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 42 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:
Akia shines in ease of use and customer support — especially for brand properties (5.0/5) , with exclusive features like Mobile Friendly and Guest History.
EyeQ shines .
Side-by-side ratings based on 42 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | Contact sales | Contact sales |
| Verified Reviews | 42 | 0 |
After analyzing 42 verified reviews, Akia users most value its guest messaging, team communication and task management, contactless check-in, while EyeQ users highlight . Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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EyeQ |
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Guest messaging
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Team communication and task management
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Contactless check-in
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Customer feedback and reputation management
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Automated responses
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Integration and data synchronization
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Guidebooks and digital tools
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How each product ranks among Contactless Check-in 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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EyeQ |
|---|---|---|
| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #4 17 reviews | — |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #4 18 reviews | — |
| Large (75-199 rooms) | #19 0 reviews | — |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) | #16 0 reviews | — |
By Property Type
| Segment |
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EyeQ |
|---|---|---|
| Boutique ▾ | #4 17 reviews | — |
| Luxury ▾ | #6 7 reviews | — |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #4 10 reviews | — |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #7 6 reviews | — |
By Region
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EyeQ |
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| North America ▾ | #2 41 reviews | — |
Choosing between Akia Contactless Check-In by Akia and FaceID Smart Kiosk by EyeQ hinges on your hotel’s specific needs. Both aim to streamline check-in and enhance security—Akia through guest communication and contactless self-check-in, and EyeQ with facial recognition to manage visitors. Yet, Akia’s widespread adoption, recent reviews, and extensive feature set make it the more proven choice for most hoteliers.
If your goal is to reduce guest touchpoints, improve communication, and simplify operations quickly, Akia has already demonstrated its value. Conversely, if security and visitor management are your primary concerns, FaceID offers a high-tech solution, though it lacks recent review data or market presence.
If your hotel needs to enhance guest experience with contactless check-in, Akia is the clear option, especially given its 38 recent reviews and 4.95/5 overall rating. It simplifies pre-arrival communication, automates guest messaging, and integrates with PMS systems within hours—a crucial advantage for hotels aiming to modernize quickly.
If your focus is on security through facial recognition technology, FaceID’s state-of-the-art AI could be appealing. However, with no recent reviews or market presence, its reliability and long-term support are less certain. Akia’s proven track record makes it more suitable for hotels seeking immediate, tested improvements.
Akia scores a 4.82/5 for ease of use, driven by its intuitive interface, mobile friendliness, and onboarding process averaging 4.67/5. Hoteliers highlight its straightforward setup and effective staff adoption, describing it as “easy to communicate with guests” and “saving time on check-in and messaging.”
In contrast, FaceID offers a simple user interface designed for quick facial recognition, but lacks detailed user feedback or onboarding ratings. Its ease of use remains unverified, whereas Akia’s recent reviews indicate a high level of staff satisfaction.
Edge: Akia.
Akia boasts over 35 unique features, including SMS messaging, automated replies, guest history, PMS integration, digital waivers, pre-arrival upselling, and door lock integration—covering virtually every aspect of contactless guest management. It also offers multi-lingual support, analytics, and device-agnostic operation.
FaceID focuses solely on facial recognition, with no detailed feature set publicly available. The lack of additional functionalities makes it unsuitable if your hotel needs comprehensive check-in and guest communication tools.
Edge: Akia.
Akia’s support scores 4.86/5, with recent reviews praising its knowledgeable staff and quick responses. Hoteliers mention that "getting a hold of a representative has been the easiest and best customer service we’ve experienced," and appreciate ongoing support during onboarding and troubleshooting.
FaceID’s support and support ratings are unavailable, and the lack of recent user reviews raises questions about ongoing customer service levels. Akia’s proven support track record makes it the safer choice for hotels valuing responsive assistance.
Edge: Akia.
Akia integrates with 32 verified partners, including major PMS providers like RoomRaccoon, InnRoad, Stayntouch, and WebRezPro, as well as access control systems like FLEXIPASS. These integrations streamline operations and extend Akia’s functionality.
FaceID’s integration ecosystem is not publicly documented or verified, limiting its compatibility with existing hotel systems. For seamless operation, Akia’s broader integration network offers a significant advantage.
Edge: Akia.
Akia’s recent reviews and high ratings (4.95/5 from 38 reviews) reflect strong hotelier satisfaction, especially among boutique hotels and independent properties. Hotels appreciate its role in improving reputation and guest communication, noting it “improved our hotel reputation and customer service.”
In contrast, FaceID lacks recent reviews or ratings, making it impossible to assess hotelier satisfaction. Based on available data, Akia is clearly the better-rated solution among hoteliers.
Edge: Akia.
Pricing details for Akia and FaceID are not publicly available, but Akia does not offer a free tier or trial—implying a bespoke quote based on hotel size and needs. FaceID’s cost structure remains unclear, with no public pricing or trial options.
Given the absence of transparent pricing, your team should consider Akia’s established market presence and support as part of your value assessment.
Not ideal if your hotel primarily needs facial recognition security or visitor management outside the guest check-in process.
Not ideal if you need extensive guest communication tools, PMS integration, or proven support, as FaceID’s market presence and user feedback are limited.
Akia’s main advantage is its extensive, proven feature set combined with strong recent reviews and a high overall rating. It offers a reliable, easy-to-use platform that streamlines contactless check-in, automates guest communication, and integrates with major hotel systems.
If your hotel requires a tested, versatile solution with broad support and features, Akia is the clear choice. Its recent reviews and high ratings demonstrate that it effectively meets hotelier needs today.
FaceID, while promising in facial recognition, lacks recent user feedback and broad integration, making it a riskier investment without a clear track record. If you’re seeking a secure, high-tech visitor management system, FaceID may be worth exploring—but only if you can validate its performance in your environment.
For most hoteliers, especially those wanting immediate, proven results, Akia Contactless Check-In offers the stability, features, and support needed to modernize your guest experience confidently.
According to HTR's product database, Akia Contactless Check-In and FaceID Smart Kiosk share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
| Feature |
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EyeQ |
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| Automated Replies | ||
| Chatbot Booking Agent | ||
| Desktop App (non-web based) | ||
| Mobile Friendly | ||
| Photo Sharing | ||
| Whatsapp Integration |
Showing top differences. 23 more features differ between these products.
We analyzed 1 verified case studies to compare what hotels actually achieve with each platform across four key business objectives.
"Automation emphasizes the guests experience at their fingertips. Akia closes the gap of missed opportunities by acting as a liaison to our guest satisfaction efforts. We have been..."
No published case study for this goal yet.
What hoteliers love
The messaging system is prized for facilitating real-time communication with guests, enhancing service quality. It helps staff manage guest requests a... The messaging system is prized for facilitating real-time communication with guests, enhancing service quality. It helps staff manage guest requests and issues promptly, which positively impacts guest satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Internal team communication and task management features are highlighted as significant benefits. These tools help hotel staff coordinate efficiently,... Internal team communication and task management features are highlighted as significant benefits. These tools help hotel staff coordinate efficiently, track tasks, and manage guest needs more effectively. Users believe improvements could be made in the clarity and usability of these systems.
Reviewers consistently appreciate Akia's contactless check-in feature, stating it makes the check-in process seamless and efficient. This feature redu... Reviewers consistently appreciate Akia's contactless check-in feature, stating it makes the check-in process seamless and efficient. This feature reduces physical interactions, streamlines the guest arrival experience, and ensures compliance with health guidelines, especially valued during the pandemic.
Where hoteliers push back
Many users highlight the benefit of Akia's automated responses which save time and effort. However, several reviews mention that these automated respo... Many users highlight the benefit of Akia's automated responses which save time and effort. However, several reviews mention that these automated responses can sometimes be inaccurate or mistimed, causing confusion for guests and requiring manual intervention from staff.
Users appreciate Akia's integration capabilities with PMS and other systems but desire improvements such as seamless credit card transaction integrati... Users appreciate Akia's integration capabilities with PMS and other systems but desire improvements such as seamless credit card transaction integration and better synchronization features to eliminate duplicated efforts and manual data entry.
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Akia Contactless Check-In and FaceID Smart Kiosk share many core Contactless Check-in features, but each has unique capabilities. Akia Contactless Check-In offers 32 verified integration partners, while FaceID Smart Kiosk offers 0. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Akia Contactless Check-In 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.
Akia Contactless Check-In: No. FaceID Smart Kiosk: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Contactless Check-in 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. Akia has an HT Score of 63 and EyeQ 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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