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 172 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:
Barboon shines .
Exely shines in ease of use and customer support — especially for brand properties (0.0/5) , with exclusive features like Mobile optimized/responsive and Post-stay emails.
Side-by-side ratings based on 172 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | Contact sales | From $200/mo |
| Verified Reviews | 0 | 172 |
After analyzing 172 verified reviews, Barboon users most value its , while Exely users highlight support and responsiveness, booking engine effectiveness, direct booking enhancement. Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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Support and Responsiveness
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Booking Engine Effectiveness
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Direct Booking Enhancement
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Channel Manager Synchronization
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Customization and Flexibility
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Integration and Advanced Features
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Guest Experience Concerns
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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) ▾ | — | #15 34 reviews |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | — | #11 64 reviews |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | — | #22 5 reviews |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) ▾ | — | #8 6 reviews |
By Property Type
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| Boutique ▾ | — | #15 35 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | — | #15 28 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | — | #16 17 reviews |
| Extended Stay ▾ | — | #16 9 reviews |
By Region
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| North America | — | #24 2 reviews |
| Europe ▾ | — | #25 11 reviews |
| Asia Pacific ▾ | — | #4 79 reviews |
| Middle East ▾ | — | #2 17 reviews |
Choosing between Barboon Internet Booking Engine and Exely Booking Engine hinges on your hotel’s specific needs, budget, and regional presence. Both products aim to improve direct bookings, but they differ significantly in features, support, and market reach. Barboon offers a simple, no-frills solution, while Exely provides a richer feature set with more recent reviews and broader integration options. Which one aligns better with your operational goals?
Barboon positions itself as a straightforward booking engine that integrates with existing hotel websites, targeting small to mid-sized hotels seeking to boost direct reservations without complexity. Exely, on the other hand, is designed for hotels that need a more comprehensive platform—offering advanced marketing tools, multi-lingual support, and detailed reporting. While both platforms serve the same core purpose, Exely's recent review volume and high ratings suggest it is more trusted by users. Are you prioritizing simplicity or feature richness?
If your hotel needs an easy-to-use, reliable booking engine with excellent customer support, go with Exely. Its 144 reviews and a 92.67 score out of 100 demonstrate strong, recent user confidence, especially in ease of use and support. Conversely, if your hotel requires a basic, cost-effective tool just to accept direct bookings, Barboon might suffice, but be aware that it has no recent reviews or ratings, making its reliability uncertain. For most hoteliers evaluating current options, Exely's proven track record makes it the safer choice.
Exely scores an impressive 4.91 out of 5 for ease of use, supported by recent reviews praising its user-friendly dashboard and quick setup. Users mention that managing rates and reservations is "smooth and efficient," with proactive support making onboarding straightforward. Barboon, however, has no recent reviews or ratings, making its usability and onboarding process uncertain. Given the high rating and recent positive feedback, Edge: Exely.
Exely offers 29 unique features, including mobile responsiveness, multi-lingual support, multi-currency handling, automated emails, and advanced analytics—features absent in Barboon. Barboon provides no exclusive features, limiting its capabilities to basic booking functions. Exely’s extensive feature set, especially its marketing tools and integrations, positions it as the more robust platform for hotels seeking to grow. Edge: Exely.
Exely’s support team earns a 4.96 out of 5 rating, with reviews highlighting rapid responses and helpful solutions. Users describe the support as "friendly," "efficient," and "always available," enhancing their confidence in the product. Barboon, lacking recent reviews, offers no data on support quality. Given the high recent support ratings, Edge: Exely.
Exely provides 8 verified integrations, including major partners like Mews, Oracle Hospitality, and Booking.com, enabling you to connect with various PMS and OTAs. Barboon has no verified integrations, limiting its flexibility and scalability. For a hotel that depends on system connectivity, Exely’s broader integration ecosystem is a significant advantage. Edge: Exely.
Exely's user reviews are recent and plentiful, with a 9.73 out of 10 NPS score, indicating strong satisfaction. Hotels across multiple segments, especially boutique, city center, and resort hotels, consistently praise its ease of use and support. Barboon has no recent reviews or ratings, making it impossible to gauge customer sentiment. As of now, Exely’s higher ratings and recent feedback make it the favored choice.
Barboon does not disclose pricing or offer a trial, suggesting it may be a more opaque or customized solution. Exely charges a $200 monthly fee, with no free tier or trial available. Given the transparent pricing and comprehensive feature set, Exely provides better value for hotels willing to invest in a full-featured platform.
Not ideal if:
Not ideal if:
Exely and Barboon both aim to facilitate direct bookings, but Exely’s recent review volume, high ratings, and feature-rich platform make it the clear leader. Its 8 verified integrations, broad regional presence, and positive user feedback across hotel segments demonstrate its versatility and reliability.
If your hotel needs a comprehensive system that can grow with your business and improve guest engagement, Exely is the better choice—especially given its near-perfect support ratings and recent reviews. Conversely, Barboon might appeal to very small properties with minimal needs and no budget for advanced features, but the lack of recent feedback makes it less dependable.
For most hoteliers, especially those in need of a reliable, well-supported platform with advanced features, Exely offers a proven, scalable solution. The choice is clear: Exely is the more complete, trusted, and reviewed product in today’s competitive market.
According to HTR's product database, Barboon Internet Booking Engine and Exely Booking Engine share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
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| Conversion rate reports | ||
| Flexible dates | ||
| Mobile optimized/responsive | ||
| Multi-lingual | ||
| Multi-room bookings | ||
| Room substitutions |
Showing top differences. 17 more features differ between these products.
We analyzed 2 verified case studies to compare what hotels actually achieve with each platform across four key business objectives.
No published case study for this goal yet.
"We took a proactive approach and collaborated with Exely, implementing various strategies, such as a loyalty program. The outcome has been outstanding — not only have we been able..."
No published case study for this goal yet.
"Once we switched to Exely, we immediately noticed a significant increase in reservations from online travel agencies. We discovered that our previous system had blocked some availa..."
What hoteliers love
Exely's support is lauded for its rapid response times and solution-oriented approach, contributing to an improved user experience. This is seen as a... Exely's support is lauded for its rapid response times and solution-oriented approach, contributing to an improved user experience. This is seen as a considerable strength of the product.
Exely's booking engine is frequently praised for its user-friendliness, fast operation, and ability to enhance direct bookings significantly, thus con... Exely's booking engine is frequently praised for its user-friendliness, fast operation, and ability to enhance direct bookings significantly, thus contributing to revenue growth. It is deemed to have a powerful positive impact on the guest experience and conversion rates.
The software is commended for increasing direct bookings and lowering reliance on OTAs. This positively impacts hotel revenue by lowering third-party... The software is commended for increasing direct bookings and lowering reliance on OTAs. This positively impacts hotel revenue by lowering third-party fees and providing a return on investment through efficient booking management.
Where hoteliers push back
A recurring critical point among users is the limited customization options available, particularly in reporting and website design. Users seek more f... A recurring critical point among users is the limited customization options available, particularly in reporting and website design. Users seek more flexibility to adapt templates and reports to their needs.
Users would like to see improvements in integration capabilities with other hotel management systems. Current integration limitations are seen as a do... Users would like to see improvements in integration capabilities with other hotel management systems. Current integration limitations are seen as a downside restricting the platform's full potential.
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Barboon Internet Booking Engine and Exely Booking Engine share many core Booking Engine features, but each has unique capabilities. Barboon Internet Booking Engine offers 0 verified integration partners, while Exely Booking Engine offers 8. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Exely Booking Engine leads in ease of use at 4.9/5 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.
Barboon Internet Booking Engine: No. Exely Booking Engine: 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. Barboon has an HT Score of 0 and Exely has 93. 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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