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 67 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:
Crave Interactive shines in ease of use and customer support — especially for brand properties (5.0/5) , with exclusive features like Payments and Guest Messaging.
moonshiner shines .
Side-by-side ratings based on 67 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | From $400/mo | Contact sales |
| Verified Reviews | 67 | 0 |
After analyzing 67 verified reviews, Crave Interactive users most value its customer service, user interface, customization, while moonshiner users highlight . Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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Customer service
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User interface
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Customization
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Guest communication
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Hardware issues
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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
| Segment |
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moonshiner |
|---|---|---|
| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #6 13 reviews | — |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #9 26 reviews | — |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | #4 14 reviews | — |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) ▾ | #5 7 reviews | — |
By Property Type
| Segment |
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moonshiner |
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| Boutique ▾ | #6 26 reviews | — |
| Luxury ▾ | #5 31 reviews | — |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #4 27 reviews | — |
| Extended Stay | #10 2 reviews | — |
By Region
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moonshiner |
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| North America ▾ | #4 26 reviews | — |
| Europe ▾ | #8 31 reviews | — |
| Asia Pacific | #8 2 reviews | — |
| Middle East | #8 1 reviews | — |
Choosing the right guest app platform for your hotel can significantly impact guest satisfaction and operational efficiency. Crave Mobile Platform by Crave Interactive and Moonshiner both claim to serve this purpose but differ vastly in credibility, features, and market presence. Crave’s extensive review history and recent high ratings suggest a proven track record, while Moonshiner’s lack of reviews and regional presence cast doubt on its reliability. Your decision hinges on which product aligns best with your hotel's needs and your confidence in the data.
Crave Interactive dominates in this comparison, with 48 reviews and recent feedback reflecting a consistent 4.75/5 overall rating, a 9.15/5 NPS score, and a 93% likelihood to recommend. Its broad feature set, including digital menus, contactless ordering, and integrated payments, addresses a wide array of guest service needs. Moonshiner, on the other hand, has no reviews or market presence, making it impossible to gauge its effectiveness or reliability.
While Crave’s platform is praised for its user-friendly interface, seamless system integrations, and proactive support, Moonshiner’s lack of real-world feedback leaves it untested at scale. The lack of recent reviews or regional presence further weakens its credibility for hotels seeking dependable technology. Are you willing to gamble on an unproven product, or do you prefer the reassurance of Crave’s proven performance?
If your hotel needs a mature, well-supported guest app platform with a proven track record, Crave is the clear choice. Its core strengths include extensive integrations (17 verified partners), a comprehensive feature set (25 features exclusive to Crave), and high satisfaction among hotels across segments like luxury, boutique, and branded hotels. Crave’s advanced capabilities, such as room service ordering, contactless payments, and multi-language support, make it suitable for properties aiming to enhance guest engagement and operational efficiency.
If, however, your hotel is experimenting with new or niche solutions and is willing to accept the risks of unproven technology, Moonshiner might seem appealing — but remember, it currently offers no reviews, features, or market presence. Without credible validation or regional deployment, it’s difficult to recommend Moonshiner as a reliable choice for your hotel’s guest engagement.
Crave Interactive scores highly with a 4.61/5 ease-of-use rating, supported by positive reviews highlighting its simple, guest-friendly interface and smooth onboarding process. Hotels appreciate its intuitive design, which minimizes staff training and encourages guest adoption, with many reviews praising the proactive setup and ongoing support. Crave’s interface allows guests to access services from anywhere on property — whether poolside, in-room, or in meeting spaces — with minimal confusion.
Moonshiner, by contrast, has no available review data to assess its user-friendliness or onboarding process. The absence of user feedback suggests it’s untested in real hotel environments and raises questions about ease of adoption. Based on available data, Edge: Crave.
Crave Interactive offers a comprehensive suite of 25 features, including hotel directories, multi-lingual support, digital menus, contactless ordering, payment integrations, and local recommendations. Its extensive list addresses nearly every aspect of guest service automation, making it suitable for hotels seeking a versatile and integrated platform. These features are validated through real hotel use, with many users reporting increased revenue and improved guest experiences.
Moonshiner provides no feature details or validation, making it impossible to compare directly. Given the multitude of features and proven deployment, Crave’s feature set clearly surpasses Moonshiner’s nonexistent offerings. Edge: Crave.
Crave’s support team earns a 4.79/5 rating, with reviews emphasizing rapid response times, helpful staff, and proactive service that resolves issues quickly — even during off-hours. Hoteliers appreciate the immediate assistance, which minimizes downtime and maintains guest satisfaction. Crave’s onboarding rating of 4.57/5 further indicates a smooth transition and ongoing support quality.
Moonshiner, with no reviews or support ratings available, leaves its support quality unverified. The lack of customer feedback makes it impossible to gauge responsiveness or effectiveness. For a hotel prioritizing reliable support, Edge: Crave.
Crave’s high ratings across multiple metrics — 4.75/5 overall, a 9.15/5 NPS score, and a 93% recommendation rate — reflect broad satisfaction, especially among luxury and branded hotels. Recent reviews consistently praise its ease of use, robust features, and support, with comments like “The user interface was super customizable and looked amazing” and “Customer service was exceptional.”
Moonshiner has no reviews or ratings, making it impossible to determine hoteliers’ opinions or satisfaction levels. Based solely on available data, Crave clearly holds the higher reputation. Edge: Crave.
Crave’s pricing starts at a straightforward $400 setup fee, with no mention of monthly fees or hidden costs. This transparent model makes budgeting easier and aligns with many hotels’ expectations for value. No pricing data is available for Moonshiner, which raises questions about its market positioning and overall value proposition.
Without concrete pricing details, it’s safer to rely on Crave’s transparent fee structure, especially considering its proven value and extensive feature set. Edge: Crave.
Not ideal if your hotel is a small boutique with minimal tech needs or if you prefer to trial untested solutions.
Not ideal if you prioritize proven technology, extensive features, or robust support.
Crave Interactive is a mature, fully-featured guest app platform backed by nearly 50 reviews and recent high scores. Its extensive integrations, proven support, and positive hotel feedback make it the safer choice for most properties seeking reliable guest engagement tools.
Moonshiner, lacking reviews, features, and market presence, remains an unverified option. Without verifiable data, it’s impossible to recommend it confidently for your hotel.
If your hotel values proven performance, high guest satisfaction, and comprehensive features, Crave is the clear choice. For properties willing to take a gamble on an untested, undefined solution, Moonshiner might be worth exploring, but at your own risk.
In conclusion, for most hotels, Crave Interactive offers a more reliable, feature-rich, and supported platform — making it the preferred choice in this comparison.
Hotel Guest Apps 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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moonshiner | |
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| Starting Price | From $400/mo | — |
According to HTR's product database, Crave Mobile Platform and Moonshiner share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
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moonshiner |
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| Automatic Translations (Multi-Lingual) | ||
| Hotel Directory | ||
| Payments | ||
| Request Management | ||
| Room Service Ordering | ||
| Web Based (Appless) |
Showing top differences. 13 more features differ between these products.
What hoteliers love
Crave Interactive provides exceptional customer service with quick response times and helpful support staff. Hoteliers appreciate the efficient and pr... Crave Interactive provides exceptional customer service with quick response times and helpful support staff. Hoteliers appreciate the efficient and proactive support, which helps in resolving issues promptly.
While the user interface is appreciated for being user-friendly and intuitive for guests, some feedback suggests it could be more modern and customiza... While the user interface is appreciated for being user-friendly and intuitive for guests, some feedback suggests it could be more modern and customizable to better fit individual hotel needs.
Customization options, especially for menu updates and guest interfaces, are limited and often require support from Crave Interactive's team. Users ex... Customization options, especially for menu updates and guest interfaces, are limited and often require support from Crave Interactive's team. Users express a desire for more control over customizations.
Where hoteliers push back
Several reviews mentioned concerns with the hardware, specifically tablet durability and charging difficulties. These issues can affect overall effici... Several reviews mentioned concerns with the hardware, specifically tablet durability and charging difficulties. These issues can affect overall efficiency and guest satisfaction when using the system.
The system's integration with other hotel management systems, such as Simphony and PMS, is highlighted for making operations smoother and reducing man... The system's integration with other hotel management systems, such as Simphony and PMS, is highlighted for making operations smoother and reducing manual entry. This has been particularly beneficial during large events and for managing room services efficiently.
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Crave Mobile Platform and Moonshiner share many core Hotel Guest Apps features, but each has unique capabilities. Crave Mobile Platform offers 17 verified integration partners, while Moonshiner offers 0. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Crave Mobile Platform 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.
Crave Mobile Platform: No. Moonshiner: 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. Crave Interactive has an HT Score of 75 and moonshiner 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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