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 108 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:
simplify hospitality shines .
Planet shines in ease of use and customer support — especially for brand properties (5.0/5) , with exclusive features like On premise and Revenue management module.
Side-by-side ratings based on 108 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | Contact sales | From $500/mo |
| Verified Reviews | 0 | 108 |
After analyzing 108 verified reviews, simplify hospitality users most value its , while Planet users highlight functionality and features, ease of use, multi-property management. Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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Functionality and Features
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Ease of Use
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Multi-property Management
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Support Issues
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System Performance and Reliability
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How each product ranks among Property Management Systems vendors for different property sizes, types, and regions — based on verified reviews from hoteliers in each segment.
By Hotel Size
| Segment | simplify hospitality |
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|---|---|---|
| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | — | #27 32 reviews |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | — | #15 50 reviews |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | — | #15 10 reviews |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) | — | #17 3 reviews |
By Property Type
| Segment | simplify hospitality |
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| Boutique ▾ | — | #21 42 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | — | #21 34 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | — | #17 33 reviews |
| Extended Stay ▾ | — | #20 9 reviews |
By Region
| Segment | simplify hospitality |
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| North America ▾ | — | #29 6 reviews |
| Europe ▾ | — | #10 79 reviews |
| Middle East | — | #15 2 reviews |
Choosing between Front Office Cloud by Simplify Hospitality and protel PMS by Planet boils down to your hotel’s specific needs, budget, and operational complexity. Both aim to streamline hotel management, but their capabilities and maturity differ significantly. Simplify Hospitality’s Front Office Cloud offers zero reviews and limited features, signaling a very early-stage product, whereas protel PMS boasts over 100 reviews, recent positive feedback, and a comprehensive feature set. Which one aligns best with your property’s scale and ambitions?
protel PMS is the clear leader for hoteliers seeking a well-reviewed, feature-rich property management system with global reach. With over 105 reviews and a 4.11/5 overall rating, it offers proven reliability and extensive integrations. In contrast, Front Office Cloud by Simplify Hospitality has no reviews or visible features, making it impossible to evaluate its suitability. For your hotel’s decision-making, the choice is straightforward: go with protel PMS.
Front Office Cloud by Simplify Hospitality aims to provide a simplified, cloud-based front desk solution. However, it lacks reviews, feature details, and a proven track record, raising questions about its maturity and effectiveness. On the other hand, protel PMS offers a cloud-native platform with over 100 reviews, an overall rating of 4.11/5, and extensive functionalities including reservations, billing, and integrations. Its recent reviews indicate a stable, reliable system praised by users globally.
While both products claim to serve hotel operations, protel’s established presence, recent customer feedback, and higher ratings make it a more trustworthy choice. Do you want to risk adopting an untested system or rely on a proven platform?
If your hotel needs a proven, highly customizable PMS with a robust ecosystem of integrations, go with protel PMS. It suits properties ranging from small inns to large resorts, especially those that prioritize automation, reporting, and multi-property management. If, however, your hotel is a small operation seeking a minimal, straightforward front desk solution with no current reviews or detailed features, Front Office Cloud might seem appealing — but its lack of proven functionality makes it risky.
For hotels aiming for scalability, reliability, and a system that’s trusted by hundreds of other properties, protel PMS remains the safe, strategic choice.
Based on available ratings, protel PMS scores a 4.12/5 for ease of use, reflecting a generally intuitive interface, good onboarding, and positive staff feedback. It’s supported by many detailed reviews praising its user-friendliness and efficient workflows. Conversely, Front Office Cloud has no reviews or ratings to assess, making it impossible to gauge its usability or onboarding experience.
Edge: protel PMS.
protel PMS offers 46 features, including revenue management, multi-currency, guest profiles, online booking, integrated payments, and detailed reporting. Many of these features are core to modern hotel operations and are frequently praised by users. Front Office Cloud, with no features listed or reviewed, cannot compete in scope or depth.
Given its extensive feature set, protel PMS clearly leads in functionality, capable of supporting complex operations across multiple property types and sizes. Edge: protel PMS.
protel PMS benefits from a support score of 3.95/5, with reviews describing helpful, friendly, and responsive service, although some mention slow response times. Its support team operates across multiple regions, offering multilingual assistance and 24/7 availability. Front Office Cloud, lacking reviews, has no publicly available support ratings, making it difficult to compare directly.
Based on current data, protel PMS’s support infrastructure is more established and better documented. Edge: protel PMS.
protel PMS integrates with over 1,200 hospitality systems, including channel managers, booking engines, CRM, and revenue tools, making it suitable for hotels needing extensive third-party connections. Shared integrations are not specified, but the ecosystem’s size suggests a broad compatibility. Front Office Cloud has no listed integrations or partnerships, limiting its interoperability.
For hotels reliant on a diverse array of integrations, protel PMS’s extensive ecosystem is a decisive advantage. Edge: protel PMS.
With over 105 recent reviews, protel PMS holds an overall rating of 4.11/5, with particularly high marks from independent and branded hotels. Hotels of various sizes and types, including resorts and city hotels, rate it favorably for its reliability and feature richness. Front Office Cloud has no reviews, so its hotelier satisfaction cannot be assessed.
Given the substantial review volume and recent positive feedback, protel PMS is clearly the more highly rated choice by hoteliers. Edge: protel PMS.
protel PMS’s pricing starts at $500 a month, with no free tier or trial available. Without detailed pricing or reviews, Front Office Cloud’s cost remains unknown, and its value proposition cannot be evaluated. The lack of pricing transparency and reviews for Front Office Cloud further diminishes confidence in its suitability.
In terms of transparency and affordability for hotels seeking predictable costs, protel PMS’s clear pricing structure makes it a more reliable option.
Not ideal if:
Given the lack of reviews or features, Front Office Cloud is best suited for very small, straightforward operations.
Not ideal if:
protel’s extensive ecosystem and proven track record make it suitable for most mid to large-sized hotels.
The core difference lies in maturity and scope: protel PMS offers a comprehensive, well-reviewed system trusted by hundreds of hotels worldwide, while Front Office Cloud remains untested with no reviews or detailed features. If your hotel values a system with proven reliability, multiple integrations, and extensive functionalities, protel PMS is the clear choice. For very small properties seeking a basic, no-frills solution, Front Office Cloud might be appealing — but its unproven status makes it a risky bet.
Choosing protel PMS means investing in a system that supports your growth, enhances operational efficiency, and is backed by positive recent feedback. If you need a dependable, feature-rich PMS with a global footprint, go with protel.
Property Management Systems 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.
| simplify hospitality |
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| Starting Price | — | From $500/mo |
According to HTR's product database, Front Office Cloud and protel PMS (by Planet) share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
| Feature | simplify hospitality |
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| Booking Engine | ||
| Cloud based | ||
| Multi-currency | ||
| Multi-lingual | ||
| On premise | ||
| Revenue management module |
Showing top differences. 34 more features differ between these products.
We analyzed 4 verified case studies to compare what hotels actually achieve with each platform across four key business objectives.
No published case study for this goal yet.
"It feels like a partnership, not a product. Our feedback is always heard and acted on. We’re working together for the shared goal of great guest service."
What hoteliers love
Users appreciate Protel's extensive features for managing single properties, with comprehensive tools for reporting, room plans, and rate management.... Users appreciate Protel's extensive features for managing single properties, with comprehensive tools for reporting, room plans, and rate management. However, many reviews expressed disappointment that a lot of these functionalities are incomplete, buggy, or missing entirely when dealing with more complex setups or multi-property environments. Custom reports and seamless integration with other tools are also highlighted as beneficial.
The user interface is generally praised for being intuitive and easy to navigate. Many users found Protel Air particularly user-friendly and noted the... The user interface is generally praised for being intuitive and easy to navigate. Many users found Protel Air particularly user-friendly and noted the efficiency in managing daily operations. However, certain updates have made certain functions more complex and less intuitive than before.
Protel's performance in catering to multi-property environments received mixed feedback. While some users praised its organizational tools and interfa... Protel's performance in catering to multi-property environments received mixed feedback. While some users praised its organizational tools and interfaces, many found the system frustratingly limited for multi-location setups, highlighting significant bugs and reduced functionalities.
Where hoteliers push back
Customer support is a consistent area of concern. Reviews mentioned long waiting times for support requests, lack of phone availability, and poor resp... Customer support is a consistent area of concern. Reviews mentioned long waiting times for support requests, lack of phone availability, and poor response times after the acquisition by Planet. Users recommend improving the speed and reliability of customer service.
Users are generally happy with the level of customization available in Protel, allowing them to adapt the system to better fit their specific needs. H... Users are generally happy with the level of customization available in Protel, allowing them to adapt the system to better fit their specific needs. However, this flexibility often comes at a high cost, and some required features are only available through paid custom development.
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Front Office Cloud and protel PMS (by Planet) share many core Property Management Systems features, but each has unique capabilities. Front Office Cloud offers 0 verified integration partners, while protel PMS (by Planet) offers 194. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. protel PMS (by Planet) leads in ease of use at 4.1/5 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.
Front Office Cloud: No. protel PMS (by Planet): No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Property Management Systems 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. simplify hospitality has an HT Score of 0 and Planet has 33. 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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