Aven Hospitality Retailing vs. DigitalGuest:
Which Is Right for You?

The Decision

Choosing the right upselling software can transform your hotel's revenue and guest experience. Both Aven Hospitality Retailing and DigitalGuest aim to boost ancillary sales and streamline communication, but they do so with different strengths. Your decision hinges on your hotel's size, focus, and specific needs—so which solution aligns best with your goals?

Is Aven Hospitality Retailing or DigitalGuest Better for Hotels?

Aven Hospitality Retailing primarily targets larger properties looking to diversify revenue streams beyond room sales through a wide array of retail features. It offers a comprehensive suite with tailored upselling, inventory management, and integrated fulfillment, making it suitable for hotels wanting to sell goods, services, and experiences in a unified platform.

DigitalGuest, on the other hand, excels in guest engagement from pre-arrival to post-stay, focusing on communication, upselling, and feedback collection. Its strengths lie in automating guest interactions across multiple channels, which benefits hotels prioritizing guest experience and direct communication. Given the difference in focus, which aspect is more critical for your hotel: diversified revenue streams or enhanced guest interaction?

DigitalGuest vs Aven Hospitality Retailing: Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If your hotel needs a flexible, multi-channel communication system that improves guest satisfaction and boosts revenue through targeted upselling, DigitalGuest is the clear choice. It’s ideal for resorts, boutique hotels, and properties aiming for high guest engagement, especially given its 17 recent reviews and a near-perfect 4.94/5 rating.

Conversely, if your hotel seeks to leverage ancillary retail sales with a focus on inventory, fulfillment, and a broad feature set, Aven Hospitality Retailing is better. Its $600 monthly fee is justified by features like automated task routing and offer templates, especially if you operate in regions where its extensive integrations are advantageous. The more recent reviews favor DigitalGuest, supporting a stronger confidence in its current performance.

Is Aven Hospitality Retailing or DigitalGuest Easier to Use?

Aven Hospitality receives a perfect 5/5 ease-of-use rating, supported by glowing reviews praising its intuitive reservations system and straightforward onboarding. Users mention that the system is very easy to navigate and that support is highly communicative, making staff adoption smooth.

DigitalGuest, with a 4.85/5 rating, also receives praise for its user-friendly interface, quick setup, and minimal downtime. Reviewers highlight its easy integration with PMS systems and its simple guest communication tools, although some mention wishing for enhanced flexibility in pre-arrival messaging.

Edge: Aven Hospitality.

Which Has Better Features: Aven Hospitality or DigitalGuest?

Aven Hospitality offers 10 unique features, including automated fulfillment task routing, dynamic upgrade pricing, and offer templates library, which are absent in DigitalGuest. Its features focus on retail management, data security (Type 2 SOC 2 certification), and operational automation.

DigitalGuest provides 8 features, notably multi-channel delivery (email, SMS, WhatsApp, chat) and offer orchestration across guest journey phases. It emphasizes guest engagement, communication, and feedback collection, with fewer retail-specific functionalities.

Given the broader retail features, Aven Hospitality edges out in operational support, but DigitalGuest excels in multi-channel communication.

Edge: Aven Hospitality.

Which Has Better Customer Support: Aven Hospitality or DigitalGuest?

Both products are praised for support, but Aven Hospitality stands out with a perfect 5/5 support rating and consistently positive reviews praising its communicative and helpful team. Customers note that onboarding is straightforward and support continues to assist through evolving features.

DigitalGuest follows closely with a 4.94/5 support rating, and reviews emphasize quick response times and ease of troubleshooting. Its smaller team size (18 employees) may limit some support options, but overall, satisfaction remains high.

Edge: Aven Hospitality.

Which Has More Integrations: Aven Hospitality or DigitalGuest?

Aven Hospitality has 80 verified integrations, including major PMS, channel managers, and retail solutions like Visual Matrix, Profitroom, and Koddi. This extensive partner network allows seamless data flow and operational efficiency across diverse systems.

DigitalGuest offers 16 verified integrations, including popular PMS like RoomRaccoon, Sirvoy, and Hotellinx, but with fewer options for niche or enterprise systems. While its integrations are sufficient for many properties, Aven’s broader network provides more flexibility in complex setups.

Edge: Aven Hospitality.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: Aven Hospitality or DigitalGuest?

DigitalGuest’s 17 reviews, all recent, average 4.94/5, mostly from resorts and boutique hotels. Users praise its ease of use, responsive support, and ability to connect with guests effectively, with comments like: “Amazingly user-friendly, quick setup, and seamless communication.”

Aven Hospitality, with only 1 review, scores 0/5. Its limited review base makes it hard to gauge current performance, but the lack of recent reviews suggests less confidence in its ongoing support or features.

Edge: DigitalGuest.

How Much Do Aven Hospitality and DigitalGuest Cost?

Aven Hospitality Retailing charges a flat $600 monthly fee with no implementation or trial charges. Pricing details for DigitalGuest are not publicly available, complicating direct comparison, but it’s likely to follow a similar subscription model based on market standards.

Given the transparent pricing of Aven Hospitality, it offers a predictable investment, while DigitalGuest’s value depends on negotiated terms and additional costs.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Aven Hospitality?

• Hotels that want to diversify revenue streams beyond rooms, such as spas, restaurants, and retail
• Hotels seeking inventory, fulfillment, and retail automation
• Large properties with complex operations requiring extensive integrations
• Teams that prioritize operational automation and data security

Not ideal if your hotel is small or primarily focused on guest experience without retail ambitions.

What Type of Hotel Should Use DigitalGuest?

• Resorts and boutique hotels aiming to enhance guest engagement and satisfaction
• Properties seeking to automate guest communication across multiple channels
• Hotels focused on upselling during pre-arrival, in-stay, and post-stay periods
• Teams that want quick onboarding and high user-friendliness

Not ideal if your hotel relies heavily on retail sales or requires extensive inventory management.

The Bottom Line for Hotels

Aven Hospitality Retailing is a broad retail platform designed for hotels wanting to expand revenue through diverse ancillary sales and operational automation. It’s well-suited for larger hotels with complex needs, especially those already invested in extensive integrations.

DigitalGuest excels in guest engagement, communication, and upselling through multi-channel automation, backed by a high user rating and recent positive reviews. It’s ideal for resorts and boutique hotels prioritizing guest experience and direct communication.

Choose Aven Hospitality if your hotel needs retail-centric features, extensive integrations, and operational automation. Opt for DigitalGuest if your focus is on elevating guest communication, upselling, and guest satisfaction.

In conclusion, DigitalGuest’s more recent reviews, higher ratings, and extensive user base make it the more reliable choice today. It’s better suited for properties emphasizing guest experience, especially given its strong recent reputation.

If your hotel prioritizes retail sales and operational integration, Aven Hospitality remains a solid, feature-rich option—but its limited recent feedback makes DigitalGuest the safer bet for current performance.