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 31 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:
Explore shines .
Simple Booking shines in ease of use and customer support , with exclusive features like Mobile optimized/responsive and Urgency messaging.
Side-by-side ratings based on 31 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | Contact sales | From $200/mo |
| Verified Reviews | 0 | 31 |
After analyzing 31 verified reviews, Explore users most value its , while Simple Booking users highlight user-friendly interface, customer support, increased booking conversions. Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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User-friendly Interface
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Customer Support
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Increased Booking Conversions
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Flexibility and Customization
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Advanced Functionalities
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Cost-related Issues
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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 | Explore |
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|---|---|---|
| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | — | #31 6 reviews |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | — | #21 19 reviews |
| Large (75-199 rooms) | — | #24 4 reviews |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) | — | #27 1 reviews |
By Property Type
| Segment | Explore |
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| Boutique ▾ | — | #28 13 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | — | #26 12 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | — | #26 7 reviews |
| Extended Stay | — | #27 3 reviews |
By Region
| Segment | Explore |
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|---|---|---|
| Europe ▾ | — | #11 25 reviews |
| Asia Pacific | — | #22 2 reviews |
| Middle East | — | #12 4 reviews |
Choosing between Explore by Explore and Simple Booking by Simple Booking hinges on your hotel’s specific needs. Explore promises AI-driven insights aimed at decision-makers seeking data-driven strategies, while Simple Booking offers a comprehensive reservation system designed to boost direct bookings and streamline operations. Both address distinct hotel management challenges, but only one aligns better with your current priorities. Are you looking for deep analytics or a robust booking engine?
Explore by Explore aims to deliver business intelligence and operational insights through AI, focusing on data synthesis and strategic recommendations. Simple Booking, on the other hand, emphasizes booking conversions, channel management, and revenue optimization through an integrated reservation platform. Understanding which problem you prioritize today will clarify your choice.
Explore is designed to analyze large datasets, generate summarized insights, and support strategic decision-making through AI. However, it has no reviews in the last six months and a score of 0, making its effectiveness uncertain. Conversely, Simple Booking boasts 29 recent reviews and an NPS score of 9.38, indicating high user satisfaction and recent positive feedback. Its focus on direct booking optimization and ease of use makes it a practical choice for hotels looking to increase revenue efficiently.
Explore’s core strength lies in data analysis and strategic recommendations, which are valuable if your hotel needs to understand performance metrics and identify growth opportunities. Simple Booking excels at managing reservations, increasing conversions, and integrating with marketing tools, ideal for hotels seeking to maximize booking efficiency. Do you need insights or bookings more urgently?
If your hotel needs to increase direct booking conversions, improve channel management, or leverage detailed analytics for marketing, go with Simple Booking. Its 56 verified integrations and positive recent reviews demonstrate a mature, widely adopted platform. For properties like city center hotels, resorts, or boutique hotels prioritizing revenue growth and user-friendly interfaces, Simple Booking offers a proven, scalable solution.
On the other hand, if your hotel or management team requires an AI-driven tool to analyze operational data, generate recommendations, and support strategic planning, Explore could be appealing. But beware: Explore’s lack of recent reviews and a 0/5 rating suggest it’s not currently trusted or actively supported. For most hotels, Simple Booking remains the safer, more tested option.
Based on current ratings, Simple Booking’s user interface is rated 4.79/5, with many reviews praising its ease of use and onboarding process. Customers mention its intuitive design, straightforward management, and quick setup, which help staff adopt the system rapidly. In contrast, Explore has a 0/5 rating, indicating no recent user feedback on usability or onboarding, raising doubt about its current user experience.
Given the recent reviews, Simple Booking’s interface and onboarding support are clearly more established and appreciated. If ease of use is a priority, Edge: Simple Booking.
Simple Booking offers 44 features, including mobile responsiveness, dynamic pricing, automated emails, multi-currency and multilingual support, and integration with numerous marketing and payment platforms. It also provides advanced functionalities like rate match, social media bookings, and loyalty program integration. Explore, however, has no features listed, implying it’s not currently equipped for direct booking management.
In terms of feature depth and variety, Simple Booking’s extensive suite clearly outperforms Explore’s nonexistent feature set. For hotels needing an all-in-one booking tool, Edge: Simple Booking.
Simple Booking’s support scores 4.76/5, with recent reviews highlighting responsiveness and helpfulness. Users appreciate its support team’s availability and effective assistance, which is crucial for ongoing operational needs. Explore, meanwhile, has no recent reviews or ratings, making it impossible to assess support quality.
Given the critical importance of reliable support in booking systems, Simple Booking’s proven track record makes it the safer choice. Edge: Simple Booking.
Simple Booking offers 56 verified integrations, including major PMS, distribution channels, and payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, and local providers. It integrates with popular metasearch engines and other marketing tools, ensuring broad compatibility. Explore has zero verified integrations, limiting its potential for seamless operational workflows.
For a hotel aiming for extensive connectivity and operational flexibility, Simple Booking’s integration ecosystem is a clear advantage. Edge: Simple Booking.
With 29 recent reviews and an NPS of 9.38, Simple Booking enjoys high satisfaction across various hotel segments, including city center hotels, resorts, and boutique hotels. Review comments emphasize ease of use, functionality, and support. Explore, without recent feedback, lacks a current satisfaction metric or user trust.
For hotels prioritizing proven performance and positive user experiences, Simple Booking’s recent reviews reinforce its status as the preferred choice. Edge: Simple Booking.
Explore’s pricing details are unavailable, suggesting it may be a custom or enterprise-level solution. Simple Booking charges $200 per month, with no free tier or trial offered. The transparent pricing model makes budget planning straightforward, though it’s essential to weigh features against costs.
If budget certainty and cost efficiency matter, Simple Booking’s fixed monthly fee and clear value proposition make it easier to evaluate. Edge: Simple Booking.
Explore suits businesses focused on leveraging data for strategic growth rather than direct booking functionality.
Simple Booking is best for hotels prioritizing revenue growth through direct bookings and integrated marketing.
Core Difference:
Explore by Explore offers AI-based insights and data analysis, aiming to improve strategic decision-making. Simple Booking provides a full-featured reservation system designed to maximize direct bookings and streamline operations.
When to choose Explore:
Select Explore if your hotel’s primary goal is to analyze large datasets, generate insights, and support strategic planning. It’s suitable for data-driven teams needing actionable recommendations without a booking engine.
When to choose Simple Booking:
Opt for Simple Booking if your focus is on increasing reservations, managing channels efficiently, and automating marketing efforts. Its extensive integrations, proven user satisfaction, and recent reviews make it a dependable, scalable choice.
Final verdict:
Given the recent reviews and high user ratings, Simple Booking clearly outperforms Explore in current market presence, usability, and features. Unless your hotel’s core need is data analysis and strategic insights, Simple Booking is the recommended choice for most hotels aiming to grow revenue and streamline reservations.
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.
| Explore |
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| Starting Price | — | From $200/mo |
According to HTR's product database, Explore and Simple Booking (Reservations System) share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
| Feature | Explore |
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| Automated reporting | ||
| Mobile optimized/responsive | ||
| Post-stay emails | ||
| Pre-stay emails | ||
| Tariffs | ||
| Urgency messaging |
Showing top differences. 32 more features differ between these products.
What hoteliers love
The software's intuitive and easy-to-use interface is frequently praised, allowing both hotel staff and guests to navigate and manage bookings effortl... The software's intuitive and easy-to-use interface is frequently praised, allowing both hotel staff and guests to navigate and manage bookings effortlessly. This ease of use promotes higher conversion rates and a better overall user experience.
While customer support is generally praised for being responsive and helpful, some users note a decline in its quality, finding it cumbersome and diff... While customer support is generally praised for being responsive and helpful, some users note a decline in its quality, finding it cumbersome and difficult to reach lately. Continuous improvement in this area is crucial for maintaining user satisfaction.
Many hoteliers report a noticeable increase in their booking conversions since implementing SimpleBooking. Features such as the rate match tool, optim... Many hoteliers report a noticeable increase in their booking conversions since implementing SimpleBooking. Features such as the rate match tool, optimized user experience, and persuasive booking options contribute significantly to this improvement.
Where hoteliers push back
Hoteliers are impressed by the system's advanced functionalities, such as automated rate and availability management, customizable templates, and mult... Hoteliers are impressed by the system's advanced functionalities, such as automated rate and availability management, customizable templates, and multi-language support. These features enhance the booking process, making it more efficient and user-centric.
Several reviews highlight cost-related concerns, particularly the high prices for specific features like custom URLs and payment provider options. Use... Several reviews highlight cost-related concerns, particularly the high prices for specific features like custom URLs and payment provider options. Users feel that these charges are not justified and suggest more reasonable pricing.
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Explore and Simple Booking (Reservations System) share many core Booking Engine features, but each has unique capabilities. Explore offers 0 verified integration partners, while Simple Booking (Reservations System) offers 56. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Simple Booking (Reservations System) leads in ease of use at 4.8/5 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.
Explore: No. Simple Booking (Reservations System): 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. Explore has an HT Score of 0 and Simple Booking has 68. 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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