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 792 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:
Exely shines in Customer Support and Value for Money — especially for extended-stay properties (5.0/5), with exclusive features like Referral Reporting.
Yanolja Cloud Solution shines in integration with pms and channel manager — especially for branded chain properties (4.9/5), with exclusive features like Urgency messaging.
Side-by-side ratings based on 792 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
| HTScore |
|
|
| Likelihood to Recommend |
|
|
| Ease of Use |
|
|
| Customer Support |
|
|
| Value for Money |
|
|
| Starting Price | From $200/mo | From $100/mo |
| Verified Reviews | 325 | 467 |
After analyzing 792 verified reviews, Exely users most value its support team responsiveness and partnership, booking engine ease of use and guest experience, direct bookings and revenue growth, while Yanolja Cloud Solution users highlight integration with pms and channel manager, booking flow and usability, direct bookings and revenue. Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
|
|
|
|---|---|
| Pros | |
|
+
Support team responsiveness and partnership
▾
|
+
Integration with PMS and Channel Manager
▾
|
|
+
Booking engine ease of use and guest experience
▾
|
+
Booking Flow and Usability
▾
|
|
+
Direct bookings and revenue growth
▾
|
+
Direct Bookings and Revenue
▾
|
|
+
Rate, inventory, and promotion management
▾
|
+
Real-time Inventory and Pricing
▾
|
| Cons | |
|
−
Reporting and analytics depth
▾
|
−
Advanced Reporting and Analytics
▾
|
|
−
Customization and branding flexibility
▾
|
−
Mobile Compatibility
▾
|
|
−
Payment, invoice, and cancellation flow issues
▾
|
−
Customization and Branding
▾
|
How each product ranks among Booking Engine 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) ▾ | #7 110 reviews | #2 255 reviews |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #7 125 reviews | #8 96 reviews |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | #2 68 reviews | #14 12 reviews |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) ▾ | #5 14 reviews | #29 1 reviews |
By Property Type
| Segment |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Boutique ▾ | #8 94 reviews | #5 161 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | #10 60 reviews | #5 205 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #10 48 reviews | #7 69 reviews |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #14 12 reviews | #12 15 reviews |
By Region
| Segment |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| North America ▾ | #21 3 reviews | #6 49 reviews |
| Europe ▾ | #16 24 reviews | #30 8 reviews |
| Asia Pacific ▾ | #4 219 reviews | #3 341 reviews |
| Middle East ▾ | #1 73 reviews | #6 10 reviews |
Exely Booking Engine and Yanolja Booking Engine both aim to increase direct bookings by embedding booking functionality into hotel websites and social channels, reducing OTA dependency. They share core strengths in real-time inventory updates and guest-friendly interfaces, but differ in market focus and feature depth.
Exely targets hotels seeking an integrated, brand-aligned booking experience with advanced promotional tools and payment options. It suits hotels prioritizing direct revenue growth and operational control through a unified platform. Yanolja appeals to larger portfolios and multi-property groups needing broad integration and cloud-based management, with stronger global reach.
Both solve the critical problem of converting website visitors into direct bookers while synchronizing rates and availability across OTAs. Their differences emerge in customization, integration breadth, and market footprint, influencing which fits specific hotel profiles best.
If you operate a boutique or city-center hotel focused on direct website revenue with a desire for a highly customizable booking interface and multiple payment gateways, choose Exely. Its 4.9/5 rating across 325 reviews, including 166 in the last six months, demonstrates sustained current satisfaction. Hotels valuing embedded booking aligned to brand styling, rate plan comparisons, and booking abandonment recapture features benefit from Exely’s extensive tools.
If your property operates across multiple locations or manages diverse accommodation types such as resorts or luxury hotels, especially in regions covered by Yanolja’s 47-country footprint, consider Yanolja. Despite a 4.8/5 rating over 462 reviews, only 4 reviews came in the last six months, indicating review activity has dropped by 95%, which may mask recent challenges. Yanolja’s strengths in cloud-based management, extensive integrations (155 verified partners), and social media booking support multi-property and chain environments well.
For small independent hotels or those requiring cutting-edge direct booking marketing features, Exely’s recent review volume and feature set provide clearer operational advantages. For larger groups or properties needing broad third-party connectivity and centralized cloud operations, Yanolja remains a viable candidate, but recent review scarcity advises caution.
Exely and Yanolja have nearly identical ease-of-use scores: 4.9/5 for Exely and 4.8/5 for Yanolja, with onboarding rated 4.9/5 and 4.7/5 respectively. Exely’s reviews highlight an intuitive booking flow that guests and staff find simple, with fast guest booking completion and responsive support aiding staff adoption. Yanolja’s user base praises ease of operation, especially for multi-property management, though some users note the booking flow feels lengthy and fragmented, which may impact guest conversion rates.
Front desk and revenue managers using Exely benefit from straightforward interfaces and quick setup, enabling immediate operational improvements. Yanolja users appreciate cloud access and centralized controls but report occasional lag and syncing delays. Both platforms require some training for full staff proficiency, but neither exhibits significant adoption barriers.
Edge: Even.
Exely offers 12 unique hotel-focused features that Yanolja lacks, including rate plan comparisons, booking abandonment recapture, customizable add-ons, meal plans, Tripadvisor bookings, multiple payment gateways (PayPal, PayU, Stripe), Google Hotel Ads bookings, referral reporting, and customizable exit intent modals. These features enhance a hotel’s ability to boost conversion, upsell ancillary services, and recover lost bookings, impacting front desk workload and revenue management strategies directly.
Yanolja has 4 unique features: urgency messaging, loyalty program integration, ADA compliance, and social media integration/bookings. Urgency messaging and loyalty integration support marketing teams in driving repeat bookings and improving guest engagement. ADA compliance is critical for hotels targeting accessibility-conscious guests, and social media booking integration expands direct booking channels.
Both share 18 features including real-time inventory updates and booking widgets. Exely’s broader feature set supports operational teams focused on maximizing direct revenue and guest conversion with granular control, whereas Yanolja’s unique features cater more to marketing-driven guest engagement and accessibility.
Edge: Exely Booking Engine.
Exely scores 5/5 in customer support and 4.9/5 in onboarding, while Yanolja scores 4.8/5 and 4.7/5 respectively. Exely reviewers frequently describe support as prompt, solution-oriented, and partnership-like, aiding hotels in configuration, troubleshooting, and maximizing platform use. For example, users emphasize Exely’s hands-on guidance and quick resolution of rate setting and channel management issues.
Yanolja support is also praised for responsiveness and 24/7 availability via live chat and ticketing, appreciated especially by multi-property users. However, some users report delays in bug fixes and system stability concerns. A small subset of negative feedback about Yanolja highlights slow responses and unresolved issues, but these reviews are less frequent.
Overall, both platforms offer strong support with slight edge to Exely in personalized, proactive service noted in many recent reviews.
Edge: Even.
Yanolja leads in integration breadth with 155 verified partners compared to Exely’s 10. Both share major partners like Oracle Hospitality, Booking.com, Mews, and Bakuun.com Ltd, covering core PMS and OTA connections critical for rate and inventory synchronization.
Exely’s unique integrations include HotelLab, Clock, IDeaS, and Hotelogix, which support advanced revenue management and local PMS connections favored by properties seeking specialized tools. Yanolja’s exclusive integrations cover Xero, Quickbooks, Profitroom, NightsBridge, Customer Alliance, and HiJiffy, offering broad financial, distribution, and guest feedback capabilities ideal for large multi-property groups.
Hotels needing extensive third-party connectivity, especially in accounting and guest engagement, benefit from Yanolja’s ecosystem. Smaller or mid-size hotels focusing on core channel management and revenue optimization may find Exely’s integrations sufficient.
Edge: Yanolja Booking Engine.
Exely holds a slightly higher overall rating of 4.9/5 across 325 reviews versus Yanolja’s 4.8/5 from 462 reviews. Exely’s last 6 months’ rating remains steady at 4.9/5 over 166 reviews, reflecting consistent recent satisfaction. Yanolja’s last 6 months’ rating is not representative with only 4 reviews, down sharply from a 6-month average of 82.8, indicating a 95% drop in review activity that may conceal emerging issues.
Segment ratings favor Exely among boutique hotels (4.9/5 from 96 reviews vs 4.7/5 from 162 for Yanolja), city center hotels (4.9/5 from 93 vs 4.8/5 from 76), airport/conference hotels (4.9/5 from 76 vs 4.8/5 from 90), and resorts (4.9/5 from 72 vs 4.7/5 from 170). Yanolja rates higher in luxury hotels segment (4.8/5 from 207 reviews vs Exely’s 4.9/5 from 60) and motels (4.9/5 from 28 vs Exely’s 2% of user base without rating count). However, Exely’s smaller sample sizes in some segments limit definitive comparisons.
The volume and recency of Exely’s positive reviews indicate its current reliability and user satisfaction outpace Yanolja, whose declining review activity warrants scrutiny.
Edge: Even.
Exely pricing begins at a base price of $200 per month without per-room fees, implementation fees, or free trials. Yanolja’s base price is $100 per month, also without per-room fees or implementation charges, and no trial period.
Neither product offers freemium or monthly flat pricing models publicly. Exely’s higher base price reflects its richer feature set and extensive support, while Yanolja’s lower starting cost may appeal to budget-conscious buyers or those prioritizing integration breadth over features.
Hotels should consider total cost of ownership including potential add-ons and support levels, as neither vendor publishes detailed tiered pricing.
Not ideal if:
Not ideal if:
Exely and Yanolja both enable hotels to increase direct bookings while managing rates and inventory across OTAs. Exely excels at embedding booking engines into hotel websites with brand alignment, offering tools like booking abandonment recapture and referral reporting that directly impact guest conversion and revenue growth. Yanolja provides a cloud-based, commission-free booking engine with a vast integration ecosystem suited for multi-property groups and larger portfolios.
Choose Exely if your property values a user-friendly, customizable booking platform supported by frequent positive reviews and rapid customer support. Its features empower hotels to automate sales, reduce OTA dependence, and improve direct revenue, as shown in case studies with up to 72% booking growth.
Choose Yanolja if managing multiple properties or diverse accommodation types demands a broad integration network and cloud-based centralized control, particularly in luxury or resort segments. However, note the sharp decline in recent reviews (from 82.8 to 4 in six months), which signals potential concerns about current product or support quality.
Exely’s sharper recent review activity and feature richness make it the safer choice for hotels focused on direct booking growth and operational control. Yanolja’s integration breadth and cloud focus suit larger multi-property operations but require careful evaluation given limited recent feedback.
Booking Engine 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 $200/mo | From $100/mo |
These are the features each vendor has configured, organized by feature group — the same data shown in the vendor dashboard. Expand a group to compare features side by side.
| Feature |
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
▾
Merchandising & Packages
|
|
|
| Room substitutions | ||
| Multi-room bookings | ||
| Flat, floating and discounted rates | ||
| Pooled inventory | ||
| Special offers & discounts | ||
| Customizable add-ons | ||
| Meal plans | ||
| Website Integration | ||
| Social Media Integration/Bookings | ||
|
▾
Upselling & Cross Selling
|
|
|
| Multi-room bookings | ||
| Room substitutions | ||
| Gift Vouchers | ||
| Booking abandonment recapture | ||
| Customizable add-ons | ||
| Special offers & discounts | ||
| Meal plans | ||
| Alternative accommodation recommendations (when no availability) | ||
| Loyalty program integration | ||
|
▾
Conversion
|
|
|
| Mobile optimized/responsive | ||
| Special offers & discounts | ||
| Urgency messaging | ||
| Booking abandonment recapture | ||
| Multi-room bookings | ||
| Room substitutions | ||
| A/B testing & optimization | ||
| Price comparison widget | ||
| Multi-lingual | ||
| Conversion rate reports | ||
| Facebook conversion tracking | ||
| Customizable exit intent modals | ||
| Form autofill | ||
| Flexible dates | ||
| Rate plan comparisons | ||
| Google Hotel Ads Bookings | ||
| Tripadvisor Bookings | ||
|
▾
Payments
|
|
|
| Multi-currency | ||
| Apple Pay | ||
| Google Pay | ||
| Paypal | ||
| PCI Compliance | ||
| PayU | ||
| Stripe | ||
|
▾
Transactional Emails
|
|
|
| Booking abandonment recapture | ||
| Post-stay emails | ||
| Pre-stay emails | ||
| Confirmation emails | ||
|
▾
Group Bookings
|
|
|
| Wedding & corporate booking modules | ||
| Availability block | ||
|
▾
Reporting & Analytics
|
|
|
| Automated reporting | ||
| Conversion rate reports | ||
| Referral Reporting | ||
| Google Analytics tracking | ||
|
▾
Tax & Compliance
|
|
|
| PCI Compliance | ||
| ADA Compliant | ||
| Tariffs | ||
| Multi-currency | ||
| GDPR compliant |
We analyzed 4 verified case studies to compare what hotels actually achieve with each platform across four key business objectives.
"We took a proactive approach and collaborated with Exely, implementing various strategies, such as a loyalty program. The outcome has been outstanding — not only have we been able..."
"We can now manage every property in our franchise from a single dashboard, track performance instantly, and know that our team has 24/7 support whenever it’s needed. It has complet..."
"Once we switched to Exely, we immediately noticed a significant increase in reservations from online travel agencies. We discovered that our previous system had blocked some availa..."
No published case study for this goal yet.
What hoteliers love
A very large share of reviews praise Exely’s support and customer success teams for quick responses, hands-on setup help, and solution-oriented guidan... A very large share of reviews praise Exely’s support and customer success teams for quick responses, hands-on setup help, and solution-oriented guidance. Hotels often describe the relationship as a true partnership that helps them launch faster, solve issues quickly, and use the platform more effectively.
The Booking Engine is repeatedly described as intuitive, fast, and easy for guests to complete reservations with minimal friction. Reviewers say the c... The Booking Engine is repeatedly described as intuitive, fast, and easy for guests to complete reservations with minimal friction. Reviewers say the clean flow, mobile-friendly behavior, and simple navigation improve the guest journey and help increase completed bookings.
Reviewers most often say Exely helps shift sales from OTAs to the hotel website, improving direct booking conversion and overall revenue. Many note th... Reviewers most often say Exely helps shift sales from OTAs to the hotel website, improving direct booking conversion and overall revenue. Many note that the Booking Engine drives more profitable direct sales, reduces commission costs, and helps hotels better control guest relationships.
Where hoteliers push back
Many reviewers want more advanced reporting, deeper filtering, and more customizable dashboards to better track bookings, revenue, channels, and conve... Many reviewers want more advanced reporting, deeper filtering, and more customizable dashboards to better track bookings, revenue, channels, and conversion performance. While basic reports are useful, buyers clearly see analytics as an area where Exely could become a stronger decision-making tool for revenue teams.
Hotels frequently ask for more control over the booking widget, website design, colors, invoices, emails, and confirmation pages so the experience bet... Hotels frequently ask for more control over the booking widget, website design, colors, invoices, emails, and confirmation pages so the experience better matches their brand. This matters because many reviewers want Exely to feel less templated and more differentiated for each property.
Ranks higher for
Unique capabilities
What hoteliers love
Reviews appreciate the seamless integration of the booking engine with PMS and Channel Manager, making day-to-day operations smooth by providing real-... Reviews appreciate the seamless integration of the booking engine with PMS and Channel Manager, making day-to-day operations smooth by providing real-time updates and eliminating risks of manual error and overbookings. This functionality enhances both front-office and back-end processes, helping hotels to save time and reduce reliance on third-party platforms.
Users find the current booking flow lengthy and fragmented, suggesting a more streamlined process would reduce drop-offs and increase conversions. The... Users find the current booking flow lengthy and fragmented, suggesting a more streamlined process would reduce drop-offs and increase conversions. They recommend a two- or three-step process for smoother booking flows, particularly on mobile, ensuring a better guest experience.
The engine proves effective at increasing direct bookings, reducing commissions paid to OTAs, and thereby preserving hotel revenue. Users highlight it... The engine proves effective at increasing direct bookings, reducing commissions paid to OTAs, and thereby preserving hotel revenue. Users highlight its ability to attract direct traffic to hotel websites due to its user-friendly design.
Where hoteliers push back
While the booking engine provides essential reporting features, users desire more advanced analytical tools and customization options to better track... While the booking engine provides essential reporting features, users desire more advanced analytical tools and customization options to better track performance metrics and support strategic decision-making. Integration with external analytics platforms like Google Analytics is especially noted as a needed improvement.
Despite its advantages, users point out that mobile usability can still be improved especially regarding UI, which is sometimes seen as cramped. A mor... Despite its advantages, users point out that mobile usability can still be improved especially regarding UI, which is sometimes seen as cramped. A more device-responsive design could enhance overall user interactions and capture of mobile-based reservations.
Ranks higher for
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Exely Booking Engine and Yanolja Booking Engine share many core Booking Engine features, but each has unique capabilities. Exely Booking Engine offers 10 verified integration partners, while Yanolja Booking Engine offers 155. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Exely Booking Engine leads in ease of use at 4.9/5 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.
Exely Booking Engine: No. Yanolja Booking Engine: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Booking Engine 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. Exely has an HT Score of 96 and Yanolja Cloud Solution has 92. 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 →
Custom recommendations tailored to your property