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:
Booking.com 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, Booking.com 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) ▾ | #44 0 reviews | #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 ▾ | #48 0 reviews | #15 35 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | #50 0 reviews | #15 28 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #45 0 reviews | #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 ▾ | #34 0 reviews | #4 79 reviews |
| Middle East ▾ | — | #2 17 reviews |
Choosing between Booking Button (by Booking.com) and Exely Booking Engine hinges on your hotel’s specific needs and operational priorities. Booking Button offers a simple, web-based solution that updates in real-time from Booking.com, ideal for properties seeking a quick, no-frills online presence. Conversely, Exely provides a feature-rich, flexible platform with a broader set of tools aimed at boosting direct bookings and improving guest engagement. Both products aim to increase your bookings, but which aligns better with your goals?
Booking Button is designed for hotels that prioritize straightforward integration with Booking.com’s extensive network, making it suitable for properties aiming for rapid deployment. Exely, however, is built for hotels that want a customizable, marketing-driven booking experience to drive direct reservations. Are you ready to decide which product best supports your growth strategy?
Booking Button by Booking.com simplifies the online booking process by embedding a web-based widget into your existing website, sourcing real-time prices and availability directly from Booking.com’s global network. Its main advantage is ease of use, with no installation required, and it’s primarily designed for properties that want to connect quickly with Booking.com’s vast reach.
Exely, on the other hand, offers a comprehensive booking engine with 29 unique features, including multi-lingual support, multi-currency options, automated reporting, and customer re-engagement tools. It’s tailored for hotels seeking a flexible, marketing-focused platform to increase direct bookings and enhance customer experience.
The key difference lies in their approach: Booking Button relies on Booking.com’s existing ecosystem, while Exely provides a standalone, customizable tool aimed at expanding your direct booking capabilities. Which one aligns with your current marketing and operational focus?
If your hotel needs an easy-to-implement solution that immediately taps into Booking.com’s global audience, Booking Button is the clear choice. It’s perfect for small to mid-sized properties that want to quickly add a booking function without extensive customization or additional features.
If your hotel needs a flexible platform that offers extensive marketing tools, multi-lingual and multi-currency support, and the ability to customize the user experience, Exely is the better option. Its robust feature set caters to independent hotels, boutique properties, and chains looking to boost direct reservations and improve operational efficiency.
For properties prioritizing rapid deployment and minimal setup, Booking Button fits. For those seeking a comprehensive, marketing-oriented booking engine that drives revenue growth, Exely is the stronger candidate.
Booking Button scores zero in ease of use, indicating it offers little to no review data, but its description emphasizes a web-based, no-installation setup, implying ease of integration for users comfortable with simple tools. Its onboarding experience seems minimal, suitable for properties that want quick results without complex configurations.
Exely, with a user rating of 4.91 out of 5 and 144 reviews, clearly has a more mature, user-friendly interface. Hotels praise its intuitive dashboard, fast management of rates and reservations, and proactive support team. Recent reviews highlight its ease of use and quick onboarding, with customers noting how it simplifies daily operations.
Edge: Exely.
Booking Button offers no unique features beyond its integration with Booking.com, relying entirely on this ecosystem. Conversely, Exely boasts 29 exclusive features such as multi-lingual support, multi-currency options, automated email campaigns, booking abandonment recapture, customizable add-ons, and extensive reporting tools.
Exely’s feature set is designed to boost direct bookings, enhance marketing, and streamline operations—capabilities Booking Button doesn't provide. If you want a feature-rich booking platform with marketing and operational tools, Exely is the clear winner.
Edge: Exely.
Booking Button offers no recent review data, but its vendor, Booking.com, is known for global support. However, user reviews for Exely are overwhelmingly positive, with a 4.96/5 customer support rating and recent feedback emphasizing rapid, responsive assistance.
Exely’s support team is praised for prompt responses and helpful solutions, directly impacting user satisfaction. This focus on customer service makes Exely more reliable when you need assistance or training.
Edge: Exely.
Booking Button integrates with Booking.com’s network and has 7 verified partners, including innRoad and SiteMinder. Exely offers 8 verified integrations, including Oracle Hospitality, Mews, and Hotellab, with two shared partners with Booking.com.
While their integration counts are similar, Exely’s broader array of third-party systems, especially in property management and revenue management, gives it more flexibility for complex hotel operations.
Edge: Exely.
Booking Button lacks recent reviews and ratings, making a direct comparison impossible. Exely, with 144 reviews, has a high NPS score of 9.73/5 and a 98% likelihood of recommendation.
Hotels of all segments, from boutique to large resorts, rate Exely highly for support, ease of use, and features. This consistent positive feedback makes Exely the preferred choice among hoteliers.
Edge: Exely.
Booking Button’s pricing details are not publicly available and likely vary based on integration scope with Booking.com. Exely charges a straightforward $200 monthly fee, with no additional implementation or setup costs.
Given the lack of transparent pricing for Booking Button, your decision may depend on the value it offers relative to its integration with Booking.com. Exely’s fixed monthly cost provides clarity and predictability.
Not ideal if your hotel needs extensive customization, multi-channel management, or marketing tools.
Not ideal if your hotel prefers a minimal, no-frills booking solution or has limited IT support.
The core difference is that Booking Button acts as a simple, quick integration tool that connects your site to Booking.com’s extensive ecosystem, primarily for properties that rely on OTAs. Exely, however, offers a comprehensive booking engine designed to grow your direct bookings, with a focus on marketing, automation, and customization.
Choose Booking Button if speed and simplicity are your top priorities and your hotel relies heavily on Booking.com’s reach. Opt for Exely if you want a flexible, marketing-driven booking platform that offers a broad array of features to boost your direct reservations and streamline operations.
In summary, if your hotel is seeking a proven, high-rated platform with extensive support and features to grow your direct bookings, Exely stands out. For quick, effective OTA integration with minimal setup, Booking Button remains a valid choice, though it lacks recent review data to fully confirm its performance.
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 $200/mo |
According to HTR's product database, Booking Button (by BookingSuite) 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.
Ranks higher for
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Booking Button (by BookingSuite) and Exely Booking Engine share many core Booking Engine features, but each has unique capabilities. Booking Button (by BookingSuite) offers 7 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.
Booking Button (by BookingSuite): 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. Booking.com 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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