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 24 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:
Akia shines in ROI and onboarding — especially for brand properties (5.0/5) , with exclusive features like Mobile Friendly and Guest History.
Avaya shines .
Side-by-side ratings based on 24 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Ease of Use |
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| Value for Money |
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| Starting Price | Contact sales | Contact sales |
| Verified Reviews | 23 | 1 |
How each product ranks among Staff Collaboration Tools vendors for different property sizes, types, and regions — based on verified reviews from hoteliers in each segment.
By Hotel Size
| Segment |
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| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #4 9 reviews | — |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #8 10 reviews | — |
| Large (75-199 rooms) | #21 1 reviews | — |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) | #20 1 reviews | #22 1 reviews |
By Property Type
| Segment |
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| Boutique ▾ | #10 8 reviews | — |
| Luxury ▾ | #16 6 reviews | #27 1 reviews |
| Branded / Chain | #11 3 reviews | — |
| Extended Stay | #9 4 reviews | — |
By Region
| Segment |
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| North America ▾ | #6 23 reviews | — |
| Middle East | — | #12 1 reviews |
When evaluating staff collaboration tools for your hotel, Akia Team Chat and Avaya stand out as options that address internal communication challenges. Both aim to improve operational workflows, but they diverge significantly in features, user experience, and target hotel segments. Akia is tailored specifically for hotels, offering a suite of hotel-centric features, while Avaya provides a broader enterprise communication platform that extends beyond the hospitality industry.
Your choice hinges on whether you need a dedicated hotel communication solution or a scalable, multi-purpose collaboration system. Which platform better aligns with your hotel’s size, tech infrastructure, and communication needs?
Akia Team Chat is designed explicitly for hotel environments, focusing on guest interactions, staff communication, and operations management. It offers features like guest history, contactless check-in, and messaging automation, which directly enhance hotel workflows.
Avaya, on the other hand, is a global leader in unified communications with extensive capabilities such as IP telephony, conferencing, and contact center solutions, suitable for large organizations. It’s more complex and scalable but less tailored specifically to hotel needs.
Given that Akia has 22 reviews, all recent, and a high 4.95/5 rating, it provides more current insights into hotel-specific performance. Avaya has only a single review, rated 4.5/5, with no recent feedback, making its suitability less clear. Do you prioritize recent, hotel-focused user experiences over broader enterprise features?
If your hotel needs a dedicated communication tool to streamline guest interactions and internal staff messaging, Akia is the clear choice. Its features like SMS messaging, photo sharing, guest history, and automation are built specifically for hotel operations, making it ideal for boutique hotels and small to mid-sized properties.
If your team requires a comprehensive enterprise communication platform capable of integrating voice, video, and contact center functionalities across multiple business functions, Avaya fits better. It’s suited for large hotel chains or properties that need robust, scalable communication infrastructure beyond guest-facing features.
For small to medium hotels looking for simple, hotel-specific communication, Akia offers targeted solutions. Larger properties or corporate teams with complex communication needs should consider Avaya.
Akia’s ease of use shines with a 4.89/5 rating and positive reviews emphasizing its user-friendly interface and quick onboarding. Guests and staff find it intuitive, especially for contactless check-in and internal messaging, with many expressing appreciation for its responsive support.
Avaya scores a perfect 5/5 for ease of use, mainly because of its mature, feature-rich interface and extensive training resources. However, its complexity can require more significant onboarding effort, especially for smaller teams unfamiliar with enterprise UC systems.
Edge: Akia.
Akia boasts 35 features tailored to hotels, including mobile-friendly messaging, photo sharing, chatbot booking agents, WhatsApp integration, guest history tracking, automated replies, real-time translations, and work prioritization. These features directly support guest engagement and staff collaboration.
Avaya offers no unique hotel-specific features but provides a broad suite of communication tools like IP telephony, conferencing, and contact center solutions, suitable for enterprise-level needs. Its extensive capabilities are valuable for large-scale operations but may be excessive for smaller hotels.
Edge: Akia.
Akia’s support rating of 4.82/5 is backed by recent reviews praising its responsiveness, professionalism, and proactive communication. Customers highlight their positive experiences with Evan and Rochelle, noting quick problem resolution and helpful onboarding.
Avaya’s perfect 5/5 support rating comes from its extensive global support infrastructure, but reviews are lacking recent hotel-specific feedback. Its support is often tied to enterprise clients, and smaller hotels might find it less personalized.
Edge: Akia.
Akia integrates with 32 verified partners, including property management systems, keyless entry, and other hotel tech, such as innRoad, WebRezPro, and Stayntouch. This broad integration network makes Akia adaptable within existing hotel tech stacks.
Avaya has only one verified partner, innRoad, limiting its integration options for hotel-specific systems. For hotels seeking seamless connectivity with property management and operational tools, Akia’s ecosystem is more advantageous.
Edge: Akia.
Akia’s overall rating of 4.95/5 is based on 22 recent reviews, predominantly from boutique and luxury hotels, with an average segment rating of 4.93/5. Hoteliers appreciate its user-friendly features and quick support.
Avaya’s single review at 4.5/5 reflects its enterprise-grade capabilities, but lacks recent hotel-specific feedback. Its high score indicates satisfaction among larger organizations but provides limited insight into hotel-specific usability.
Edge: Akia.
Both Akia and Avaya do not publicly disclose their pricing. They do not operate on freemium or flat-rate models, with no trial or implementation fees publicly available. Pricing is likely tailored based on the size and needs of your hotel, so direct consultation is necessary.
Not ideal if:
Not ideal if:
Akia Team Chat offers a tailored, easy-to-use platform focused on hotel staff communication and guest engagement. Its suite of features, high recent review volume, and specialized integrations make it a strong choice for most hotels seeking internal collaboration tools.
Avaya delivers a comprehensive enterprise communication system with advanced telephony and collaboration capabilities. Its scalability and broad feature set are better suited for large hotel groups or organizations with complex communication infrastructure.
If your hotel values a dedicated, hotel-centric solution with proven recent reviews, Akia is the recommended pick. Its user satisfaction and targeted feature set give it a decisive edge for most hotel operators.
Choose Akia if you want a straightforward, hotel-specific staff collaboration tool that enhances guest experience and operational efficiency. Opt for Avaya if your hotel requires enterprise-grade communication systems integrated across multiple business functions at scale.
This comparison is based on the latest review data and feature disclosures as of October 2023. For tailored pricing and demos, contacting the vendors directly is advised.
According to HTR's product database, Akia Team Chat and Avaya share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
| Feature |
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| Automated Replies | ||
| Chatbot Booking Agent | ||
| Desktop App (non-web based) | ||
| Mobile Friendly | ||
| Photo Sharing | ||
| Whatsapp Integration |
Showing top differences. 23 more features differ between these products.
We analyzed 1 verified case studies to compare what hotels actually achieve with each platform across four key business objectives.
"Automation emphasizes the guests experience at their fingertips. Akia closes the gap of missed opportunities by acting as a liaison to our guest satisfaction efforts. We have been..."
No published case study for this goal yet.
Ranks higher for
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Akia Team Chat and Avaya share many core Staff Collaboration Tools features, but each has unique capabilities. Akia Team Chat offers 32 verified integration partners, while Avaya offers 1. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Avaya leads in ease of use at 5.0/5 vs 4.9/5. 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.
Akia Team Chat: No. Avaya: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Staff Collaboration Tools 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. Akia has an HT Score of 0 and Avaya has 0. Here is how the score is calculated.
| Criteria Group | Weight | What It Measures |
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| 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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