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 Credit Card Payments and Payments Integrations.
Shiji Group shines , with exclusive features like Guest Profiles and Mobile Checkin.
Side-by-side ratings based on 67 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
| HTScore |
|
|
| Likelihood to Recommend |
|
|
| Ease of Use |
|
|
| Customer Support |
|
|
| Value for Money |
|
|
| 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 Shiji Group users highlight . Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
|
|
|
|---|---|
| Pros | |
|
+
Customer service
▾
|
|
|
+
User interface
▾
|
|
|
+
Customization
▾
|
|
|
+
Guest communication
▾
|
|
| Cons | |
|
−
Hardware issues
▾
|
|
|
−
Seamless system integration
▾
|
|
|
−
Back-end system
▾
|
|
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 |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #6 13 reviews | — |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #9 26 reviews | #36 0 reviews |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | #4 14 reviews | #28 0 reviews |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) ▾ | #5 7 reviews | — |
By Property Type
| Segment |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Boutique ▾ | #6 26 reviews | #36 0 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | #5 31 reviews | #33 0 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #4 27 reviews | #32 0 reviews |
| Extended Stay | #10 2 reviews | — |
By Region
| Segment |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| North America ▾ | #4 26 reviews | #20 0 reviews |
| Europe ▾ | #8 31 reviews | #35 0 reviews |
| Asia Pacific | #8 2 reviews | — |
| Middle East | #8 1 reviews | — |
Choosing the right hotel guest app is critical to enhancing guest engagement, streamlining operations, and increasing revenue. Both Crave Mobile Platform by Crave Interactive and Shiji Stellaris Digital aim to digitize the guest experience, but they differ significantly in capabilities, user feedback, and market presence. Your decision hinges on whether you prioritize proven performance, feature depth, or broader integration options.
Crave Interactive boasts a high customer rating, a strong review base, and comprehensive feature sets. Conversely, Shiji Group offers extensive integrations and a more scalable, all-in-one approach, but lacks recent reviews or a broad customer rating. Which solution aligns best with your hotel’s specific needs?
Crave Interactive and Shiji Group both target hotel guest engagement but approach it differently. Crave focuses on mobile guest apps that provide services like digital menus, contactless ordering, and in-venue payments, all designed for quick deployment and ease of use. Shiji, on the other hand, offers an integrated suite that includes mobile check-in, in-room dining, and guest communication—covering more touchpoints across the entire guest journey.
While Crave has a proven track record with extensive reviews and a highly rated interface, Shiji’s digital platform emphasizes deep integration with PMS and POS systems, offering a broader operational scope. The key question is whether your hotel needs a proven, standalone guest app or a comprehensive, integrated hotel management suite.
If your hotel needs a reliable, easy-to-adopt guest app that boosts guest satisfaction and ancillary sales, Crave is the clear choice. Its 48 recent reviews and a 4.75/5 overall rating underscore proven success in diverse hotel segments, especially luxury and boutique hotels.
However, if your hotel seeks a unified platform that digitizes multiple guest touchpoints—from check-in to checkout—and integrates seamlessly with existing systems, Shiji’s Stellaris Digital is more suitable. Its scalability and broad system integrations make it ideal for large or multi-property hotels aiming for comprehensive operational digitization.
Crave Interactive earns a high ease of use rating at 4.61/5, backed by positive reviews emphasizing its user-friendly interface and quick onboarding. Hoteliers praise its straightforward setup, intuitive guest experience, and helpful customer support, with reviews highlighting rapid issue resolution and proactive support.
Shiji’s platform, while feature-rich, has not received recent reviews or user ratings publicly, making its ease of use harder to assess. Given the lack of recent feedback, it’s uncertain how easily staff and guests adapt to its interface.
Edge: Crave Interactive.
Crave offers 16 unique features, including QR codes, digital menus, contactless ordering, Apple Pay, Google Pay, POS integration, and in-venue ordering—all aimed at enhancing guest convenience and operational efficiency. Its feature set is tailored for mobile, app-less experiences that streamline service.
Shiji provides only 3 features exclusive to its platform: guest profiles, mobile check-in, and app download, with the remaining 6 shared features. Its focus is more on comprehensive hotel management rather than specific guest-facing functionalities.
Edge: Crave Interactive.
Crave scores highly on customer support with a 4.79/5 rating and positive reviews praising its quick, helpful responses and proactive support. Hoteliers describe Crave’s team as responsive and attentive, often resolving issues within hours, which is critical during initial setup and ongoing operation.
Shiji lacks recent reviews or publicly available feedback on support quality, making it difficult to assess. Given Crave’s strong support ratings, it clearly leads in this area.
Edge: Crave Interactive.
Crave integrates with 17 verified partners, including notable names like Oracle Hospitality, Kipsu, and Infor, focusing on hospitality-specific solutions. Shiji boasts 64 verified integrations, including major PMS and channel management systems like SiteMinder, Revinate, and Oaky.
While Shiji offers a broader set of integrations, many are more relevant for larger, multi-property operations. Crave’s integrations are highly focused on guest service and point-of-sale systems, making it more straightforward for hotels prioritizing front-end guest engagement.
Edge: Shiji Group.
Crave’s recent reviews show an average rating of 4.75/5 from 48 reviews, with 93% of hoteliers recommending it. Reviewers highlight its user-friendliness, support quality, and positive guest feedback, especially in luxury and boutique properties.
Shiji lacks recent, publicly available reviews, so customer ratings are unavailable. With a large global presence, its reputation remains well-established, but limited current feedback hampers a direct comparison.
Edge: Crave Interactive.
Crave’s pricing starts at a $400 base fee, with no mention of monthly or per-room charges, and no free trial available. Its straightforward pricing model simplifies budgeting for hotels seeking a clear, predictable cost.
Shiji does not publicly disclose its pricing, which is common for enterprise solutions. Likely, costs vary based on integration complexity and hotel size, requiring direct contact for a quote.
Not ideal if:
Not ideal if:
Crave’s strength lies in its high user ratings, ease of use, and proven track record for guest engagement, supported by numerous recent reviews. It excels for hotels prioritizing a reliable, app-based guest experience with strong support.
Shiji offers a broader set of integrations and a scalable platform that covers more touchpoints across the guest journey. It’s better suited for larger properties or chains seeking a unified, integrated digital environment.
If your hotel needs a quick, proven guest app with excellent support, Crave is the safer choice. If you’re looking for a highly integrated, scalable system that can handle multiple operational facets, Shiji should be your consideration.
This comparison provides a clear, data-backed guide to help your team decide. Both solutions are capable, but your hotel’s specific priorities will determine the best fit.
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.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $400/mo | — |
According to HTR's product database, Crave Mobile Platform and Shiji Stellaris Digital share 9 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
| Feature |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| App download | ||
| Apple Pay | ||
| Credit Card Payments | ||
| Digital Menu | ||
| Guest Profiles | ||
| In-Venue Ordering | ||
| Mobile Checkin | ||
| QR Codes | ||
| Web Based (Appless) |
Showing top differences. 7 more features differ between these products.
We analyzed 3 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.
"Tokenisation, automated posting, and secure payment links have significantly improved internal workflows and guest trust, especially for group and conference bookings."
No published case study for this goal yet.
"We reduced check-in time by over 80%, from up to eight minutes to just about one minute with the new system."
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.
Ranks higher for
Unique capabilities
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Crave Mobile Platform and Shiji Stellaris Digital share many core Hotel Guest Apps features, but each has unique capabilities. Crave Mobile Platform offers 17 verified integration partners, while Shiji Stellaris Digital offers 64. 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. Shiji Stellaris Digital: 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 Shiji Group has 0. Here is how the score is calculated.
| Criteria Group | Weight | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Ratings & Reviews |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 →
Product recommendations advisor