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 112 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:
Bowo shines in ease of use and customer support , with exclusive features like Guest Profiles.
Solay shines , with exclusive features like App download.
Side-by-side ratings based on 112 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | From $600/mo | Contact sales |
| Verified Reviews | 112 | 0 |
After analyzing 112 verified reviews, Bowo users most value its guest experience enhancement, customer support, customization and personalization, while Solay users highlight . Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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Guest experience enhancement
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Customer support
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Customization and personalization
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How each product ranks among Hotel Guest Apps 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) ▾ | #3 42 reviews | — |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #5 51 reviews | — |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | #6 15 reviews | #30 0 reviews |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) | #13 2 reviews | — |
By Property Type
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| Boutique ▾ | #4 56 reviews | — |
| Luxury ▾ | #4 74 reviews | #38 0 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #6 23 reviews | — |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #5 11 reviews | — |
By Region
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| North America ▾ | #7 12 reviews | #28 0 reviews |
| Europe ▾ | #4 88 reviews | — |
| Asia Pacific | #14 1 reviews | — |
| Middle East | #5 3 reviews | — |
Choosing between Bowo’s Guest App and Solay hinges on your hotel’s specific needs, as they serve very different functions within the guest experience ecosystem. Bowo aims to centralize and personalize all guest services, boosting revenue and operational efficiency, while Solay focuses solely on streamlining poolside and beachside seating reservations to enhance safety and convenience. How do your current guest engagement priorities align with these offerings?
Bowo’s extensive review base and high recent review activity make it a more reliable choice for hoteliers seeking a well-supported, proven guest app. Solay, with no reviews and limited regional presence, remains less validated in the market.
Bowo and Solay both target unique aspects of the guest journey. Bowo’s platform consolidates multiple services—like digital directories, room service, multilingual support, and guest profiles—aimed at creating a personalized hotel experience that drives revenue. Conversely, Solay specializes exclusively in managing poolside and beachside reservations, addressing safety and social distancing concerns in recreational areas.
Where Bowo is broad and feature-rich, Solay’s value is highly niche and operationally focused. Your choice depends on whether you want a comprehensive guest engagement platform or a specialized reservation tool for leisure spaces.
If your hotel needs a versatile guest app that enhances overall guest experience, increases ancillary revenue, and simplifies communication across services, go with Bowo. Its 99 reviews, high ratings (4.87/5 for ease of use, 4.85/5 for support), and global presence in 15 countries showcase a trusted, mature solution.
If your hotel’s primary focus is managing poolside or beachside seating with real-time reservations, especially amid social distancing measures, Solay may seem appealing. However, with no reviews or broader market validation, it’s a less proven option. Given the current data, Bowo is the more reliable choice for most hotels.
Bowo’s interface is rated 4.87/5 for ease of use by hoteliers, with positive comments on its quick setup, customization, and user-friendly backend. Its onboarding process scores 4.74/5, and support is highly rated at 4.85/5, making staff adoption straightforward.
Solay offers no available ratings or user feedback, making it impossible to judge its usability or onboarding experience. Its niche function suggests simpler use in its limited domain, but without validation, Bowo’s user experience remains clearly superior.
Edge: Bowo.
Bowo offers a total of 11 features, including guest profiles, local recommendations, room service ordering, request management, hotel directory, and automatic translations—none of which Solay provides. Its features support personalized services, upselling, and multi-lingual support, covering a broad spectrum of guest engagement.
Solay’s only listed feature is app download capability, focusing solely on reservation management for poolside and beachside loungers. This narrow functionality limits its appeal beyond its niche.
Edge: Bowo.
Bowo’s support ratings are stellar, with a 4.85/5 score, and reviews highlight responsive, proactive assistance. Users mention personalized support and quick problem resolution, boosting confidence in ongoing use.
Solay has no available support ratings or reviews, leaving its customer service credibility unverified. Without user feedback, Bowo’s support advantage is clear.
Edge: Bowo.
Bowo integrates with 31 verified partners, including major PMS and hotel management systems like Mews, apaleo, Oracle Hospitality, and others. This extensive network allows easier integration into existing hotel tech stacks.
Solay only has two verified partners—Mews and Revinate—limiting integration options significantly. For hotels seeking a flexible, compatible platform, Bowo’s broader integration capabilities are advantageous.
Edge: Bowo.
Bowo’s reviews are recent and plentiful, with a 4.87/5 ease of use rating and a 4.85/5 support score. Hotels across segments, especially luxury and city center hotels, praise its customization, responsiveness, and ability to boost revenue.
Solay has no reviews or ratings, so user opinions are unavailable. In terms of proven hotel satisfaction, Bowo clearly leads.
Edge: Bowo.
Bowo’s pricing is $600 monthly with no free tier, implementation fees, or trials listed. The lack of flexible plans suggests a straightforward, premium model.
Solay does not disclose its pricing, making direct comparison impossible. Based on available data, Bowo’s transparent pricing offers better clarity for budgeting.
Not ideal if:
Edge: Bowo.
Not ideal if:
Edge: Solay (though unvalidated).
Bowo and Solay serve very different needs: Bowo is a comprehensive guest app platform, while Solay is a specialized reservation system. Bowo’s extensive reviews, high ratings, and broad feature set make it the more trustworthy choice for most hotels.
Choose Bowo if you want a versatile platform that enhances guest experience, drives revenue, and integrates with your existing systems. Its proven support, global presence, and feature depth position it as a reliable partner.
Opt for Solay only if your property’s primary concern is managing poolside and beachside reservations, and you’re willing to accept limited market validation. Currently, Bowo’s proven track record clearly makes it the superior solution for most hoteliers.
According to HTR's product database, Bowo - Guest App and Solay share 5 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
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| App download | ||
| Automatic Translations (Multi-Lingual) | ||
| Guest Profiles | ||
| Hotel Directory | ||
| Local Recommendations | ||
| Request Management | ||
| Room Service Ordering |
We analyzed 2 verified case studies to compare what hotels actually achieve with each platform across four key business objectives.
"The application helps me grow all the hotel's secondary points of sale, whether it's the SPA, catering, or even concierge activities. It also enables us to incorporate additional e..."
No published case study for this goal yet.
"We've managed to build a guest journey that's very intuitive and quite extraordinary."
No published case study for this goal yet.
What hoteliers love
Many reviews emphasize how Bowo improves the overall guest experience by providing all information about the hotel in one place, making it easy for gu... Many reviews emphasize how Bowo improves the overall guest experience by providing all information about the hotel in one place, making it easy for guests to access and book services directly through the tablet placed in their rooms.
Bowo’s customer support receives high praise for being responsive and helpful. Users appreciate the specific account managers who are always ready to... Bowo’s customer support receives high praise for being responsive and helpful. Users appreciate the specific account managers who are always ready to assist with any issues or customizations.
Reviews mention the high degree of customization available on the platform, allowing hotels to tailor the app to their brand’s look and feel, which en... Reviews mention the high degree of customization available on the platform, allowing hotels to tailor the app to their brand’s look and feel, which enhances the guest experience.
Ranks higher for
Unique capabilities
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Bowo - Guest App and Solay share many core Hotel Guest Apps features, but each has unique capabilities. Bowo - Guest App offers 31 verified integration partners, while Solay offers 2. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Bowo - Guest App 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.
Bowo - Guest App: No. Solay: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Hotel Guest Apps 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. Bowo has an HT Score of 39 and Solay 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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