to gauge current hoteliers’ opinions. Based on recent data, Canary is clearly the more highly rated solution today.
Edge: Canary Contactless Check-In.
Altitude’s pricing starts at $500 per month, with no free trial or freemium options listed. Its cost structure suggests a premium, potentially scalable solution, but details on ROI are unverified.
Canary’s base price is $300 per month, also without a trial, but its competitive pricing paired with proven ROI and recent reviews justify its value. The lower starting price makes it more accessible for small to mid-sized hotels.
Not ideal if your hotel prioritizes quick deployment of a contactless check-in solution or needs recent user validation.
Not ideal if your hotel needs a broad property management system or has complex, non-standard operational processes requiring a customizable platform.
Canary’s core strength lies in its proven, high-rated contactless check-in and guest management system, backed by a large, recent review base. It offers seamless implementation, security, and revenue-enhancing features that align with modern hotel needs.
Altitude promises a comprehensive platform designed to replace traditional processes and handle back-of-house operations, but its lack of recent validation makes it less reliable for immediate deployment. For hotels seeking a trusted, current solution, Canary is the clear choice.
If your hotel needs a fast, secure, and well-supported contactless check-in platform that boosts guest satisfaction and revenue, go with Canary Contactless Check-In.
If you require a broad, modular property management system with extensive operational tools for future growth, consider Altitude, but be aware of its limited recent user feedback.
In summary, for today’s hotel environments, Canary offers a safer, more proven investment, while Altitude may be better suited for long-term, large-scale operational upgrades when user validation becomes available.
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.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $500/mo | From $300/mo |
These are the features each vendor has configured, organized by feature group — the same data shown in the vendor dashboard. Expand a group to compare features side by side.
| Feature |
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
▾
Pre-Arrival & Check-in
|
|
|
| Hotel Website Check-in Portal | ||
| Lobby Kiosk | ||
| Self Service Checkout | ||
| Self Service Checkin | ||
| Device Agnostic | ||
| Easy Room Selection | ||
|
▾
Information Collection
|
|
|
| Custom Questions | ||
| Terms & Conditions Signing | ||
| Marketing Communications Opt-in | ||
| Pre-regisration info collection | ||
| Document & Passport Scanning | ||
| ID Verification | ||
|
▾
Translations
|
|
|
| Automatic Translations | ||
| Multi-lingual | ||
|
▾
Payments & Authorization
|
|
|
| Registration Card E-signature | ||
| Collect Deposits | ||
| Payment & Authorizations | ||
| ID Verification | ||
| PCI Compliant | ||
|
▾
Mobile Key
|
|
|
| Door Lock Integration | ||
|
▾
Upgrades & Upselling
|
|
|
| Pre-arrival Upselling & Upgrades | ||
| Easy Room Selection | ||
|
▾
Other
|
|
|
| PMS Integration |
We analyzed 8 verified case studies to compare what hotels actually achieve with each platform across four key business objectives.
No published case study for this goal yet.
"In short, we’ve been able to improve the guest experience, eliminate fraud, and drive incremental revenue from upsells."
No published case study for this goal yet.
"Anytime a software works well and makes my life easier, I like it and Canary has done exactly that. I absolutely recommend the platform to all other hotel operators."
What hoteliers love
Reviewers most often praise Canary for letting guests complete check-in before arrival, which cuts lobby lines, shortens arrival time, and frees staff... Reviewers most often praise Canary for letting guests complete check-in before arrival, which cuts lobby lines, shortens arrival time, and frees staff from repetitive paperwork. Hotels say it is especially valuable during busy periods because guests can arrive, pick up keys, and move on quickly with less friction.
Hotels rely on Canary to text guests before, during, and after the stay, reducing phone calls and making responses faster and more personal. Broadcast... Hotels rely on Canary to text guests before, during, and after the stay, reducing phone calls and making responses faster and more personal. Broadcast messaging is repeatedly called out for mass updates such as emergencies, maintenance, weather issues, or operational notices.
A major value driver for Canary is monetizing the stay through room upgrades, early check-in, late checkout, pet fees, packages, and other add-ons. Re... A major value driver for Canary is monetizing the stay through room upgrades, early check-in, late checkout, pet fees, packages, and other add-ons. Reviewers repeatedly say the upsell flow creates meaningful incremental revenue while also making offers easier for guests to understand and accept.
Where hoteliers push back
Integration with Opera, SynXis, AutoClerk, Clover, and other systems is repeatedly mentioned as critical to reducing duplicate work. Where it works we... Integration with Opera, SynXis, AutoClerk, Clover, and other systems is repeatedly mentioned as critical to reducing duplicate work. Where it works well, reviewers praise automatic syncing of guest data, payments, and check-in status; where it fails, they note delays, mischarges, or fields not transferring cleanly.
AI is seen as useful for common guest questions and helping staff respond faster, but reviewers also flag tone, timing, and accuracy issues. The recur... AI is seen as useful for common guest questions and helping staff respond faster, but reviewers also flag tone, timing, and accuracy issues. The recurring request is for better controls so AI does not reply too quickly, answer incorrectly, or send messages after staff have already taken over.
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Altitude and Canary Contactless Check-In share many core Contactless Check-in features, but each has unique capabilities. Altitude offers 19 verified integration partners, while Canary Contactless Check-In offers 62. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Canary 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.
Altitude: No. Canary Contactless Check-In: 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. Altitude has an HT Score of 0 and Canary Technologies has 100. 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 →
Custom recommendations tailored to your property