Aruba Central vs. Smart Host Messaging:
Which Is Right for You?

The Decision

Choosing between Aruba Central by HPE/Aruba and Smart Host Messaging by Smart Host GmbH hinges on your hotel’s specific needs. Aruba Central is primarily a network management platform, focusing on IT infrastructure, while Smart Host Messaging is a guest communication tool designed to improve guest engagement and operational efficiency. Both serve different core functions—are you looking to enhance guest communication or optimize your network? The decision boils down to your hotel’s primary challenge.

Given the review data, Smart Host Messaging outperforms Aruba Central in recent feedback, with 147 reviews compared to none for Aruba. The more recent reviews and higher ratings for Smart Host make it the stronger choice for hotels seeking guest messaging solutions. Are you ready to prioritize guest communication over network management solutions?

Is Aruba Central or Smart Host Messaging Better for Hotels?

Aruba Central, created for managing network infrastructure, offers visibility and control over wired and wireless networks. It aims to reduce complexity and operational costs for large-scale IT environments, making it ideal for tech-heavy hotels or properties with extensive network needs. Conversely, Smart Host Messaging solves communication challenges by centralizing guest interactions, automating campaigns, and providing analytics, which directly impacts guest satisfaction and revenue.

While Aruba Central provides real-time insights into network performance, it lacks guest-facing features and recent user feedback, as it has no current reviews. Smart Host Messaging, on the other hand, has a robust review base, with 147 reviews and a 9.4/10 NPS score, confirming its effectiveness and user satisfaction. Do you need a network management tool or a guest engagement platform?

Smart Host Messaging vs Aruba Central: Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If your hotel needs to improve guest engagement, automate communication, and gather actionable insights to increase bookings, go with Smart Host Messaging. Its 25 unique features, including behavioral campaigns, guest reviews, and omnichannel messaging, directly boost revenue and guest loyalty.

If your hotel’s primary concern is managing and securing network infrastructure across multiple properties, Aruba Central remains the go-to, especially for large hotels with complex IT setups. However, since Aruba Central has no recent reviews or ratings, its effectiveness remains unverified for your hotel’s guest communication needs.

For most hotels prioritizing guest communication, Smart Host Messaging is the clear winner due to its proven track record and extensive feature set.

Is Aruba Central or Smart Host Messaging Easier to Use?

Smart Host Messaging boasts a 4.72/5 ease-of-use rating from 147 reviews, with users praising its intuitive interface, straightforward setup, and quick adoption. Support and onboarding are equally highly rated at 4.86/5 and 4.6/5 respectively, with reviews emphasizing friendly, prompt customer service.

Aruba Central, however, has a 0/5 rating for ease of use, reflecting a lack of user feedback and likely complexity inherent in network management systems. Its interface and onboarding experience are unverified, making it harder for hotel staff unfamiliar with IT infrastructure to adopt.

Edge: Smart Host Messaging.

Which Has Better Features: Aruba Central or Smart Host Messaging?

Smart Host Messaging offers 25 features tailored to guest communication, including behavioral campaigns, automated workflows, guest reviews, and integrations with WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and SMS. These capabilities help increase guest loyalty, streamline marketing, and gather data-driven insights. In contrast, Aruba Central provides no publicly listed features, focusing solely on network management, with no tailored tools for guest engagement.

Smart Host’s diverse feature set, particularly its multi-property management and omnichannel messaging, makes it a comprehensive guest communication solution. Aruba Central’s absence of guest-facing features makes it unsuitable for hotel guest engagement.

Edge: Smart Host Messaging.

Which Has Better Customer Support: Aruba Central or Smart Host Messaging?

Smart Host’s reviews consistently highlight excellent support rated at 4.86/5, with comments praising immediate assistance and personalized service. Onboarding is also highly rated at 4.6/5, emphasizing smooth implementation and ongoing support.

Aruba Central has no recent reviews or support ratings, which raises questions about its customer service reliability. Given the importance of responsive support in guest communication software, Smart Host’s support is a significant advantage.

Edge: Smart Host Messaging.

Which Has More Integrations: Aruba Central or Smart Host Messaging?

Smart Host Messaging integrates with 25 verified partners, including major PMS and hospitality systems like Protel, Oracle Hospitality, Mews, and SuitePad. This wide array of integrations simplifies data sharing and workflow automation, making it a flexible tool for modern hotels.

Aruba Central offers no publicly available integrations or partner data, limiting its applicability outside network management. Its focus on hardware and network infrastructure lacks the integrations needed for guest communication.

Edge: Smart Host Messaging.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: Aruba Central or Smart Host Messaging?

Smart Host has received 147 reviews with a high overall rating of 81.9/100, and a 94% likelihood to recommend, especially among luxury hotels, resorts, and boutique properties. Recent reviews emphasize its ease of use, support, and feature richness, confirming high satisfaction.

Aruba Central, without any reviews or ratings, cannot be evaluated from user feedback. Its effectiveness and user acceptance remain unverified, making Smart Host the clearly preferred choice among hoteliers.

Edge: Smart Host Messaging.

How Much Do Aruba Central and Smart Host Messaging Cost?

Both products do not disclose specific pricing models; they are provided as subscription services without free tiers or clear costs. Aruba Central’s pricing is not publicly detailed, and Smart Host Messaging also lacks transparent pricing, requiring direct inquiry.

Considering the lack of published prices, budget considerations should involve contacting sales teams for customized quotes based on your hotel’s size and needs.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Aruba Central?

• Hotels with large, complex network setups requiring centralized management.
• Properties seeking to optimize IT infrastructure across multiple locations.
• Hotels with dedicated IT teams capable of managing network hardware.
• Hotels needing real-time network analytics for security and performance.
• Hotels that prioritize network security and operational cost reduction.

Not ideal if your hotel’s primary goal is guest engagement or marketing automation, as Aruba Central lacks guest-facing features.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Smart Host Messaging?

• Hotels that want to increase direct bookings through personalized email and messaging campaigns.
• Properties aiming to improve guest satisfaction via streamlined communication.
• Hotels managing multiple properties needing a unified guest messaging platform.
• Hotels seeking detailed guest analytics to refine marketing strategies.
• Hoteliers wanting omnichannel communication (SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger) in one interface.

Not ideal if your hotel’s focus is solely on network infrastructure or IT management, or if you don’t need advanced guest messaging capabilities.

The Bottom Line for Hotels

Aruba Central and Smart Host Messaging serve distinctly different hotel needs. Aruba Central is a network management system, best suited for large hotels with complex IT environments. Its lack of recent reviews and user feedback makes it hard to evaluate for guest engagement purposes.

In contrast, Smart Host Messaging excels in guest communication, with a proven track record of high ratings, recent reviews, and extensive features. Its ability to boost direct bookings and guest satisfaction, combined with superior support and integrations, makes it the more compelling choice for most hotels.

If your hotel aims to enhance guest interactions, increase operational efficiency, and leverage data for marketing, Smart Host Messaging is the clear winner. Use Aruba Central if your primary goal is network management and infrastructure optimization, and guest engagement is a lower priority.