HOIST GROUP - HotSoft vs. protel PMS (by Planet): Which Is Right for You?

Updated November 13, 2026  ·  128 verified reviews analyzed

TLDR

We analyzed 128 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:

Planet shines in functionality and features — especially for vacation rental properties (4.3/5), with exclusive features like On premise and Revenue management module.

See the full breakdown below ↓

How Does HOIST GROUP - HotSoft Compare to protel PMS (by Planet)?

Side-by-side ratings based on 128 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.

HTScore
0
74
Likelihood to Recommend
N/A
80%
Ease of Use
N/A
4.2/5
Customer Support
N/A
4.0/5
Value for Money
N/A
3.8/5
Starting Price Contact sales From $500/mo
Verified Reviews 0 128

What Are the Pros and Cons of HOIST GROUP - HotSoft vs protel PMS (by Planet)?

After analyzing 128 verified reviews, HOIST GROUP 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.

HOIST GROUP Planet Planet
Pros
+ Functionality and Features ▾
+ Ease of Use ▾
+ Multi-property Management ▾
Cons
− Support Issues ▾
− Customization and Flexibility ▾
− System Performance and Reliability ▾

HOIST GROUP vs Planet: Rankings by Hotel Segment

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 HOIST GROUP Planet Planet
Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ — #24 38 reviews
Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ — #14 62 reviews
Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ — #12 15 reviews
X-Large (200+ rooms) — #37 1 reviews

By Property Type

Segment HOIST GROUP Planet Planet
Boutique ▾ — #20 51 reviews
Luxury ▾ — #20 37 reviews
Branded / Chain ▾ — #17 38 reviews
Extended Stay ▾ — #19 11 reviews

By Region

Segment HOIST GROUP Planet Planet
North America ▾ — #30 6 reviews
Europe ▾ — #10 100 reviews
Middle East — #14 2 reviews

Is HOIST GROUP - HotSoft or protel PMS (by Planet) Better for Hotels?

HOIST GROUP - HotSoft and protel PMS by Planet diverge sharply in market presence, feature scope, and verified user feedback. HotSoft lacks any publicly available verified reviews, user ratings, or documented market penetration, which leaves its real-world adoption and performance opaque. In contrast, protel PMS enjoys a broad footprint with 128 verified reviews, an overall rating of 4.0/5, and active recent user engagement, including 20 reviews in the last six months sustaining that rating.

Both products aim to solve core property management challenges like reservations, front desk operations, billing, and reporting. HotSoft claims to streamline hotel operations and improve guest experiences through automation and integration, but these assertions lack supporting customer data. Protel PMS takes these goals further with extensive features, cloud and on-premise deployment options, and a large integration ecosystem, positioning it as a fully realized platform fit for diverse hotel operations.

HOIST GROUP - HotSoft vs protel PMS (by Planet): Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If you manage a hotel that requires a proven, fully featured PMS with active vendor support and extensive integrations, protel PMS is the data-backed choice. Its 128 reviews, spread across hotel types including boutique, branded, luxury, and resorts, provide representative confidence. The recent reviews sustain a 4.0/5 rating, showing ongoing satisfaction and system maturity.

In contrast, if you are open to evaluating a newer or less documented system without verified user feedback, HotSoft might warrant exploration but with caution due to the absence of verified ratings or integrations. There is insufficient data to recommend HotSoft for any specific hotel segment confidently.

For small to medium independent hotels, especially those in Europe or North America, protel’s multi-currency, multi-lingual support and cloud/on-prem flexibility have proven operational value. Hotels prioritizing integrated payments and direct booking engines will find protel’s ecosystem supportive. HotSoft’s lack of public data precludes segment-specific guidance.

Is HOIST GROUP - HotSoft or protel PMS (by Planet) Easier to Use?

Only protel PMS has verified ease-of-use and onboarding ratings: 4.2/5 and 3.8/5 respectively, across 128 reviews including 20 recent ones maintaining these scores. Reviewers praise protel’s intuitive interface and efficient daily operations management, with comments such as "Protel is very easy to use" and "Management for hotel check-ins is simple and efficient." Some users note that recent updates introduced complexity in certain workflows, but overall usability remains a strength.

HOIST GROUP - HotSoft has no verified user ratings or reviews to evaluate ease of use, onboarding, or staff adoption. Without user feedback, HotSoft’s usability claims remain unsubstantiated.

Edge: Even.

Which Has Better Features: HOIST GROUP - HotSoft or protel PMS (by Planet)?

Protel PMS offers at least 46 verified hotel-specific features that HotSoft does not document or claim publicly. These include both cloud-based and on-premise deployment, revenue management modules, integrated booking engine, multi-currency and multi-lingual support, guest CRM, housekeeping modules, group functionality, PCI and GDPR compliance, integrated payment terminals, task management, and advanced reporting such as RevPAR and ADR reports.

These features enable front desk teams to automate billing, manage complex group bookings, optimize revenue with dynamic rate management, and ensure compliance with payment and data regulations. Protel’s drag-and-drop tapechart and rules-based room assignments streamline housekeeping and room allocation workflows.

HotSoft does not list any unique or overlapping features in public data, limiting its competitive feature set relative to protel.

Edge: protel PMS.

Which Has Better Customer Support: HOIST GROUP - HotSoft or protel PMS (by Planet)?

Only protel PMS has customer support and onboarding ratings: both 4.0/5 and 3.8/5 respectively, based on 128 verified reviews including recent user feedback. Users note "a competent support team, always reachable," and "very helpful support hotline," though some also mention long wait times and reduced phone support responsiveness post-acquisition.

HOIST GROUP - HotSoft lacks verified customer support ratings and user feedback. Its support quality cannot be assessed.

Edge: Even.

Which Has More Integrations: HOIST GROUP - HotSoft or protel PMS (by Planet)?

Protel PMS boasts 196 verified integration partners including key hospitality systems like Innspire, Right Revenue, Omnibees, Profitroom, and Bookboost. This extensive ecosystem supports revenue management, channel distribution, CRM, and BI tools, essential for hotels aiming to leverage best-of-breed third-party applications and maximize operational efficiency.

HOIST GROUP - HotSoft has no verified integrations. This absence signals limited ecosystem connectivity, potentially restricting flexibility and scale.

Edge: protel PMS.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: HOIST GROUP - HotSoft or protel PMS (by Planet)?

HOIST GROUP - HotSoft has zero verified reviews or ratings; therefore, no customer sentiment data exists.

Protel PMS has an overall 4.0/5 rating from 128 reviews including 20 recent reviews with a consistent 4.0/5 rating. Its Likelihood to Recommend is 80%. Ratings by hotel segment show solid performance in luxury hotels (4.1/5 across 37 reviews), branded hotels (4.3/5 across 39 reviews), and boutique hotels (3.9/5 across 51 reviews). Smaller segments such as motels report perfect 5/5 but with only 3 reviews, limiting representativeness.

Edge: Even.

How Much Do HOIST GROUP - HotSoft and protel PMS (by Planet) Cost?

HOIST GROUP - HotSoft does not publish pricing details, nor is there public information on implementation fees, trials, or pricing models.

Protel PMS charges a base price of $500.00, with no per-room or flat monthly pricing published. No trial is offered. The pricing transparency and structure are clearer than HotSoft’s but still require direct inquiry for full details.

What Type of Hotel Should Use HOIST GROUP - HotSoft?

  • Hotels open to piloting less-documented PMS solutions without verified user ratings or market presence.
  • Teams prioritizing a single integrated platform emphasizing operational automation, where vendor engagement clarifies feature fit.
  • Properties willing to accept higher risk due to lack of customer testimonials or case studies.

Not ideal if:

  • Hotels seeking proven, widely adopted systems with active user communities.
  • Properties requiring extensive integrations and multi-property support.
  • Teams needing transparent pricing and verified customer support.

What Type of Hotel Should Use protel PMS (by Planet)?

  • Hotels of various sizes including boutique, branded, luxury, and resort properties represented in review data.
  • Properties requiring multi-currency, multi-lingual support, and both cloud and on-premise deployment flexibility.
  • Teams needing a large integration ecosystem for revenue management, channel management, and guest engagement.
  • Hotels aiming to automate end-to-end guest journey workflows including booking, check-in, payment, and billing.
  • Operations that benefit from detailed reporting, customizable interfaces, and integrated payment processing.

Not ideal if:

  • Hotels with complex multi-property portfolios requiring flawless, multi-site functionality (some reviews note limitations here).
  • Teams expecting immediate and responsive phone-based support (some users report slow customer service).
  • Properties seeking a low-cost or per-room pricing model (protel’s pricing is less transparent and may be costly).

HOIST GROUP - HotSoft vs protel PMS (by Planet): The Bottom Line for Hotels

The core difference between HOIST GROUP - HotSoft and protel PMS by Planet lies in market validation and feature completeness. HotSoft is unverified with no public reviews, integrations, or pricing information, making its real-world capability speculative. Protel PMS is a mature, widely adopted system with comprehensive hotel-specific features, a large integration ecosystem, and a verifiable user base rating it 4.0/5 overall.

Hotels should choose protel PMS when they need a robust, scalable PMS with integrated payments, multi-currency support, and a proven track record in boutique to luxury segments. Protel’s advanced features like rules-based room assignment, digital registration, and native email marketing support operational efficiency and revenue growth.

Conversely, HOIST GROUP - HotSoft may only suit hotels willing to pilot an unproven system or those with very specific vendor relationships. Without evidence of adoption or support, HotSoft carries operational risk that more established systems like protel mitigate.

In sum, protel PMS offers a verified, feature-rich, and integratable platform for a wide range of hotels. HotSoft remains untested in public data and should be approached cautiously.

How Much Do HOIST GROUP - HotSoft and protel PMS (by Planet) Cost?

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.

HOIST GROUP Planet Planet
Starting Price — From $500/mo

Feature Comparison: HOIST GROUP - HotSoft vs protel PMS (by Planet)

These are the features each vendor has configured, organized by feature group — the same data shown in the vendor dashboard. Expand a group to compare features side by side.

Feature HOIST GROUP Planet Planet
▾ Accounting & Finance
0%
80%
Direct billing
RevPaR & ADR Reports
Multi-currency
Transactional Emails (booking, folios, etc)
Automated night audit
▾ Marketing & Ecommerce
0%
88%
Guest Communication (SMS Messaging)
Native Email Marketing
Guest profiles
Guest CRM
Gift Vouchers
Channel Manager
Booking Engine
Transactional Emails (booking, folios, etc)
▾ Administration & Configuration
0%
100%
Centralized user & role management
Multi-lingual
Cloud based
On premise
▾ Customer Management
0%
75%
Guest Communication (SMS Messaging)
Guest profiles
Centralized Messaging
Transactional Emails (booking, folios, etc)
▾ Front Office
0%
59%
Mobile Device Notes & Tasks (Voice-to-Text)
Mobile App
Automated night audit
Calendar view
Multi-lingual
Task Management
Automated reminders
Guest profiles
Tablet/Kiosk Check-in
Payment Requests
Centralized Messaging
Automated Space Optimization
▾ Groups Management
0%
100%
Group functionality
Automated Space Optimization
▾ Guest Experience
0%
45%
Integrated ID & Passport Scanner
Digital Registration
Guest App
Online Check-in
Online Checkout
Guest Messaging
Transactional Emails (booking, folios, etc)
ID Scanning & Registration Pre-fill
Lobby Kiosk
▾ Housekeeping
0%
50%
Housekeeping module
Housekeeping Mobile App
Real-Time Status Updates
Automated Assignments
Real Time Reporting
Shift Planning
Employee Messaging
Online Checkout
▾ Payments
0%
100%
Integrated Payment Terminal & Card Reader
Direct billing
Multi-currency
Payment processing
Payment Requests
▾ Reservations Management
0%
89%
RevPaR & ADR Reports
Gift Vouchers
Channel Manager
Integrated CRS
Drag-n-Drop Tapechart
Rate Management
Automated Space Optimization
Rules Based Room Assignments
Transactional Emails (booking, folios, etc)
▾ Revenue Management
0%
100%
RevPaR & ADR Reports
Custom rates
Ancillary revenue tracking
Revenue management module
Base Pricing
▾ Taxes & Compliance
0%
100%
PCI Compliant
GDPR Compliant
SOC2 Complaint
Tax Configuration
▾ Support & Training
0%
100%
Online 24/7 support
▾ Food & Beverage
0%
0%
EPoS
▾ Spa
0%
0%
Spa & Wellness Module

Real-World Results: HOIST GROUP vs Planet by Business Goal

We analyzed 5 verified case studies to compare what hotels actually achieve with each platform across four key business objectives.

Increase Operational Efficiency
HOIST GROUP

No published case study for this goal yet.

Planet Bergwelt Grindelwald Resort Small
+ Significant Time Savings Bergwelt Grindelwald reclaimed over 25 staff hours each month by automating check
+ �ins, registration forms, and guest communication, freeing the team to focus on service instead of paperwork.
+ Major Revenue Growth The hotel generated

"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."

Tanja Münker
Tanja Münker
General Manager

HOIST GROUP vs Planet: The Bottom Line

Planet
Planet
4.0/5 from 128 reviews

What hoteliers love

Functionality and Features 71% positive

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.

Ease of Use 77% positive

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.

Multi-property Management 71% positive

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

Support Issues 49% negative

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.

Customization and Flexibility 69% negative

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

On premise Cloud based Revenue management module Multi-currency Multi-lingual
4.2/5 ease of use 4.0/5 support 196 integrations
Visit Website

Frequently Asked Questions About HOIST GROUP - HotSoft vs protel PMS (by Planet)

Can HOIST GROUP - HotSoft replace protel PMS (by Planet)?

It depends on your requirements. HOIST GROUP - HotSoft and protel PMS (by Planet) share many core Property Management Systems features, but each has unique capabilities. HOIST GROUP - HotSoft offers 0 verified integration partners, while protel PMS (by Planet) offers 196. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.

Do HOIST GROUP - HotSoft or protel PMS (by Planet) offer a free plan?

HOIST GROUP - HotSoft: 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.

How Does HTR Evaluate and Rank HOIST GROUP - HotSoft and protel PMS (by Planet)?

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. HOIST GROUP has an HT Score of 0 and Planet has 74. Here is how the score is calculated.

Criteria Group Weight What It Measures
Customer Ratings & Reviews

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

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

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

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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