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 370 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 Ease of Use and Customer Support — especially for extended-stay properties (5.0/5), with exclusive features like Automated reporting.
ROIBACK shines in booking engine and reservation management — especially for boutique properties (4.7/5), with exclusive features like Urgency messaging.
Side-by-side ratings based on 370 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Likelihood to Recommend |
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| Ease of Use |
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| Value for Money |
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| Starting Price | From $200/mo | From $500/mo |
| Verified Reviews | 325 | 45 |
After analyzing 370 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 ROIBACK users highlight booking engine and reservation management, direct sales performance and conversion optimization, account management and proactive support. Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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Support team responsiveness and partnership
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Booking engine and reservation management
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Booking engine ease of use and guest experience
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Direct sales performance and conversion optimization
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Direct bookings and revenue growth
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Account management and proactive support
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Rate, inventory, and promotion management
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Professional, hospitality-focused service
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| Cons | |
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Reporting and analytics depth
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Multi-room booking logic for multi-unit properties
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Customization and branding flexibility
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Loyalty benefits presentation by property type
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Payment, invoice, and cancellation flow issues
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Rate parity and competitive pricing controls
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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
| Segment |
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| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #7 110 reviews | #29 8 reviews |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #7 125 reviews | #22 18 reviews |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | #2 68 reviews | #15 9 reviews |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) ▾ | #5 14 reviews | #9 7 reviews |
By Property Type
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| Boutique ▾ | #8 94 reviews | #23 16 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | #10 60 reviews | #22 15 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #10 48 reviews | #19 13 reviews |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #14 12 reviews | #22 4 reviews |
By Region
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| North America | #21 3 reviews | #19 4 reviews |
| Europe ▾ | #16 24 reviews | #19 13 reviews |
| Asia Pacific ▾ | #4 219 reviews | #10 14 reviews |
| Middle East ▾ | #1 73 reviews | #14 3 reviews |
Exely Booking Engine and Roiback | Booking Engine both address the critical hotel challenge of increasing direct bookings and minimizing reliance on OTAs, but they diverge sharply in user satisfaction, support, and operational fit. Exely excels in ease of use, customer support, and direct booking growth, favored by a larger, more active user base and stronger recent ratings. Roiback offers richer feature variety and more integrations but suffers from slower support and less recent feedback, limiting confidence in its current performance.
Both products embed booking capabilities into hotel websites to keep guests in-brand and reduce booking drop-offs. They synchronize rates and availability with OTAs and PMS, aiming to improve revenue by capturing more direct sales. However, the choice depends on the property’s size, technical needs, and priority between support responsiveness and feature breadth.
If your hotel is seeking a booking engine proven to boost direct bookings with exceptional ease of use and rapid onboarding, Exely Booking Engine is the clearly superior choice based on 325 reviews, including 166 in the last six months averaging 4.9/5 overall. Properties with medium to large portfolios, especially branded hotels, city center hotels, and resorts, report consistent revenue growth and operational simplicity with Exely. This is supported by multiple case studies showing substantial direct booking increases, such as MetroStar Kuala Lumpur’s 72% uplift.
Conversely, if your property values a feature-rich platform with native integrations to 28 partners, including loyalty programs, social media booking, and alternative accommodation recommendations, Roiback may better serve hotels needing those specific capabilities. Roiback’s user base includes luxury hotels and branded chains. However, Roiback’s 45 reviews, none recent, average 4.5/5 overall with a lower onboarding rating, suggesting slower adaptation and less current validation. Roiback’s pricing at $500 base per month doubles Exely’s $200, which may deter smaller or budget-conscious hotels.
For small independents or properties in emerging markets where support speed and simplicity are critical, Exely’s high customer support rating and active review volume provide a safer bet. Where multi-channel marketing integration and complex upselling tools are more important, Roiback’s unique features might justify the trade-off.
Exely leads clearly on ease of use and onboarding with ratings of 4.9/5 for both, compared to Roiback’s 4.5/5 ease of use and 4.3/5 onboarding. Reviewers praise Exely’s intuitive interface, simple booking flow, and fast guest conversion, describing it as "incredibly easy to use" and "intuitive for guests." Front desk and revenue managers report less training time and smoother daily operations with Exely’s platform.
In contrast, Roiback users comment on a less modern interface and note the need for improvements such as default language settings and dashboard usability. Some reviewers report duplicated fields and slower adaptation, which can increase staff errors or require additional training. The lack of recent reviews raises questions about ongoing usability enhancements.
Edge: Exely.
Roiback offers 10 unique hotel-specific features that Exely lacks, including urgency messaging, room substitutions, conversion rate reports, Facebook conversion tracking, flexible date search, social media booking integration, alternative accommodation recommendations, loyalty program integration, and Apple Pay and Google Pay support. These features support advanced marketing tactics, guest engagement, and payment flexibility, appealing to hotels focused on digital sales expansion and multi-channel campaigns.
Exely provides 4 exclusive features: flat, floating, and discounted rates management, automated reporting, PayU payment support, and pooled inventory control. These features facilitate centralized rate strategy execution and real-time inventory pooling across multiple properties or sales channels, improving revenue management efficiency. Reviewers confirm Exely’s rate and inventory controls reduce manual errors and speed up rate updates across OTAs and direct channels.
Both platforms share 26 features, covering core booking engine functionality such as embedded booking, multi-currency support, and channel manager integration.
Given Roiback’s broader feature set tailored to marketing and guest engagement, it fits hotels prioritizing direct sales growth through advanced digital tools. Exely’s strengths lie in rate management automation and operational simplicity.
Edge: Roiback.
Exely scores a perfect 5/5 on customer support and 4.9/5 on onboarding, backed by 166 recent reviews praising its fast, responsive, and partnership-oriented service. Users highlight the support team’s ability to quickly resolve issues, guide complex setups, and assist in maximizing platform benefits. The partnership model reduces downtime and accelerates hotel staff confidence.
Roiback rates 4.7/5 on support and 4.3/5 on onboarding from 45 older reviews. While some reviews commend account managers and direct channel specialists for personalized consulting, several negative reviews describe frustrating delays in resolving issues, communication barriers, and inefficient support workflows, with problem resolution sometimes taking 1 to 2 months. The transition to ticket-based help has reportedly weakened direct, proactive engagement.
Edge: Exely.
Roiback leads with 28 verified integrations, almost triple Exely’s 10. Both support Oracle Hospitality, a critical channel manager and PMS for many hotels. Roiback’s unique partners include RoomRaccoon, GuestCentric, HiJiffy, Sojern, yieldPlanet, and Triptease, reflecting strong ties to digital marketing and distribution platforms valuable for larger hotels and chains seeking complex tech ecosystems.
Exely’s exclusive integrations cover PMS and channel managers like hotellab, Clock, Bakuun.com, IDeaS, Mews, Booking.com, Hotelogix, and HyperGuest, focusing on core hotel operations and revenue management.
Hotels with advanced multi-system environments or who rely heavily on digital marketing integrations will find Roiback’s ecosystem more comprehensive. Properties with simpler tech stacks or requiring strong PMS and OTA synchronization may prefer Exely’s targeted integration set.
Edge: Roiback.
Exely’s overall rating is 4.9/5 across 325 reviews, including 166 in the last six months maintaining a 4.9 score, confirming excellent recent performance and customer satisfaction. Roiback holds a 4.5/5 rating from 45 reviews but has no reviews in the last six months, leaving current quality uncertain.
Segment analysis shows Exely rated 4.9/5 or higher by branded hotels (49 reviews), city center hotels (93), airport/conference hotels (76), resorts (72), boutique hotels (96), and luxury hotels (60). Roiback’s ratings peak at 4.7/5 for boutique hotels (16) and city center hotels (17) but fall to 4.4/5 for resorts (21) and 4.1/5 for extended stay (4), with limited sample sizes.
This data indicates Exely’s stronger reputation across a broader hotel spectrum and more recent validation, while Roiback’s rating is respectable but based on fewer and older reviews.
Edge: Exely.
Exely lists a base price of $200 per month with no implementation fee or trial. Roiback’s base price is $500 per month, also without implementation fees or trials. Neither offers freemium or monthly flat/room-based pricing models publicly.
Exely’s pricing is less than half Roiback’s, which may influence decisions for budget-conscious hotels or smaller properties. Roiback’s higher price may be justified by its broader feature set and integrations but requires careful ROI consideration.
Not ideal if:
Not ideal if:
The core difference between Exely and Roiback lies in operational simplicity and customer support versus feature breadth and integration scale. Exely offers a streamlined, user-friendly booking engine with outstanding customer support and rapid onboarding that drives direct booking growth and reduces OTA dependence, proven by 325 reviews averaging 4.9/5 and strong recent activity. Roiback provides a richer feature set and nearly triple the integrations, catering to hotels with complex marketing and distribution needs but struggles with slower support and fewer recent validations.
Choose Exely Booking Engine if you want a cost-effective, highly rated solution that quickly improves your direct booking channel with minimal staff training and fast issue resolution. Its centralized rate and inventory controls and stable OTA synchronization make it ideal for branded hotels, resorts, and city center properties focused on operational efficiency and revenue growth.
Choose Roiback | Booking Engine if your hotel demands advanced marketing tools, extensive integrations, and loyalty program support, and you are prepared for a longer onboarding and higher monthly cost. This suits luxury and branded hotels pursuing aggressive direct sales through multiple digital channels, provided you can accommodate slower support response times.
The data supports a definitive verdict: for most hotels prioritizing ease, support, and proven revenue impact, Exely Booking Engine is the better fit. Roiback fits hotels with specialized feature needs and integration complexity that justify its higher cost and support trade-offs.
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.
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Merchandising & Packages
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| 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 | ||
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Upselling & Cross Selling
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| 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 | ||
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Conversion
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| 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 | ||
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Payments
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| Multi-currency | ||
| Apple Pay | ||
| Google Pay | ||
| Paypal | ||
| PCI Compliance | ||
| PayU | ||
| Stripe | ||
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Transactional Emails
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| Booking abandonment recapture | ||
| Post-stay emails | ||
| Pre-stay emails | ||
| Confirmation emails | ||
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Group Bookings
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| Wedding & corporate booking modules | ||
| Availability block | ||
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Reporting & Analytics
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| Automated reporting | ||
| Conversion rate reports | ||
| Referral Reporting | ||
| Google Analytics tracking | ||
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Tax & Compliance
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| 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..."
"Partnering with Roiback has been a game-changer, as their innovative solutions and close support by our Direct Channel Specialist have empowered Jasmine City Group to reach new h..."
"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
Roiback's core booking engine is central to the reviews, with users citing it as a key component of their direct distribution stack. It is valued for... Roiback's core booking engine is central to the reviews, with users citing it as a key component of their direct distribution stack. It is valued for helping manage reservations efficiently and supporting an improved guest booking experience.
Users repeatedly say Roiback helps improve direct bookings by making the reservation journey efficient, coordinated, and conversion-focused. The platf... Users repeatedly say Roiback helps improve direct bookings by making the reservation journey efficient, coordinated, and conversion-focused. The platform is seen as a business tool that supports stronger revenue performance through a smoother path from website visit to completed booking.
The reviews emphasize strong day-to-day partnership support, especially from the account manager, who is described as responsive, available, and proac... The reviews emphasize strong day-to-day partnership support, especially from the account manager, who is described as responsive, available, and proactive. Users appreciate the ongoing follow-up and insights that help them manage performance and operations more effectively.
Where hoteliers push back
One reviewer calls out the need for better handling of multi-room or multi-unit bookings, specifically to avoid overlap and availability errors. This... One reviewer calls out the need for better handling of multi-room or multi-unit bookings, specifically to avoid overlap and availability errors. This suggests the current logic may be less robust for properties with more complex inventory needs.
A reviewer notes that loyalty benefits could be displayed more clearly or separated by property type. The comment implies that clearer presentation co... A reviewer notes that loyalty benefits could be displayed more clearly or separated by property type. The comment implies that clearer presentation could improve guest understanding and make loyalty offers more relevant at different hotel types.
Ranks higher for
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Exely Booking Engine and Roiback | Booking Engine share many core Booking Engine features, but each has unique capabilities. Exely Booking Engine offers 10 verified integration partners, while Roiback | Booking Engine offers 28. 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 4.5/5. 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. Roiback | 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 ROIBACK has 73. 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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