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 210 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 when it comes to support and responsiveness — especially for brand properties (0.0/5) , with exclusive features like Room substitutions and Booking abandonment recapture.
Neobookings shines when it comes to support and professionalism , with exclusive features like A/B testing & optimization and Customizable exit intent modals.
Side-by-side ratings based on 210 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Value for Money |
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| Starting Price | From $200/mo | From $500/mo |
| Verified Reviews | 172 | 38 |
After analyzing 210 verified reviews, Exely users most value its support and responsiveness, booking engine effectiveness, direct booking enhancement, while Neobookings users highlight support and professionalism, continuous improvement, booking engine. Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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Support and Responsiveness
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Support and Professionalism
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Booking Engine Effectiveness
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Continuous Improvement
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Direct Booking Enhancement
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Booking Engine
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Channel Manager Synchronization
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Customization and Flexibility
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Integration and Advanced Features
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Usability Issues
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Guest Experience Concerns
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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
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| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #15 34 reviews | #24 9 reviews |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #11 64 reviews | #24 17 reviews |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | #22 5 reviews | #16 6 reviews |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) ▾ | #8 6 reviews | #24 1 reviews |
By Property Type
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| Boutique ▾ | #15 35 reviews | #26 14 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | #15 28 reviews | #30 10 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #16 17 reviews | #32 4 reviews |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #16 9 reviews | #18 7 reviews |
By Region
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| North America | #24 2 reviews | — |
| Europe ▾ | #25 11 reviews | #16 14 reviews |
| Asia Pacific ▾ | #4 79 reviews | #35 0 reviews |
| Middle East ▾ | #2 17 reviews | — |
When choosing a booking engine, your goal is to find a solution that drives direct bookings, integrates smoothly with your existing systems, and offers reliable support. Both Exely Booking Engine and Neobookings aim to streamline your reservation process, but their approaches and strengths differ sharply.
Exely focuses heavily on marketing tools and ease of use, especially for independent hoteliers and boutique hotels, while Neobookings offers a more comprehensive platform with a broader integration ecosystem. How do these differences impact your hotel’s specific needs?
Both products are designed to increase direct reservations and reduce reliance on OTAs, but Exely excels with its user-friendly interface and targeted marketing features. Its recent reviews emphasize a rapid, reliable experience, especially for boutique hotels and small chains. Conversely, Neobookings, with its wider integration options and longer market presence, caters better to larger hotel groups and properties seeking an all-in-one system.
Exely’s strengths are in simplifying daily operations and enhancing guest experience via features like fast channel sync and abandoned booking recapture. Neobookings, however, offers a broad feature set, including a built-in CMS, extensive digital marketing tools, and a loyalty program, making it suitable for hotels aiming for comprehensive control.
Do your hotel’s priorities lean toward ease of use and targeted marketing, or comprehensive system integration and scalability?
If your hotel needs an easy-to-implement, marketing-focused booking engine to boost direct bookings quickly with minimal fuss, Exely is the better fit. Its high customer support ratings and recent reviews highlight its reliability and simplicity, ideal for independent hotels and boutique properties.
If your hotel requires a single platform that manages bookings, payments, channel management, and digital campaigns with a high degree of customization and integration, Neobookings is the better choice. Its larger partner network and ongoing product updates make it suitable for bigger hotel chains and properties with complex operational needs.
In essence, choose Exely for straightforward, fast results, or Neobookings for a broader, more integrated approach.
Exely boasts a user rating of 4.91/5 for ease of use, with reviews emphasizing the intuitive dashboard, quick onboarding, and straightforward management of rates and reservations. Its recent reviews praise its friendly support team and simple interface, making staff adoption smooth.
Neobookings scores slightly higher at 4.85/5, with reviewers highlighting its easy CMS and practical digital campaign tools. Its longer market presence and customer support also mean your team will find onboarding and daily use manageable.
Edge: Exely.
Exely offers 27 shared features with Neobookings but has 2 unique features: room substitutions and booking abandonment recapture, which enhance revenue recovery and flexibility. Its additional features support targeted promotions and flexible booking options, tailored for boutique and independent hotels.
Neobookings, with 9 exclusive features, provides A/B testing & optimization, pooled inventory, gift vouchers, loyalty program integration, and Apple Pay, making it more suited for larger properties or chains seeking advanced marketing and payment options.
Edge: Neobookings.
Exely’s support scores 4.96/5, with recent reviews commending its prompt responses and solution-oriented approach. Users repeatedly mention how the support team helps resolve issues swiftly, which fosters trust and reduces operational downtime.
Neobookings scores a perfect 5/5 with reviews emphasizing personalized, fast, and effective assistance. The longer tenure of users and their satisfaction with proactive updates reflect a mature, dedicated support operation.
Edge: Neobookings.
Neobookings offers 20 verified partners, significantly more than Exely’s 8. Shared integrations include Oracle Hospitality, but Neobookings’ unique partners like Stripe, SiteMinder, and The Hotels Network bolster its versatility. This extensive ecosystem benefits properties needing interoperability with various management tools.
Exely’s few integrations focus on core hotel systems such as Hotellab, Mews, and IDeaS, suitable for hotels with simpler or more specific needs.
Edge: Neobookings.
Exely, with 144 reviews and more recent feedback, is rated at 92.67 on the HTScore, with a 98% likelihood to recommend, especially among boutique, city center, and resort hotels. Its recent reviews often mention ease of use, quick support, and direct booking improvements.
Neobookings, with only 37 reviews and a lower overall HTScore (75.16), is rated highly for support and digital marketing but is less favored for ease of use or recent innovation by hoteliers. Its ratings are more mixed, often reflecting the need for interface improvements.
Edge: Exely.
Exely’s pricing starts at a competitive $200 per month with no setup fees or trial options, making it attractive for smaller hotels or independents seeking value.
Neobookings’ base price is $500 per month, with no free trial, reflecting its broader feature set and integration capabilities. Larger hotel groups may find the investment justified, but smaller hotels might see it as a steep entry point.
Exely and Neobookings serve different hotel segments with distinct strengths. Exely’s streamlined, marketing-centric approach makes it ideal for smaller, boutique hotels seeking quick results and ease of use. Its recent reviews and high ratings underscore its reliability and support.
Neobookings, with its extensive integration network and feature-rich platform, appeals to larger hotels or chains that need a comprehensive management system, especially if they value customization and long-term scalability.
If your hotel values simplicity, quick deployment, and targeted marketing, go with Exely. If you need a broad ecosystem, advanced features, and extensive integrations, Neobookings is the better choice.
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.
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| Starting Price | From $200/mo | From $500/mo |
According to HTR's product database, Exely Booking Engine and Neobookings share 27 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
| Feature |
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| A/B testing & optimization | ||
| Alternative accommodation recommendations (when no availability) | ||
| Booking abandonment recapture | ||
| Customizable exit intent modals | ||
| Gift Vouchers | ||
| Google Analytics tracking | ||
| Pooled inventory | ||
| Room substitutions |
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..."
"Neobookings really cares about our business, and their 360 solutions are very convenient for us since we don't have to deal with many different people/vendors for the various servi..."
"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
Exely's support is lauded for its rapid response times and solution-oriented approach, contributing to an improved user experience. This is seen as a... Exely's support is lauded for its rapid response times and solution-oriented approach, contributing to an improved user experience. This is seen as a considerable strength of the product.
Exely's booking engine is frequently praised for its user-friendliness, fast operation, and ability to enhance direct bookings significantly, thus con... Exely's booking engine is frequently praised for its user-friendliness, fast operation, and ability to enhance direct bookings significantly, thus contributing to revenue growth. It is deemed to have a powerful positive impact on the guest experience and conversion rates.
The software is commended for increasing direct bookings and lowering reliance on OTAs. This positively impacts hotel revenue by lowering third-party... The software is commended for increasing direct bookings and lowering reliance on OTAs. This positively impacts hotel revenue by lowering third-party fees and providing a return on investment through efficient booking management.
Where hoteliers push back
A recurring critical point among users is the limited customization options available, particularly in reporting and website design. Users seek more f... A recurring critical point among users is the limited customization options available, particularly in reporting and website design. Users seek more flexibility to adapt templates and reports to their needs.
Users would like to see improvements in integration capabilities with other hotel management systems. Current integration limitations are seen as a do... Users would like to see improvements in integration capabilities with other hotel management systems. Current integration limitations are seen as a downside restricting the platform's full potential.
Ranks higher for
Unique capabilities
What hoteliers love
Users repeatedly commend the professional and dedicated support team at Neobookings, noting their availability, responsiveness, and ability to address... Users repeatedly commend the professional and dedicated support team at Neobookings, noting their availability, responsiveness, and ability to address issues promptly. This aspect significantly enhances the user experience and trust in the product.
Continuous improvement is highlighted as a key strength. Neobookings' frequent updates and commitment to evolving their products ensure the solution r... Continuous improvement is highlighted as a key strength. Neobookings' frequent updates and commitment to evolving their products ensure the solution remains competitive and effective for hotel operations.
Users emphasize the powerful, versatile, and intuitive nature of Neobookings' booking engine. It helps increase direct bookings and facilitates straig... Users emphasize the powerful, versatile, and intuitive nature of Neobookings' booking engine. It helps increase direct bookings and facilitates straightforward management, with mentions of significant sales boosts and positive user experience.
Where hoteliers push back
Some users point out usability issues within the CMS and other features, suggesting that enhancements in user interface and additional functionalities... Some users point out usability issues within the CMS and other features, suggesting that enhancements in user interface and additional functionalities, like a comprehensive loyalty program and easier automation, would be beneficial.
Ranks higher for
Unique capabilities
It depends on your requirements. Exely Booking Engine and Neobookings share many core Booking Engine features, but each has unique capabilities. Exely Booking Engine offers 8 verified integration partners, while Neobookings offers 20. 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 4.8/5. 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. Neobookings: 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 93 and Neobookings has 75. 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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