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 172 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 brand properties (0.0/5) , with exclusive features like Mobile optimized/responsive and Post-stay emails.
upbooking shines .
Side-by-side ratings based on 172 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | From $200/mo | Contact sales |
| Verified Reviews | 172 | 0 |
After analyzing 172 verified reviews, Exely users most value its support and responsiveness, booking engine effectiveness, direct booking enhancement, while upbooking users highlight . Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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Support and Responsiveness
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Booking Engine Effectiveness
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Direct Booking Enhancement
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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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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
| Segment |
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upbooking |
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| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #15 34 reviews | — |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #11 64 reviews | — |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | #22 5 reviews | — |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) ▾ | #8 6 reviews | — |
By Property Type
| Segment |
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upbooking |
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| Boutique ▾ | #15 35 reviews | — |
| Luxury ▾ | #15 28 reviews | — |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #16 17 reviews | — |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #16 9 reviews | — |
By Region
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upbooking |
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| North America | #24 2 reviews | — |
| Europe ▾ | #25 11 reviews | — |
| Asia Pacific ▾ | #4 79 reviews | — |
| Middle East ▾ | #2 17 reviews | — |
When choosing a booking engine to improve your hotel's direct reservations and operational efficiency, you face a clear choice: Exely Booking Engine by Exely or Upbooking by Upbooking. Both aim to streamline bookings, but Exely's extensive features, recent reviews, and global presence set it apart. Your decision should hinge on your hotel’s specific needs, the importance of support and integrations, and the level of sophistication you require from your booking platform.
Exely offers a comprehensive, feature-rich platform with proven success in boosting direct bookings, while Upbooking remains unreviewed in recent data and lacks the same market presence. Which solution aligns better with your hotel’s growth and operational goals?
Exely and Upbooking are both designed to facilitate online reservations, yet Exely’s rich feature set and extensive integrations make it more suitable for hotels seeking advanced control over their booking process. Upbooking, on the other hand, currently has no reviews, no verified integrations, and a minimal global footprint, making it less appealing for hotels that prioritize proven reliability and expanded functionality.
Exely’s 144 reviews, with 63 in the last six months, provide a clear, recent snapshot of strong performance, especially in customer support and ease of use. Conversely, Upbooking’s lack of publicly available recent reviews leaves its effectiveness and user satisfaction uncertain for hoteliers wanting a dependable, well-supported solution.
Given the data, Exely’s reputation and recent positive feedback make it the safer, more reliable choice for hotels that need a proven booking engine. Can Upbooking demonstrate comparable success in the near future?
If your hotel needs a highly customizable, feature-rich booking engine capable of multi-lingual support, multi-currency transactions, and detailed analytics, go with Exely. Its suite includes 29 unique features like flexible rates, special offers, abandoned cart recovery, and website integration—perfect for hotels wanting advanced marketing tools and operational control.
If you prioritize a simpler, less feature-dependent system and are considering a platform that might develop over time, Upbooking could be an option. However, since Upbooking has no recent reviews, no verified integrations, and no clear feature set, Exely remains the more dependable choice for hotels seeking immediate, tangible improvements.
For hoteliers focused on growth, direct bookings, and seamless management, Exely’s current market footprint and support excellence make it the definitive pick.
Exely’s user reviews highlight a platform rated 4.91 out of 5 for ease of use, with onboarding rated 4.84 out of 5. Customers praise its intuitive dashboard for managing rates and availability, along with responsive support that enhances staff adoption. The recent reviews reinforce that your team will find Exely straightforward to implement and operate.
Upbooking, lacking recent reviews and detailed feedback, does not provide enough data to assess its usability. Without user ratings or feedback, it’s impossible to confidently say it’s easier to adopt than Exely.
Edge: Exely.
Exely’s platform boasts 29 exclusive features, including mobile responsiveness, multi-room bookings, multilingual support, conversion rate reports, and automated communications. These tools enable your hotel to run targeted promotions, improve guest engagement, and optimize revenue management.
Upbooking offers no documented features or integrations, making it impossible to evaluate its capabilities. Given Exely’s extensive feature set and proven effectiveness, it clearly outperforms Upbooking.
Edge: Exely.
Exely’s customer support has an exceptional rating of 4.96 out of 5, with reviews consistently praising its quick, friendly, and solutions-oriented approach. Support team responsiveness is often cited as a primary strength, providing confidence in onboarding and ongoing assistance.
Upbooking has no available review data concerning customer support, leaving its service quality uncertain. Without verified support ratings or feedback, Exely’s support reputation makes it the safer, more trustworthy choice.
Edge: Exely.
Exely integrates with at least 8 verified partners, including Hotellab, Oracle Hospitality, Mews, and Booking.com. These integrations facilitate smoother operations across multiple systems, such as channel management and payment platforms.
Upbooking has no publicly verified integrations, limiting its compatibility and operational flexibility at this stage. For hotels that rely on a connected tech ecosystem, Exely’s integrations provide a clear advantage.
Edge: Exely.
Exely’s recent reviews and high overall rating of 92.67 on the HotelTechReport scale reflect strong satisfaction among diverse hotel segments, including boutique hotels, city center properties, and resorts. Reviewers highlight its user-friendliness, support quality, and feature set as key strengths.
Upbooking, with no recent reviews or ratings, cannot be compared in terms of user satisfaction. The consistent, recent positive feedback for Exely makes it the higher-rated choice among hoteliers.
Edge: Exely.
Exely charges a flat monthly fee of $200, with no implementation or trial fees, offering clear upfront pricing. Upbooking’s pricing details are not publicly available, which complicates direct comparison and planning.
Given the transparent pricing and proven value, Exely provides a straightforward investment for hotels seeking a reliable booking engine.
Not ideal if your hotel is very small with minimal online booking needs or if you prefer a simple, lightweight system without extensive features.
Not ideal if your hotel needs proven reliability, extensive integrations, or high-level support—especially now, given the absence of recent reviews.
Exely is a comprehensive booking engine with a track record of supporting hotels worldwide through recent reviews, extensive features, and verified integrations. Its strong customer support and user-friendly interface make it suitable for hotels committed to growing direct bookings and streamlining operations.
Upbooking, lacking recent reviews and verified features, remains an untested option. While it might evolve into a more capable platform, current data confidently favors Exely for hotels eager to see immediate results and reliable service.
If your hotel prioritizes proven performance, extensive features, and ongoing support, Exely stands out as the clear choice. Only consider Upbooking if you're looking for a minimal, experimental booking solution and are prepared to evaluate its future developments.
According to HTR's product database, Exely Booking Engine and Upbooking share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
| Feature |
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upbooking |
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| Conversion rate reports | ||
| Flexible dates | ||
| Mobile optimized/responsive | ||
| Multi-lingual | ||
| Multi-room bookings | ||
| Room substitutions |
Showing top differences. 17 more features differ between these products.
We analyzed 2 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..."
No published case study for this goal yet.
"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.
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Exely Booking Engine and Upbooking share many core Booking Engine features, but each has unique capabilities. Exely Booking Engine offers 8 verified integration partners, while Upbooking offers 0. 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 0.0/5. 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. Upbooking: 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 upbooking has 0. 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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