Exely Booking Engine vs. Olive Booking Engine:
Which Is Right for You?

The Decision

Choosing the right booking engine is critical for increasing direct reservations, streamlining operations, and enhancing guest experiences. While both Exely Booking Engine and Olive Booking Engine aim to serve these goals, their capabilities and market presence are vastly different. Exely, with over 144 reviews and recent feedback from 63 users, offers a well-established, highly-rated solution. Olive, on the other hand, lacks review data and market footprint, making its reliability harder to assess.

Your decision hinges on whether you prioritize proven performance and extensive features—Exely—or are willing to explore a newer, less tested platform like Olive. Let’s compare these solutions across key areas to determine which is more suited to your hotel.

Is Exely or Olive Better for Hotels?

Exely and Olive are both designed to facilitate online bookings, but they diverge significantly in maturity and scope. Exely’s platform is built upon years of user feedback, boasting a score of over 92 on the HTR scale, with 144 reviews and recent feedback from 63 users, making it the more trusted option. Olive, with no reviews or ratings, offers a blank slate but lacks the proven track record.

Exely provides a comprehensive suite of features with proven reliability, whereas Olive’s offerings are less defined, with only 9 features listed. Exely’s extensive integration options and regional presence make it suitable for hotels seeking stability and proven performance. Olive’s lack of data makes it difficult to evaluate its effectiveness or support. So, are you comfortable betting on an untested platform, or do you prefer a solution with a track record?

Exely vs Olive: Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If your hotel needs a mature, highly-rated booking engine with strong support, go with Exely. It’s ideal for independent hotels or chains that want reliable integrations, advanced marketing tools, and a user-friendly experience. Its high review count, recent positive feedback, and comprehensive features make it a safe choice.

However, if your hotel is open to experimenting with newer technologies and values AI-driven personalization and embedded e-commerce, Olive might appeal. It’s best for tech-forward properties that are willing to accept the risks associated with a less-established platform, especially if future integrations or features are a priority.

For most hotels prioritizing proven results, Exely remains the clear choice. Olive’s lack of reviews and limited market presence make it a riskier, less predictable option.

Is Exely or Olive Easier to Use?

Exely scores a remarkable 4.91 out of 5 for ease of use, backed by user reviews that praise its intuitive dashboard, fast onboarding, and friendly support. Users highlight its straightforward interface for managing rates, availability, and reservations, with comments like “the user-friendly dashboard makes operations smooth and efficient.” Support and onboarding are rated nearly perfect at 4.96 and 4.84 out of 5, respectively.

Olive’s user experience is undocumented, with no reviews or ratings available. Its lack of data makes it impossible to assess how intuitive or supportive the platform is for your team. Given the proven ease of Exely, the edge clearly goes to Exely.

Which Has Better Features: Exely or Olive?

Exely offers 16 unique features, including multi-room bookings, multi-lingual and multi-currency support, GDPR compliance, meal plans, and integrations with Facebook conversion tracking, TripAdvisor Bookings, and Stripe. These features allow for a customized, flexible booking process capable of serving diverse guest needs.

Olive lists 9 features, such as urgency messaging, A/B testing, ADA compliance, Google Analytics, loyalty program integration, and wedding/corporate modules. While innovative, these features are less extensive and less proven in the field. Exely’s broader feature set and more mature integrations give it a clear advantage.

Edge: Exely.

Which Has Better Customer Support: Exely or Olive?

Exely’s customer support is rated at 4.96 out of 5, with reviews praising its rapid, solution-oriented responses and friendly attitude. Reviewers appreciate the proactive approach and responsiveness, which significantly enhances their experience.

Olive has no available reviews or ratings for support, leaving its service quality uncertain. Without user feedback, you cannot confidently rely on Olive for prompt, effective assistance. Therefore, Exely’s support quality clearly outperforms the unknown.

Edge: Exely.

Which Has More Integrations: Exely or Olive?

Exely boasts 8 verified partners, including Hotellab, Exely, Clock, IDeaS, Mews, Booking.com, and Oracle Hospitality, with one shared partner. Its broad integration ecosystem supports channel management, revenue management, and OTA connections, providing flexibility and stability.

Olive has only 2 verified partners, with Stayntouch being the sole shared partner. Its limited integrations restrict connectivity to other systems, which could hinder hotel operations and future scalability.

Edge: Exely.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: Exely or Olive?

Exely’s high review count and recent feedback make its rating of 92 on the HTR scale credible. Hoteliers from diverse segments—luxury, boutique, resort, city-center hotels—rate Exely highly, citing ease of management, strong support, and increased direct bookings.

Olive’s lack of reviews prevents any assessment of hotel satisfaction or property-specific ratings. Without recent hotel feedback, it's impossible to determine how well Olive meets hotel needs.

Edge: Exely.

How Much Do Exely and Olive Cost?

Exely’s pricing starts at $200 per month, with no mention of a freemium or trial options. Its transparent pricing makes budgeting straightforward for hotels seeking a proven platform.

Olive’s pricing is unspecified, with no details on costs, trials, or payment models provided. This lack of transparency makes it difficult to evaluate the platform’s value proposition or compare it directly.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Exely?

• Hotels that want a reliable, feature-rich booking engine with proven support.
• Teams seeking an easy-to-use platform that can handle multi-currency and multi-lingual needs.
• Hotels aiming to increase direct bookings and reduce OTA reliance.
• Properties in need of solid integrations with channel managers and revenue tools.
• Not ideal if you prioritize cutting-edge AI personalization or have a small, simple booking process.

Exely is best suited for hotels that need stability, extensive features, and support from a mature platform.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Olive?

• Hotels that want to experiment with AI-driven personalization and embedded e-commerce.
• Teams interested in features like urgency messaging, A/B testing, and loyalty integrations.
• Properties willing to accept the risks of a newer, less-reviewed platform.
• Hotels that value innovation over proven reliability and are comfortable with limited integration options.
• Not ideal if your hotel requires extensive support, proven stability, or has complex operational needs.

Olive’s platform is suitable for tech-savvy hotels eager to explore emerging features.

Exely vs Olive: The Bottom Line for Hotels

Exely offers a mature, highly-rated booking engine backed by extensive reviews, proven support, and broad integrations. Its focus on reliability, ease of use, and features like multi-language support make it a safe investment for most hotels.

Olive, with no reviews, limited data, and fewer integrations, presents a greater risk. Its focus on AI personalization and e-commerce may appeal to innovative properties willing to accept uncertainty.

For most hotels, especially those prioritizing stability and proven performance, Exely is the clear choice. Olive might suit a select group of tech-forward hoteliers eager to explore emerging capabilities, but caution is advised due to its lack of market presence and user feedback.

In summary: If your hotel values proven results, extensive features, and reliable support, go with Exely. If you’re an innovative property willing to take a chance on a newer platform with advanced AI capabilities, Olive could be a fit—though it’s a less certain option.