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 57 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:
Counter shines in ease of use and customer support , with exclusive features like Payment processing and Housekeeping module.
Xenus shines .
Side-by-side ratings based on 57 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | Contact sales | Contact sales |
| Verified Reviews | 57 | 0 |
After analyzing 57 verified reviews, Counter users most value its user interface and usability, customer support, automated features, while Xenus users highlight . Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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User interface and usability
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Customer support
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Automated features
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Platform integration
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Bug issues
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Reporting and revenue management
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Pricing
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How each product ranks among Property Management Systems vendors for different property sizes, types, and regions — based on verified reviews from hoteliers in each segment.
By Hotel Size
| Segment |
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Xenus |
|---|---|---|
| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #26 28 reviews | — |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) | #46 4 reviews | — |
| Large (75-199 rooms) | #32 2 reviews | — |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) | #31 1 reviews | — |
By Property Type
| Segment |
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Xenus |
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| Boutique ▾ | #31 16 reviews | — |
| Luxury | #44 4 reviews | — |
| Branded / Chain | #43 4 reviews | — |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #32 5 reviews | — |
By Region
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Xenus |
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| North America ▾ | #25 8 reviews | — |
| Europe ▾ | #20 25 reviews | — |
| Asia Pacific | #16 4 reviews | — |
| Middle East | #11 2 reviews | — |
Choosing between Counter by Counter and Xenus by Xenus hinges on your hotel’s operational needs and growth plans. Counter primarily targets hostels and small accommodations, offering a feature-rich, easy-to-use PMS with a strong regional presence. Xenus, on the other hand, focuses on review analysis and customer feedback optimization, with no current user reviews or regional data. Do your priorities lean toward managing bookings and operations efficiently or harnessing customer insights to elevate guest experience?
Counter’s comprehensive feature set and extensive review volume make it the more reliable choice for hotels seeking an all-in-one PMS. Xenus’s AI-driven review analysis might be appealing if your hotel heavily depends on online reputation management, but its lack of user feedback limits confidence in its current capabilities. Are you ready to prioritize proven operational tools over emerging review analytics?
If your hotel needs a straightforward, user-friendly PMS with a broad feature set, go with Counter. Its 54 reviews and 4.73-star rating from recent feedback highlight a platform trusted for its ease of use, support, and operational functionality—especially for hostels and small hotels.
Choose Xenus if your focus is on harnessing review data for customer insights, and you’re comfortable investing in a solution still lacking user feedback. With no reviews or regional presence, Xenus’s AI capabilities could be promising but remain unverified in the hotel industry. Are you prioritizing proven PMS features or exploring innovative review analytics?
Counter scores a 4.6/5 for ease of use, with most users praising its intuitive interface and simple onboarding process. Customers highlight that staff can quickly learn the platform, and its mobile-friendly design enhances remote management. Support responsiveness is also rated highly, with many reviewers mentioning quick, helpful responses from Evelyn and Max.
Xenus provides no user ratings or reviews, making it impossible to gauge usability. Without concrete feedback, its ease of use remains speculative. Given Counter’s proven, highly-rated interface and onboarding experience, the edge goes to Counter.
Counter offers 19 unique features, including a channel manager, payment processing, booking engine, housekeepings modules, guest CRM, multi-lingual support, and automated night audits. These functionalities are tailored specifically for small hospitality businesses, streamlining operations and revenue management.
Xenus’s core strength lies in AI-driven review analysis, but it currently offers no features explicitly designed for property management or operational control. With its lack of tangible, hotel-specific features, Counter clearly provides a more comprehensive set for property management. Edge: Counter.
Counter’s support is highly rated at 4.96/5, with recent reviews praising its quick, responsive team—especially Evelyn and Max—for solving issues efficiently. Users appreciate the ongoing improvements and the platform’s flexibility, despite some bugs with overbookings and bed availability.
Xenus has no available reviews, ratings, or support feedback. This absence makes it impossible to assess support quality or responsiveness. Given Counter’s proven support reputation, the edge clearly goes to Counter.
Counter integrates with seven verified partners, including prominent platforms like SiteMinder, Cloudbeds, Stripe, Goki, and FLYR Hospitality. These integrations facilitate online distribution, payment processing, and access control, enhancing operational efficiency.
Xenus currently claims no verified integrations, limiting its connectivity options. Without established partnerships, Xenus’s ability to fit into diverse hotel tech stacks remains unproven. Edge: Counter.
Counter’s overall rating of 4.73/5, based on 54 reviews, underscores its popularity among hotels, especially hostels. The most recent reviews praise its ease of use, support, and feature set, with a 91% likelihood to recommend.
Xenus’s lack of any reviews or ratings prevents a comparison. Without user feedback, we cannot confirm its suitability or satisfaction level. Therefore, the clear choice is Counter, given its trusted reputation.
Counter does not publicly list its pricing but offers a free, no-trial setup, suggesting affordability for small hotels and hostels. Its pay-per-room model and no implementation fee make it cost-effective for growing properties.
Xenus’s pricing details are unavailable, and with no established cost structure, evaluating its value is impossible. Given Counter’s transparent and competitive approach, it stands out as the more accessible option for budget-conscious hotels.
Not ideal if you require complex revenue management or large group booking features, as Counter’s group functionality needs improvement.
Not ideal if you need a full-featured PMS with operational modules, integrations, or a proven track record.
Counter by Counter is a fully functional, highly-rated PMS built specifically for small hotels and hostels. Its broad feature set, positive recent reviews, and extensive integrations make it a dependable choice for operational management.
Xenus, while promising as an AI review platform, currently lacks hotel-specific features and real user validation. It might serve as a supplementary tool in the future but isn’t suitable as your primary PMS now.
Choose Counter if your priority is managing bookings, operations, and guest data efficiently. Opt for Xenus only if your focus is solely on harnessing review insights and you are willing to take a risk on an untested platform. In most cases, Counter offers the proven stability and features your hotel needs to succeed today.
According to HTR's product database, Counter and Xenus share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
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Xenus |
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| Booking Engine | ||
| Calendar view | ||
| Channel Manager | ||
| Custom rates | ||
| Payment processing | ||
| RevPaR & ADR Reports |
Showing top differences. 7 more features differ between these products.
What hoteliers love
Hoteliers find Counter's interface clean, intuitive, and user-friendly, making it easy to train new staff quickly. The mobile and desktop interfaces w... Hoteliers find Counter's interface clean, intuitive, and user-friendly, making it easy to train new staff quickly. The mobile and desktop interfaces work well, allowing managers to handle tasks remotely. It is particularly noted for its simplicity in calendar and calendar management.
The support team at Counter is frequently praised for its responsiveness and helpfulness. Staff like Evelyn and Max receive specific mentions for thei... The support team at Counter is frequently praised for its responsiveness and helpfulness. Staff like Evelyn and Max receive specific mentions for their professionalism. However, there are concerns about slower support in certain time zones.
Users appreciate Counter's automated features that include tasks like contactless check-in, automating credit card charges, and managing bookings acro... Users appreciate Counter's automated features that include tasks like contactless check-in, automating credit card charges, and managing bookings across platforms. This automation reduces staff workload and improves operational efficiency.
Where hoteliers push back
Several hoteliers mention persistent bugs in the system, particularly issues with overbookings, bed availability display, and system errors during boo... Several hoteliers mention persistent bugs in the system, particularly issues with overbookings, bed availability display, and system errors during booking cancellations. These bugs have a negative impact on daily operations and guest experience.
Hoteliers appreciate Counter's reporting capabilities but note that the reports can be improved for better insights. Revenue management features are s... Hoteliers appreciate Counter's reporting capabilities but note that the reports can be improved for better insights. Revenue management features are seen as lacking, particularly for businesses operating on multiple rate plans or using dynamic pricing.
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Counter and Xenus share many core Property Management Systems features, but each has unique capabilities. Counter offers 7 verified integration partners, while Xenus offers 0. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Counter leads in ease of use at 4.6/5 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.
Counter: No. Xenus: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Property Management Systems 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. Counter has an HT Score of 17 and Xenus 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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