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 353 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:
Duve shines when it comes to upselling features — especially for brand properties (0.0/5) , with exclusive features like Mobile Friendly and SMS text messaging.
Plusgrade shines when it comes to increased revenue , with exclusive features like Type 2 SOC 2 Certified (Data Security).
Side-by-side ratings based on 353 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | From $900/mo | From $400/mo |
| Verified Reviews | 323 | 30 |
After analyzing 353 verified reviews, Duve users most value its upselling features, guest communication, support and implementation, while Plusgrade users highlight increased revenue, customer experience, automated upselling. Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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Upselling Features
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Increased Revenue
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Guest Communication
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Customer Experience
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Support and Implementation
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Automated Upselling
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AI and Automation
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Additional Upselling Options
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Potential Feature Enhancements
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Manual Upgrades and Errors
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Pricing and Value for Small Businesses
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User Interface
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How each product ranks among Upselling Software 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) ▾ | #2 69 reviews | #16 2 reviews |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #3 137 reviews | #12 16 reviews |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | #3 45 reviews | #10 9 reviews |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) ▾ | #3 38 reviews | #10 3 reviews |
By Property Type
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| Boutique ▾ | #3 125 reviews | #12 14 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | #3 131 reviews | #14 15 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #3 97 reviews | #14 7 reviews |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #2 45 reviews | #17 1 reviews |
By Region
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| North America ▾ | #2 37 reviews | #12 4 reviews |
| Europe ▾ | #2 132 reviews | #15 12 reviews |
| Asia Pacific ▾ | #6 9 reviews | — |
| Middle East ▾ | #1 107 reviews | #4 10 reviews |
When choosing an upselling software for your hotel, the core question is whether you need a comprehensive guest engagement platform or a revenue-focused upselling system. Duve Upselling by Duve offers a broad suite of features aimed at enhancing guest communication, personalization, and automating multiple touchpoints. Plusgrade by Plusgrade, on the other hand, centers primarily on increasing revenue through automated upgrades and ancillary sales. Both solutions aim to boost profits, but with different approaches.
Duve excels in creating personalized guest experiences and streamlining communication, while Plusgrade is optimized for maximizing RevPAR through automated upsell propositions. The decision ultimately depends on your hotel’s specific needs—are you looking for detailed guest interaction or pure revenue uplift?
Duve and Plusgrade both serve the hotel industry but target different operational needs. Duve focuses on guest engagement, offering features like guest messaging, digital check-in, and in-app services to improve satisfaction and operational efficiency. Plusgrade concentrates on automating upgrades and ancillary sales, reducing manual efforts and directly increasing revenue.
Duve boasts a higher review count (270 vs. 29) and more recent feedback, making its data more reliable today. Plusgrade’s reviews are fewer and older, which diminishes confidence in its current performance metrics. Given recent reviews, Duve’s broader functionality and active customer base make it the more dependable solution for hotels seeking engagement alongside upselling.
If your hotel needs a guest communication hub with integrated upselling capabilities, Duve is the right choice. It’s ideal for properties that want to enhance guest satisfaction, streamline operations, and offer personalized services through a single platform.
Conversely, if your primary goal is to maximize revenue through automated upgrade and ancillary sales with minimal manual effort, Plusgrade is better suited. It’s especially suitable for larger hotels or chains aiming to boost RevPAR efficiently and with less emphasis on guest interaction details.
For hotels prioritizing guest experience and operational integration, Duve’s extensive feature set and higher review volume make it the logical pick. If the focus is solely on revenue optimization with simple upselling tools, Plusgrade fits that niche.
Duve’s UI scores a 4.7/5, with a straightforward onboarding process rated at 4.65/5, reflecting its relatively intuitive interface and ease of staff adoption. Reviewers highlight its user-friendly guest app and simple setup, which reduce training time and facilitate quick deployment.
Plusgrade’s UI is rated slightly higher at 4.75/5, with onboarding rated at 4.39/5, indicating a very smooth initial experience. Its minimal setup complexity is appreciated, especially by larger hotels that want to integrate easily without extensive customization.
Edge: Plusgrade.
Duve offers a vast array of features—23 exclusive to it—such as mobile-friendly guest messaging, WhatsApp integration, automated replies, analytics dashboards, guest profiles, and mobile check-in/check-out. It covers in-depth guest engagement, personalization, and operational tools, making it a versatile platform.
Plusgrade provides only one feature unique to its category—a Type 2 SOC 2-certified data security system—and primarily offers automated upgrade and ancillary sales tools. Its feature set is focused but limited compared to Duve’s broad capabilities.
Edge: Duve.
Duve’s support ratings stand at 4.63/5, with many review comments praising its responsiveness and support team responsiveness. Users mention that while support is generally good, some find initial setup or troubleshooting can be slow or inconsistent.
Plusgrade’s customer support scores slightly higher at 4.79/5, with reviews emphasizing quick, helpful responses. Clients note that support is consistently professional and proactive, especially during onboarding.
Edge: Plusgrade.
Duve integrates with 65 verified partners, including key systems like Winhotel, Stayntouch, SiteMinder, Oracle Hospitality, and Mews. Its extensive integrations facilitate smooth operation across multiple property management and distribution platforms.
Plusgrade has 16 verified partners, with shared integrations including Oracle Hospitality, RMS, and Shiji Group. While its list is smaller, it covers essential revenue management and distribution systems.
Edge: Duve.
Duve has a higher overall rating at 4.79/5, with 270 reviews, and recent feedback continues to praise its versatility in various hotel segments, from boutique to large chains. Hotels of all sizes, especially those prioritizing guest engagement, rate it highly.
Plusgrade’s perfect 5/5 rating is based on only 29 reviews, mostly from large resort and luxury hotels. Given its smaller review base and older data, Duve’s broader positive sentiment makes it the more trusted choice for most hotels.
Edge: Duve.
Duve charges a $900 base price with no freemium or monthly fees. Pricing may be higher for advanced modules or larger setups, but the upfront cost covers a comprehensive platform.
Plusgrade’s fee starts at $400 per month, with no mention of additional charges, making it more affordable initially. However, its narrower feature focus may limit versatility for some hotels.
Duve is a comprehensive platform that combines guest engagement, operational automation, and upselling tools into one package. Its broad feature set, active user base, and recent reviews make it a safer, more versatile investment for hotels aiming to enhance both guest experience and revenue.
If your hotel needs to foster guest relationships, personalize interactions, and streamline multiple operational aspects, Duve’s higher rating and extensive integrations make it the clear choice. Its higher review count and more recent positive feedback reinforce its position as the more reliable, future-proof solution.
However, if your primary focus is on automated revenue enhancement with a simple, cost-effective tool, Plusgrade’s ease of use and straightforward upselling features can be appealing. For most hotels, especially those seeking a holistic guest experience platform, Duve’s more extensive capabilities and recent customer validation make it the better investment.
According to HTR's product database, Duve Upselling and Plusgrade share 9 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
| Feature |
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| Automated Replies | ||
| Message Routing | ||
| Mobile Friendly | ||
| SMS text messaging | ||
| Secured Data Protection | ||
| Type 2 SOC 2 Certified (Data Security) | ||
| Whatsapp Integration |
Showing top differences. 12 more features differ between these products.
We analyzed 10 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.
"Guests can tweak and adjust their trip to exactly what they’re looking for. We’re helping them discover options they might not have known about."
"Duve was a game changer for our customer service. I knew the platform would help us connect with guests but I was amazed at how cleverly simple it all is, even guests who are not v..."
No published case study for this goal yet.
"While scaling up and growing in terms of more hotel rooms and more hotels in different countries we found it difficult to communicate with our guests in a very personal way. Duve f..."
"I’ve worked with plenty of other systems, and none of them do what Plusgrade does. I would definitely recommend it to other boutique hotels. It opens up new ways to connect with gu..."
What hoteliers love
Duve's upselling capabilities are frequently mentioned for effectively increasing ancillary revenue and optimizing unsold inventory. Users appreciate... Duve's upselling capabilities are frequently mentioned for effectively increasing ancillary revenue and optimizing unsold inventory. Users appreciate the automated and personalized upselling strategies; however, several reviews mention the desire for room upgrade upselling compatibility.
Duve's integration with various PMS systems like Mews is beneficial for smooth upselling processes. However, users occasionally report issues with con... Duve's integration with various PMS systems like Mews is beneficial for smooth upselling processes. However, users occasionally report issues with connection stability, indicating room for improvement in ensuring consistent integration.
The platform significantly enhances guest communication through efficient AI-driven chats and automated messaging, improving satisfaction and engageme... The platform significantly enhances guest communication through efficient AI-driven chats and automated messaging, improving satisfaction and engagement. Users commend the seamless integration with existing systems, which supports a more streamlined operation.
Where hoteliers push back
Users suggest additional features like a ticketing system for MICE sectors and expanded capabilities in the F&B segments. Room for improvement in feat... Users suggest additional features like a ticketing system for MICE sectors and expanded capabilities in the F&B segments. Room for improvement in feature expansion and the inclusion of innovative ideas is a recurring theme.
Pricing concerns are prominent among reviews, particularly for small operations like hostels. Users express dissatisfaction with premium feature prici... Pricing concerns are prominent among reviews, particularly for small operations like hostels. Users express dissatisfaction with premium feature pricing, suggesting a need for loyalty discounts and pricing models better suited for smaller establishments.
Ranks higher for
Unique capabilities
What hoteliers love
Hoteliers report significant revenue gains through UpStay, with conversions from room upgrades and additional services like spa treatments. This helps... Hoteliers report significant revenue gains through UpStay, with conversions from room upgrades and additional services like spa treatments. This helps in boosting RevPAR and making better use of unsold inventory during both high and low demand periods.
The platform enhances guest experience by providing attractive pre-arrival upgrade offers. Guests appreciate the bidding system and personalized email... The platform enhances guest experience by providing attractive pre-arrival upgrade offers. Guests appreciate the bidding system and personalized emails, which make the upgrade process user-friendly and engaging, often resulting in higher satisfaction rates.
UpStay's fully automated system allows hotels to generate ancillary revenue with minimal manual intervention. This automation provides consistent perf... UpStay's fully automated system allows hotels to generate ancillary revenue with minimal manual intervention. This automation provides consistent performance in increasing upgrade conversions, even during periods of lower occupancy.
Where hoteliers push back
Users reported issues with manual upgrades, citing system errors and delays in receiving feedback. This has occasionally led to dissatisfaction with t... Users reported issues with manual upgrades, citing system errors and delays in receiving feedback. This has occasionally led to dissatisfaction with the service provided.
Some users find the interface limiting and have suggested improvements, such as better tracking of guest emails for future campaigns and more intuitiv... Some users find the interface limiting and have suggested improvements, such as better tracking of guest emails for future campaigns and more intuitive changes to the setup.
Unique capabilities
It depends on your requirements. Duve Upselling and Plusgrade share many core Upselling Software features, but each has unique capabilities. Duve Upselling offers 65 verified integration partners, while Plusgrade offers 16. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Plusgrade leads in ease of use at 4.8/5 vs 4.7/5. 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.
Duve Upselling: No. Plusgrade: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Upselling Software 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. Duve has an HT Score of 92 and Plusgrade has 72. 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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