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 250 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:
Back9 Creative shines .
Bookassist shines in ease of use and customer support — especially for brand properties (4.6/5) , with exclusive features like Data Analysis & Reporting and Email Marketing.
Side-by-side ratings based on 250 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | Contact sales | Contact sales |
| Verified Reviews | 0 | 250 |
After analyzing 250 verified reviews, Back9 Creative users most value its , while Bookassist users highlight client support and proactivity, user-friendly booking engine, increase in direct bookings. Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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Client Support and Proactivity
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User-Friendly Booking Engine
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Increase in Direct Bookings
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Effective Digital Marketing
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Backend Usability Issues
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Customization Limitations
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How each product ranks among Digital Marketing Agencies vendors for different property sizes, types, and regions — based on verified reviews from hoteliers in each segment.
By Hotel Size
| Segment | Back9 Creative |
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|---|---|---|
| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | — | #1 71 reviews |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | — | #3 129 reviews |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | — | #2 28 reviews |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) ▾ | — | #5 6 reviews |
By Property Type
| Segment | Back9 Creative |
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| Boutique ▾ | — | #1 110 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | — | #3 82 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | — | #4 47 reviews |
| Extended Stay ▾ | — | #1 31 reviews |
By Region
| Segment | Back9 Creative |
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| North America ▾ | — | #9 9 reviews |
| Europe ▾ | — | #1 224 reviews |
| Asia Pacific | — | #7 3 reviews |
| Middle East | — | #6 1 reviews |
When choosing a digital marketing solution for your hotel, your primary concern is often effectiveness, ease of use, and support. Back9 Creative offers a comprehensive content management platform with an AI-driven approach but has no recent reviews or user feedback, making its real-world performance uncertain. Conversely, Bookassist has amassed 174 recent reviews, with an impressive 96% likelihood to recommend, indicating a highly trusted product in the hotel industry. Given the data, your decision should lean toward the platform with more current customer insights.
Both products aim to streamline your hotel's online marketing and booking processes, but they diverge significantly in execution and industry presence. Back9 Creative focuses on content and project management, while Bookassist provides an integrated digital marketing, web design, and booking engine suite. Are you looking for a broad project management tool, or a proven hotel marketing platform?
Back9 Creative is marketed as a content and project management platform designed to streamline creative efforts. It claims to centralize collaboration, reduce disjointed workflows, and improve content consistency, making it suitable for organizations heavily invested in content creation and internal project tracking. Bookassist, however, is tailored specifically for hotels, offering a full suite of digital marketing services, web design, booking technology, and distribution tools, all built to increase direct bookings and online visibility.
Back9 Creative’s AI features analyze user feedback and optimize content strategies, but it lacks dedicated hotel-specific marketing features like PPC or social media management. Bookassist, on the other hand, boasts 17 distinct features like PPC, SEO, email marketing, and social media management, all within its platform—making it more aligned with hotel marketing needs. Are you prioritizing content project management or targeted hotel marketing?
If your hotel needs a dedicated digital marketing platform with proven results, go with Bookassist. Its 174 reviews, primarily recent, and 96% recommendation rate attest to its effectiveness in boosting bookings and online visibility. If your team’s focus is on managing complex content projects or internal workflows without specific marketing integration, Back9 Creative might seem appealing, but the lack of recent reviews leaves its real-world value uncertain.
For hotels seeking a platform that actively increases direct bookings, improves digital marketing ROI, and offers comprehensive analytics, Bookassist is the clear choice. Conversely, if your hotel’s primary goal is content collaboration and project management without industry-specific tools, Back9 Creative could be worth exploring, albeit with less assured feedback.
Bookassist’s user interface scores a 4.71 out of 5, based on user reviews praising its intuitive design, quick onboarding, and straightforward operation. Support services are rated near-perfect at 4.9 out of 5, with hoteliers highlighting their positive support experiences and proactive assistance. Conversely, Back9 Creative has no recent reviews or ratings, making it impossible to assess its ease of use or customer support effectiveness.
Given the current data, it’s evident that Bookassist’s platform is more accessible and well-regarded for user experience. Edge: Bookassist.
Bookassist offers a comprehensive suite of 17 features, including PPC, SEO, social media management, email marketing, content audits, and web design—tools essential for effective hotel digital marketing. Back9 Creative, in contrast, offers no unique features or integrations, focusing solely on content and project management without hotel-specific marketing tools.
The extensive feature set of Bookassist directly addresses the needs of hotels looking to optimize online presence and conversions. Edge: Bookassist.
Bookassist’s customer support is highly rated at 4.9 out of 5, with clients praising quick responses, dedicated local offices, and proactive engagement. Recent reviews highlight their consistent, helpful support, and excellent onboarding processes. Back9 Creative, however, has no recent reviews or support ratings, leaving its customer service quality uncertain.
In the hotel industry, reliable support can be critical—Bookassist’s proven service levels give it a decisive edge. Edge: Bookassist.
Bookassist integrates with 74 verified partners, including major channel managers, metasearch platforms, and advertising tools, offering a broad ecosystem to streamline your hotel’s operations. Back9 Creative has no verified integrations, limiting its ability to connect with other software systems.
For hotels relying on automated workflows and third-party systems, Bookassist’s extensive integrations are essential. Edge: Bookassist.
With 174 recent reviews, Bookassist enjoys a 4.91 out of 5 overall rating and a 96% recommendation rate, particularly resonating with boutique, city center, and resort hotels. Back9 Creative has no reviews or ratings, making its user sentiment impossible to gauge.
Given the rich, up-to-date feedback, hoteliers clearly favor Bookassist’s platform. Edge: Bookassist.
Both products offer no published pricing details, likely providing custom quotes based on hotel size and needs. However, given Bookassist’s transparent value proposition and high ROI ratings, it’s often perceived as a cost-effective solution for hotels seeking direct booking growth.
Without explicit pricing, your best approach is to request quotes from both vendors, but current data favors Bookassist’s clear focus on delivering measurable results.
Not ideal if:
Not ideal if:
The core difference lies in their focus: Back9 Creative emphasizes content and project management, whereas Bookassist offers a comprehensive hotel-specific marketing and booking platform. If your goal is to boost direct bookings and improve online visibility, Bookassist’s proven track record and recent reviews make it the stronger candidate.
Choose Back9 Creative if your hotel’s primary need is content collaboration and internal workflows without an immediate focus on marketing effectiveness. If your hotel aims to grow revenue through targeted digital marketing, high-conversion booking engines, and detailed analytics, Bookassist is the clear winner.
In summary, for hotels seeking a trusted, detailed, and well-supported platform that actively delivers measurable results, Bookassist stands out. For organizations focused on creative content management without immediate marketing demands, Back9 Creative could be relevant, but its lack of recent validation limits confidence in its efficacy.
Digital Marketing Agencies 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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According to HTR's product database, Back9 Creative and Bookassist Digital Marketing and Web Design share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
| Feature | Back9 Creative |
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| 3rd party ad buys | ||
| Conversion Rate Optimization | ||
| Copywriting | ||
| Data Analysis & Reporting | ||
| PPC | ||
| Tag Management & Tracking Configuration |
Showing top differences. 5 more features differ between these products.
What hoteliers love
The proactivity and excellent client support are frequently mentioned. The dedicated account managers and support teams are noted for their quick resp... The proactivity and excellent client support are frequently mentioned. The dedicated account managers and support teams are noted for their quick responses, professional advice, and proactive approach in optimizing hotel performance.
The booking engine is noted for its user-friendly design, making it easy for both hotels to manage and guests to book rooms. The system’s intuitive na... The booking engine is noted for its user-friendly design, making it easy for both hotels to manage and guests to book rooms. The system’s intuitive navigation, clear call-to-action buttons, and visually appealing interface contribute to higher conversion rates.
Numerous reviews highlight that Bookassist has significantly increased their direct bookings. The seamless booking engine, high conversion rates, and... Numerous reviews highlight that Bookassist has significantly increased their direct bookings. The seamless booking engine, high conversion rates, and effective integration with hotel websites make it easier for guests to book directly, thereby boosting revenue.
Where hoteliers push back
Several reviews point out issues with the backend usability of the booking engine. Users find it cumbersome, suggesting improvements for more intuitiv... Several reviews point out issues with the backend usability of the booking engine. Users find it cumbersome, suggesting improvements for more intuitive management of add-ons and simpler navigation.
Customization options within the booking engine and CMS are limited, as pointed out in several reviews. Users wish for more flexibility to make real-t... Customization options within the booking engine and CMS are limited, as pointed out in several reviews. Users wish for more flexibility to make real-time adjustments without dependence on support staff.
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Back9 Creative and Bookassist Digital Marketing and Web Design share many core Digital Marketing Agencies features, but each has unique capabilities. Back9 Creative offers 0 verified integration partners, while Bookassist Digital Marketing and Web Design offers 74. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Bookassist Digital Marketing and Web Design 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.
Back9 Creative: No. Bookassist Digital Marketing and Web Design: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Digital Marketing Agencies 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. Back9 Creative has an HT Score of 0 and Bookassist has 88. 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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