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.
Side-by-side ratings based on 18 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Ease of Use |
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| Starting Price | Contact sales | Contact sales |
| Verified Reviews | 0 | 18 |
How each product ranks among Hotel Sales Software 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) | — | #7 3 reviews |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | — | #10 8 reviews |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | — | #8 5 reviews |
By Property Type
| Segment |
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| Boutique ▾ | — | #10 5 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | — | #9 7 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | — | #10 6 reviews |
| Extended Stay | — | #10 0 reviews |
By Region
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| North America | — | #9 3 reviews |
| Europe ▾ | — | #5 10 reviews |
Choosing between Explara by Explara and UpMail for Business Development by Upmail hinges on your hotel’s specific needs. Explara is primarily an event and membership management platform, while UpMail focuses on outreach and client engagement through email automation. Both aim to boost your hotel’s communication, but they serve different core functions—so which best aligns with your team’s goals?
Explara offers a broad suite of event-related tools, whereas UpMail specializes in personalized email campaigns. Your decision depends on whether your focus is on managing large-scale events or strengthening direct engagement with your guests and prospects. Are you ready to clarify your hotel’s priorities?
Explara and UpMail tackle distinct challenges in the hotel industry. Explara is designed to handle complex event planning, registration, and post-event engagement, making it ideal if your hotel hosts conferences, exhibitions, or group activities. UpMail, by contrast, excels in nurturing relationships and re-engaging past guests through targeted email campaigns, making it more suited for ongoing outreach.
With UpMail boasting more recent reviews and a higher user rating, it demonstrates a stronger current market presence. Given its 18 reviews and 4.59/5 rating, it appears more trusted by hoteliers today. Does your hotel need comprehensive event management or focused client outreach?
If your hotel needs a platform to manage large events, registration, and post-event surveys, Explara might seem appealing. However, its lack of recent reviews and zero ratings raise concerns about ongoing support and updates. Conversely, UpMail’s high ratings across customer support, ease of use, and recent reviews suggest it’s more reliable for direct communication.
For hotels that prioritize building guest relationships, nurturing prospects, or enhancing sales through personalized email outreach, UpMail’s 94% recommendation rate and active use in multiple regions make it a compelling choice. If event management is secondary, UpMail’s focus on outreach is a clear advantage.
UpMail’s user experience is rated at 4.61/5, based on recent reviews, with users describing it as intuitive, flexible, and quick to adopt. Reviewers appreciate its simple interface, which makes creating and tracking campaigns straightforward, and the responsive support team.
Explara, by contrast, has a 0/5 score for ease of use, and no recent reviews, suggesting limited current user feedback on its UI or onboarding. Without recent user insights, it’s difficult to gauge how smoothly your team would adopt Explara.
Edge: UpMail.
Explara offers no listed features, emphasizing its all-in-one event management platform, including ticketing, mobile apps, check-in, and post-event survey tools—features vital for event-heavy hotels. UpMail, meanwhile, specializes in email outreach, offering contact importing, personalized templates, comprehensive tracking, and integration with systems like Salesforce.
Though Explara provides a broader suite for event logistics, UpMail’s 4 verified integrations and focus on campaign performance give it an edge for hotels prioritizing targeted communication. Its features directly support relationship-building and lead nurturing, crucial for hotel sales.
Edge: UpMail.
UpMail’s support ratings are high at 4.72/5, with reviewers consistently praising its responsiveness, helpfulness, and courteous service. One reviewer notes, “The support team is always quick, helpful, and courteous,” emphasizing reliable assistance.
Explara, on the other hand, has no recent reviews or ratings for customer support, leaving its support quality uncertain. The lack of feedback suggests it may not be as proactive or responsive, especially for ongoing hotel needs.
Edge: UpMail.
UpMail offers four verified integrations, including Salesforce, Oracle Hospitality, Clairevoyix, and Amadeus, facilitating seamless workflows for hotels that already use these systems. Explara, with zero verified integrations, limits its connectivity options.
For hotels relying on existing CRM or booking systems, UpMail’s integrations significantly streamline outreach and follow-up activities. This connectivity simplifies managing contacts and enhances campaign effectiveness.
Edge: UpMail.
UpMail’s recent reviews and high ratings (4.59/5 overall, 9.44/10 NPS, 94% likelihood to recommend) reflect strong current user satisfaction. Hotels across various segments, including luxury and boutique hotels, praise its ease of use and supportive service.
Explara lacks recent reviews, and its overall rating is currently unavailable, indicating it’s not actively engaged by users today. The consistent praise for UpMail suggests it’s the preferred platform among hoteliers now.
Edge: UpMail.
Both platforms do not publish specific pricing details publicly, indicating they might tailor quotes based on hotel size or needs. With no standard subscription fees or trial options listed, your team should contact each provider directly for a customized quote.
Given this, consider the value in terms of support, features, and current reviews rather than price alone when making your decision.
Hotels that host frequent events—such as conferences, exhibitions, or large group bookings—should consider Explara if they need comprehensive event management tools. Teams that prioritize seamless registration, mobile check-ins, and post-event surveys will find Explara’s features aligned with their goals.
Not ideal if your hotel’s main focus is ongoing guest engagement, as Explara’s core strengths are in event logistics, not continuous outreach or relationship nurturing.
UpMail is best suited for hotels that want to strengthen relationships with past guests, prospects, or clients through targeted email campaigns. It’s ideal for sales teams, marketing departments, or revenue managers focused on nurturing relationships and increasing bookings.
Not ideal if your primary goal is event management or if your hotel doesn’t rely heavily on email outreach for sales or engagement.
The core difference between the two is their primary focus: Explara is a comprehensive event management platform, while UpMail excels in targeted outreach and relationship nurturing. Explara’s strengths lie in managing complex events, but its lack of recent reviews and limited integrations diminish its current appeal.
Choose Explara if your hotel’s success depends on hosting large events with integrated registration and feedback tools. Opt for UpMail if your goal is to build stronger guest relationships, drive repeat bookings, and improve outreach efficiency—especially since it has a significantly stronger reputation among current users.
For hotels that prioritize guest engagement and sales growth, UpMail offers a more reliable, well-reviewed solution today. If your hotel’s operations revolve around large-scale events, Explara could still be relevant, but with less confidence in ongoing support or updates.
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Explara and UpMail for Business Development share many core Hotel Sales Software features, but each has unique capabilities. Explara offers 0 verified integration partners, while UpMail for Business Development offers 4. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. UpMail for Business Development leads in ease of use at 4.6/5 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.
Explara: No. UpMail for Business Development: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Hotel Sales Software 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. Explara has an HT Score of 0 and Upmail 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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