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 512 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:
SHR Group shines in ease of use and customer support — especially for Boutique Hotels properties (5.0/5) , with exclusive features like Mobile optimized/responsive and Urgency messaging.
StayNow shines .
Side-by-side ratings based on 512 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Value for Money |
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| Starting Price | Contact sales | From $100/mo |
| Verified Reviews | 512 | 0 |
After analyzing 512 verified reviews, SHR Group users most value its proactive customer support, integration capabilities, intuitive interface, while StayNow users highlight . Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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Proactive customer support
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Integration capabilities
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Intuitive interface
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Rate and inventory management
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Backend navigation improvements
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Visual and aesthetic design
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Support documentation and training
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How each product ranks among Booking Engine vendors for different property sizes, types, and regions — based on verified reviews from hoteliers in each segment.
By Hotel Size
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| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #8 76 reviews | — |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #2 369 reviews | — |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | #4 39 reviews | — |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) ▾ | #5 16 reviews | — |
By Property Type
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| Boutique ▾ | #3 232 reviews | — |
| Luxury ▾ | #2 320 reviews | — |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #2 166 reviews | — |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #4 32 reviews | — |
By Region
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| North America ▾ | #8 39 reviews | — |
| Europe ▾ | #2 440 reviews | — |
| Asia Pacific ▾ | #15 11 reviews | — |
| Middle East | #16 3 reviews | — |
Choosing the right booking platform is crucial for your hotel's direct revenue and guest experience. SHR Booking Engine (BE) by SHR Group offers a mature, feature-rich solution with extensive integrations and a proven track record. In contrast, StayNow is a new AI-driven platform focusing on personalized guest discovery and simplicity for boutique and independent hotels. Your decision hinges on your property's size, complexity, and your need for robust features versus streamlined AI-powered guest targeting.
SHR Booking Engine (BE) is a well-established platform with over 339 reviews and a 4.86/5 overall rating, reflecting high satisfaction and recent positive feedback. StayNow, with zero reviews and no ratings, currently lacks the validation that comes from a large, active user base. Both address direct booking enhancement, but SHR's extensive feature set and proven customer support set it apart. Will your hotel benefit from a mature system with deep integrations or a fresh, AI-powered approach still gaining traction?
If your hotel needs a versatile, deeply integrated booking engine with extensive features like multi-lingual support, rate management, and detailed reporting, SHR is the clear choice. For hotels that prioritize attracting high-quality, authentic guests through AI-driven personalization and simplified reservation management, StayNow may seem appealing but lacks the proven track record. For most hoteliers seeking reliability and proven results, SHR's more comprehensive offering makes it the safer pick.
SHR Booking Engine has received a high ease-of-use score of 4.67/5, supported by positive reviews praising its intuitive interface and helpful onboarding, with a 4.63/5 onboarding rating. StayNow, being new and less documented publicly, has no user ratings or reviews, making usability assessments speculative. Based on existing data, SHR’s mature interface and support resources give it a clear edge for hotels wanting a straightforward implementation.
SHR offers 46 unique features, including mobile responsiveness, A/B testing, urgency messaging, special offers, loyalty integrations, and multi-currency support. In contrast, StayNow does not list any specific features, highlighting its AI-driven guest targeting and reservation management. This significant feature gap favors SHR, especially for hotels seeking a comprehensive, customizable booking solution right now. Edge: SHR Booking Engine.
SHR's support scores a remarkable 4.86/5, with reviews emphasizing proactive, responsive assistance and excellent onboarding. Conversely, StayNow has no public support ratings or testimonials, making it difficult to assess. Given SHR’s long-standing presence and positive review comments like “the team at Avvio is fantastic,” SHR clearly provides more reliable support, an essential factor for ongoing hotel operations. Edge: SHR Booking Engine.
SHR’s platform boasts 81 verified partners and integrations with industry-standard PMS and channel management systems, including Criton, Profitroom, and OpenHotel. StayNow, being a newer platform, has no verified integrations listed, limiting its connectivity options. For hotels requiring seamless communication across multiple hotel systems, SHR's extensive integration network is a significant advantage. Edge: SHR Booking Engine.
SHR's review score of 4.86/5 is based on 339 reviews, with recent feedback highlighting its flexibility, support, and feature richness. StayNow has no reviews or ratings, meaning no data to assess user satisfaction. For hotels considering a trusted, battle-tested solution, SHR’s high ratings and recent reviews make it the clear leader. Edge: SHR Booking Engine.
SHR does not publicly list pricing, which is typical for enterprise solutions, and pricing is likely tailored to your hotel's specific needs. StayNow charges a flat rate of $100 per month but offers no detailed tier or feature breakdown. For most hotels, SHR’s pricing’s lack of transparency may be a factor, but its value is reflected in its extensive features and support. StayNow’s straightforward approach might appeal but lacks proven ROI data.
The core difference lies in maturity and feature depth. SHR’s platform is a robust, proven solution with broad integrations, extensive features, and a high user satisfaction rating, making it ideal for hotels that need reliability and comprehensive tools. StayNow is a nascent platform focused on AI-driven guest discovery, better suited for boutique hotels experimenting with new tech or those with minimal integration needs.
If your hotel needs a dependable, feature-rich booking engine with proven support, SHR is the clear choice. Its extensive reviews, recent feedback, and broad industry presence solidify its standing as the preferred option for most hoteliers. Conversely, if your property is small, highly innovative, and committed to AI-backed personalization, StayNow offers a glimpse into future hotel tech but lacks the maturity to replace a proven solution today.
In summary, for established hotels seeking a trusted partner with a wealth of features and support, SHR Booking Engine is the definitive choice. For innovative boutique hotels eager to explore AI-driven guest engagement, StayNow may be worth monitoring as it develops.
Booking Engine 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.
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| Starting Price | — | From $100/mo |
According to HTR's product database, SHR Booking Engine (BE) and StayNow: AI-Powered Trip Planning & Hotel Booking share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
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| A/B testing & optimization | ||
| Mobile optimized/responsive | ||
| Pooled inventory | ||
| Pre-stay emails | ||
| Special offers & discounts | ||
| Urgency messaging |
Showing top differences. 34 more features differ between these products.
We analyzed 4 verified case studies to compare what hotels actually achieve with each platform across four key business objectives.
"Our results and KPIs from booking engine to digital reinforce the effectiveness of our partnership and SHR Group's exceptional technology."
No published case study for this goal yet.
What hoteliers love
Users frequently commend SHR's proactive and responsive customer support. Account managers and support teams are described as very helpful, knowledgea... Users frequently commend SHR's proactive and responsive customer support. Account managers and support teams are described as very helpful, knowledgeable, and quick to respond to issues. The guidance provided by customer success teams is considered invaluable for optimizing use of the software. This topic is covered in 30 reviews.
A key feature frequently highlighted is the robust integration capabilities of the platform. Windsurfer CRS efficiently communicates with various PMSs... A key feature frequently highlighted is the robust integration capabilities of the platform. Windsurfer CRS efficiently communicates with various PMSs, channel managers, and CRM tools, ensuring seamless operations and up-to-date information across systems. However, some users desire improved integration with additional systems and platforms. This topic is seen in 18 reviews.
Users commend the intuitive interface of Windsurfer CRS, which makes the booking process seamless for guests and easy for hotel staff to manage. The e... Users commend the intuitive interface of Windsurfer CRS, which makes the booking process seamless for guests and easy for hotel staff to manage. The ease of setting up and managing rate plans, the flexibility to customize booking pages, and straightforward navigation contribute to overall efficiency. This topic is identified in 20 reviews.
Where hoteliers push back
Some users have noted that while the frontend is user-friendly, the backend navigation and filtering options could be more intuitive and user-friendly... Some users have noted that while the frontend is user-friendly, the backend navigation and filtering options could be more intuitive and user-friendly. Improvements in these areas could significantly enhance efficiency and user satisfaction. This topic is identified in 12 reviews.
Some users suggest that the visual aesthetics of the booking engine could be improved. Enhancing the polished and modern design of the user interface... Some users suggest that the visual aesthetics of the booking engine could be improved. Enhancing the polished and modern design of the user interface could further elevate the overall booking experience and make it more visually appealing. This topic is discussed in 6 reviews.
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. SHR Booking Engine (BE) and StayNow: AI-Powered Trip Planning & Hotel Booking share many core Booking Engine features, but each has unique capabilities. SHR Booking Engine (BE) offers 81 verified integration partners, while StayNow: AI-Powered Trip Planning & Hotel Booking offers 0. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. SHR Booking Engine (BE) leads in ease of use at 4.7/5 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.
SHR Booking Engine (BE): No. StayNow: AI-Powered Trip Planning & Hotel Booking: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Booking Engine 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. SHR Group has an HT Score of 46 and StayNow 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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