Amadeus – iHotelier® Booking Engine vs. Olive Booking Engine:
Which Is Right for You?

The Decision

Choosing between Amadeus – iHotelier® Booking Engine and Olive hinges on your hotel's specific needs, budget, and strategic priorities. Both products aim to boost direct bookings but differ significantly in market presence, features, and user feedback. Your decision should focus on the level of integration, customization, and support your team requires, as well as the importance of recent reviews and proven track records.

Amadeus offers a robust, globally recognized platform with extensive integrations and a longstanding market presence. Olive, by contrast, is newer, with a focus on AI-driven guest experiences, but lacks the extensive review data and integration footprint. Which aligns better with your hotel’s growth aspirations?

Is Amadeus or Olive Better for Hotels?

Amadeus dominates in review volume and recency, with 93 reviews in the last six months and a 4.39/5 overall rating, signaling strong current user satisfaction. Olive has no recent reviews or ratings, making it difficult to evaluate its current performance or user sentiment.

Amadeus provides a comprehensive set of features, including multi-language support, multi-currency, and integrations with 104 partners. Olive offers only one unique feature—room substitutions—and lacks the broader feature set, which raises questions about its scalability and versatility.

Are you prioritizing a well-established platform with proven features and widespread support, or are you exploring newer solutions with innovative guest engagement tools but limited feedback?

Amadeus vs Olive: Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If your hotel needs a proven, feature-rich booking engine with extensive integrations, go with Amadeus. It suits mid-to-large properties that prioritize reliability, market intelligence, and a broad ecosystem of partners, especially if you value features like multi-currency, multi-lingual support, and targeted marketing tools.

If your hotel is a smaller operation testing AI-driven guest experiences or seeking a straightforward, innovative booking platform without a large support ecosystem, Olive might appeal. However, without recent reviews, its long-term reliability and support remain uncertain.

For established hotels aiming for revenue growth through advanced integrations and analytics, Amadeus is the clearer choice. For startups or boutique hotels experimenting with guest personalization, Olive presents an intriguing but unproven option.

Is Amadeus or Olive Easier to Use?

Amadeus scores 4.25/5 for ease of use and offers a well-rated onboarding process at 4.01/5, reflecting its polished UI and comprehensive training options. Users praise its intuitive reservation handling, though some mention complexity in advanced features.

Olive has no publicly available review scores or user feedback, making it impossible to assess usability. Given its status as a newer product with limited user feedback, confidence in its ease of use remains low.

Edge: Amadeus.

Which Has Better Features: Amadeus or Olive?

Amadeus boasts 21 shared features with other booking engines plus 15 unique functionalities, such as pre- and post-stay emails, multi-room bookings, GDPR compliance, and integrations with Google Hotel Ads and TripAdvisor. Its feature set supports complex revenue management and guest engagement strategies.

Olive offers only one distinct feature—room substitutions—focusing on a simplified, AI-enhanced guest experience. However, it lacks the depth and variety found in Amadeus, which could limit its applicability for hotels requiring advanced marketing, multi-language, or multi-currency support.

Edge: Amadeus.

Which Has Better Customer Support: Amadeus or Olive?

Amadeus has a customer support rating of 3.22/5, with mixed reviews. Some hoteliers praise the responsiveness, but many report slow responses and inconsistent support quality, which can hinder operations.

Olive provides no recent reviews or support ratings, making it impossible to evaluate its customer service. The lack of feedback is a concern for hoteliers who depend on reliable support for operational continuity.

Edge: Amadeus.

Which Has More Integrations: Amadeus or Olive?

Amadeus integrates with 104 verified partners, including major PMS, GDS, and channel management systems, offering extensive connectivity and flexibility. Shared partners include Oracle Hospitality and Stayntouch, ensuring compatibility with most hotel tech stacks.

Olive has only 2 verified integrations, with no evidence of a broad ecosystem. This limited integration capacity may restrict your hotel’s ability to connect with other operational systems or leverage existing technology investments.

Edge: Amadeus.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: Amadeus or Olive?

Amadeus’s overall rating of 4.39/5 is based on substantial recent reviews, with an 87% likelihood to recommend. Independent, boutique, and branded hotels rate it highly, often citing its functionality and revenue growth potential.

Olive lacks recent reviews altogether, making meaningful comparison impossible. Its undisclosed user sentiment means you cannot confidently gauge user satisfaction or property segment suitability.

Edge: Amadeus.

How Much Do Amadeus and Olive Cost?

Amadeus does not publicly disclose pricing details; generally, it operates on a quote-based model, often requiring a setup fee and monthly charges per room or site. Its enterprise-level solutions tend to be more costly but offer extensive features.

Olive’s pricing is similarly undisclosed, with no trial or freemium options available, suggesting a potentially high investment threshold for a newer product lacking proven performance metrics.

In both cases, you'll need direct vendor engagement to determine exact costs.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Amadeus?

• Hotels seeking a reliable, feature-rich booking engine integrated into a broad ecosystem.
• Hotels that prioritize multi-language, multi-currency support, and advanced marketing tools.
• Properties aiming for extensive market intelligence and revenue management.
• Teams that value comprehensive analytics and integrations with GDS, PMS, and OTAs.

Not ideal if your hotel is very small, budget-focused, or prefers a simple, minimal solution without extensive support.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Olive?

• Hotels experimenting with AI-powered guest experiences and personalized merchandising.
• Small or boutique properties looking for a straightforward booking platform with room substitution options.
• Teams eager to explore innovative technology in guest engagement.
• Hotels with limited existing integrations and lower complexity needs.

Not ideal if you require proven scalability, extensive integrations, or comprehensive support, or if you prefer a platform with significant user feedback.

The Bottom Line for Hotels

Amadeus offers an established, feature-packed booking engine with a large market presence, extensive integrations, and a track record of positive reviews. Its weaknesses include some customer support inconsistencies and a complex interface for advanced features, but its proven reliability and depth make it suitable for larger or growth-oriented hotels.

Olive, by contrast, is a newer entrant focusing on AI-driven guest experiences and personalization. Its lack of recent reviews, limited integrations, and untested support make it a riskier choice for hotels seeking stability and proven performance. It might appeal to innovative properties eager to experiment but isn't recommended for those valuing support and reliability.

If your hotel needs a dependable, well-supported platform with extensive features, Amadeus is the clearer choice. For hotels prioritizing cutting-edge guest engagement and willing to accept the uncertainty, Olive could be worth exploring, though caution is advised.