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 19 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:
HPE/Aruba shines .
Sojern shines in ease of use and customer support , with exclusive features like Mobile Friendly and Guest History.
Side-by-side ratings based on 19 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
| HTScore |
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| Likelihood to Recommend |
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| Ease of Use |
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| Value for Money |
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| Starting Price | Contact sales | From $400/mo |
| Verified Reviews | 0 | 19 |
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
| Segment | HPE/Aruba |
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|---|---|---|
| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | — | #13 6 reviews |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | — | #20 10 reviews |
| Large (75-199 rooms) | — | #19 2 reviews |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) | — | #18 1 reviews |
By Property Type
| Segment | HPE/Aruba |
|
|---|---|---|
| Boutique ▾ | — | #20 9 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | — | #22 5 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | — | #18 6 reviews |
| Extended Stay | — | #24 1 reviews |
By Region
| Segment | HPE/Aruba |
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|---|---|---|
| North America ▾ | — | #12 17 reviews |
| Europe | — | #21 1 reviews |
| Asia Pacific | — | #18 0 reviews |
| Middle East | — | #10 1 reviews |
Choosing between Aruba Central by HPE/Aruba and Sojern AI Smart Concierge for your hotel hinges on your primary needs. Aruba Central is designed to manage and monitor your network, providing centralized control and insights into your wired and wireless infrastructure. Conversely, Sojern AI Smart Concierge focuses on guest communication, reducing staff workload and improving guest satisfaction through AI-driven messaging. Both address communication, but their core functions diverge significantly.
If your hotel prioritizes guest engagement and operational efficiency through automated messaging, Sojern is the clear choice. If your primary concern is network management and infrastructure visibility, Aruba Central is the appropriate tool. But which is ultimately more suited for your property?
Aruba Central aims to simplify network management across large or complex hotel environments, integrating with hardware like switches and access points. However, it appears to lack recent reviews and a high user rating, which raises questions about its current effectiveness or user satisfaction. Sojern, with a stunning 4.75/5 rating based on 17 reviews—most recent within the last six months—offers a well-supported solution, especially appreciated for its ease of use and strong customer support.
While Aruba Central excels at providing real-time analytics and centralized network control, its absence of recent user feedback and support ratings suggests it might not be as responsive or user-friendly today. Sojern’s recent reviews highlight its simplicity, robust features, and high recommendation rate, with a 9.71 NPS score and 96% likelihood to recommend. Which solution better aligns with your hotel’s strategic priorities?
Ease of use can make or break software adoption across your team. Aruba Central’s usability score is not provided, and no recent reviews imply limited recent user feedback or ongoing support. Alternatively, Sojern enjoys a 4.59/5 ease of use rating based on recent reviews, with users praising its straightforward setup and intuitive interface. Review quotes emphasize how quickly staff can adapt and learn the system, saving time and reducing frustration.
In addition, Sojern’s onboarding process scores highly at 4.81/5, indicating a smooth transition for your team and minimal training time. Given the recent positive feedback on usability and onboarding, edge: Sojern.
Aruba Central’s feature set appears limited or unspecified, focusing mainly on network management and infrastructure control. In contrast, Sojern boasts 18 distinct features, including WhatsApp integration, chatbot booking, guest history, automated replies, live translations, and analytics dashboards—features specifically tailored to guest communication and engagement.
These capabilities enable your hotel to create personalized, automated interactions, reduce response times, and improve overall guest satisfaction. With that, it’s clear that Sojern offers a richer feature set designed explicitly for guest messaging. Edge: Sojern.
Customer support quality is critical for ongoing success. Aruba Central’s support ratings are not available, and no recent reviews provide insight into its support experience. Conversely, Sojern scores a near-perfect 4.88/5 for support, with recent reviews praising prompt, helpful, and attentive assistance.
Guests consistently mention how support staff listens and accommodates requests, which fosters trust and smooths onboarding. Given the high support ratings and recent positive feedback, edge: Sojern.
Integration breadth can significantly impact your hotel’s operational workflows. Aruba Central does not list verified partners, suggesting limited or no integrations. In contrast, Sojern offers 33 verified partners, including major platforms like Profitroom, Mirai, HOTELTIME, and Vertical Booking, along with shared integrations with other industry tools.
This extensive partner network allows your hotel to connect seamlessly with your existing PMS, booking engines, and revenue management tools, streamlining operations. Edge: Sojern.
Recent reviews paint a clear picture: Aruba Central remains unreviewed in recent times, making it impossible to gauge current user satisfaction. Sojern’s recent reviews consistently rate it at 4.75/5, with a 96% likelihood of recommendation across diverse property types like boutique hotels, branded hotels, motels, and more.
Hotel segments such as boutique and branded hotels particularly praise Sojern’s ease of use, support, and feature depth. With more recent and positive feedback, edge: Sojern.
Pricing transparency favors Sojern, which charges a straightforward $400 monthly fee without additional implementation or setup costs. Aruba Central’s pricing information is unavailable, and no free tier or trial details are provided, making it harder to assess overall value.
Given Sojern’s clear pricing structure and high value for money based on user reviews, your hotel can confidently plan your budget around it. Edge: Sojern.
Not ideal if your hotel’s core focus is guest communication, or if you lack the technical infrastructure to support advanced network management.
Not ideal if your primary requirement is network infrastructure management or if your hotel’s operations don’t heavily rely on guest messaging.
Aruba Central and Sojern serve vastly different purposes. Aruba Central is a network management system best suited for large hotels with complex infrastructure needs, while Sojern is a guest communication tool designed to streamline interactions and improve guest satisfaction through AI-powered messaging.
If your hotel needs a reliable, easy-to-use guest messaging platform that is backed by recent reviews and high support ratings, Sojern is the clear winner. For properties focused on network infrastructure or security, Aruba Central might still be relevant, but the lack of recent feedback and limited reviews diminish its appeal.
In conclusion, for most hotels seeking an effective guest messaging solution, Sojern’s extensive features, positive recent reviews, and high customer support position it as the more trustworthy and valuable choice.
According to HTR's product database, Aruba Central and Sojern AI Smart Concierge share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
| Feature | HPE/Aruba |
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|---|---|---|
| Automated Replies | ||
| Chatbot Booking Agent | ||
| Desktop App (non-web based) | ||
| Mobile Friendly | ||
| Photo Sharing | ||
| Whatsapp Integration |
Showing top differences. 6 more features differ between these products.
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Aruba Central and Sojern AI Smart Concierge share many core Guest Messaging Software features, but each has unique capabilities. Aruba Central offers 0 verified integration partners, while Sojern AI Smart Concierge offers 33. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Sojern AI Smart Concierge leads in ease of use at 4.6/5 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.
Aruba Central: No. Sojern AI Smart Concierge: 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. HPE/Aruba has an HT Score of 0 and Sojern has 0. Here is how the score is calculated.
| Criteria Group | Weight | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| 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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