Crave Mobile Platform vs. The Hotel Communication Network (HCN):
Which Is Right for You?

The Decision

Choosing between Crave Mobile Platform by Crave Interactive and The Hotel Communication Network (HCN) hinges on what your hotel prioritizes—whether guest engagement through mobility or comprehensive in-room self-service. Crave has established itself as a leader in mobile guest apps, boasting a robust feature set and recent, high-volume reviews. HCN, on the other hand, primarily focuses on in-room, voice-enabled services, but lacks recent user feedback. Do you want a mobile platform with extensive integrations or in-room automation that’s less proven?

Both products target hotel guest communication, but they approach it from different angles. Crave emphasizes mobile access to services and orderings, while HCN focuses on in-room self-service and voice commands. Their core problems are similar—improving guest experience and operational efficiency—but their methods diverge. Will your hotel benefit more from a mobile app that guests can use anywhere or a dedicated in-room system that simplifies requests at the bedside?

Crave Interactive vs HCN: Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If your hotel needs a versatile, feature-rich guest app with widespread adoption and positive recent reviews, go with Crave Interactive. With over 48 recent reviews and a high rating of 4.75/5, it demonstrates proven success in hospitality environments, especially in luxury and branded hotels. If your hotel requires mission-critical, in-room voice-controlled services that are easy to control under your brand, HCN might seem appealing but lacks recent reviews or a sizable user base to confirm its effectiveness.

For hotels prioritizing guest engagement via a mobile app, Crave’s extensive features—contactless ordering, QR codes, digital menus, Apple Pay, and POS integrations—make it a clear choice. Meanwhile, if your focus is on in-room automation and voice assistance with minimal reliance on mobile devices, HCN could work, but the lack of recent feedback makes it less reliable currently. Do you want a mobile-centric platform or in-room automation?

Is Crave or HCN Easier to Use?

Crave’s user interface is rated 4.61/5, with many reviews praising its simplicity and customization options, making onboarding and staff adoption straightforward. Users highlight its intuitive design and helpful customer support, with a recent review stating, “Crave team couldn't be more helpful from menu changes to tech issues.” HCN offers limited data on ease of use, with no recent reviews available, which raises questions about its current user experience and support effectiveness.

Given the detailed positive feedback on Crave’s onboarding (rated 4.57/5) and support (rated 4.79/5), it’s clear that its team makes the transition easier for your staff. The lack of recent feedback on HCN suggests it may be more difficult or less supported at this time. Edge: Crave.

Which Has Better Features: Crave or HCN?

Crave outperforms HCN significantly on features, with 16 unique functions like web-based, QR codes, contactless ordering, Apple Pay, in-venue ordering, and POS integration, compared to HCN's three distinct features—guest profiles, mobile check-in, and app download. Crave’s extensive feature set allows customization and flexibility for different hotel needs, especially in food and beverage services, upselling, and contactless payments.

HCN’s limited features, mainly focusing on guest self-service via voice and room requests, restrict its potential for broader engagement. The additional capabilities offered by Crave make it more adaptable to various hotel segments, particularly upscale or technologically advanced properties. When considering feature breadth, edge: Crave.

Which Has Better Customer Support: Crave or HCN?

Crave’s reviews overwhelmingly praise its support team, rated 4.79/5, with comments like “Incredible response times” and “Customer service was exceptional.” Hoteliers appreciate the proactive, helpful staff that resolves issues swiftly, contributing to a smoother implementation and ongoing operation. HCN offers no recent reviews or detailed support ratings, which makes assessing its support quality impossible.

In a competitive hospitality environment, support quality can make or break technology adoption. Crave’s solid support ratings and positive feedback make it the safer, more reliable choice. Edge: Crave.

Which Has More Integrations: Crave or HCN?

Crave integrates with 17 verified partners, including Oracle Hospitality, Infor, Amadeus, and POS systems, offering extensive options to connect with existing hotel management systems. HCN’s fewer integrations—only three verified partners, including Stayntouch—limit its compatibility with your current tech stack.

Crave’s broader network of integrations means easier deployment across various hotel operations, from property management to food and beverage. If your hotel relies on multiple systems, Crave’s openness ensures smoother connectivity. Edge: Crave.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: Crave or HCN?

Crave’s overall rating of 4.75/5 is backed by 48 recent reviews, predominantly from luxury and branded hotels. Many users describe it as “easy to use,” “helpful,” and “a key driver of increased revenue,” with a 93% likelihood to recommend. HCN’s rating is not available, and no recent reviews exist, indicating a lack of current user validation.

Recent feedback on Crave shows consistent satisfaction across segments, especially in upscale properties that value its feature set and support. The absence of recent reviews for HCN makes it impossible to assess current hotel sentiment. When considering user ratings, Crave’s clear lead is evident. Edge: Crave.

How Much Do Crave and HCN Cost?

Crave’s pricing starts at a base fee of $400, with no freemium or monthly per-room charges. HCN’s pricing details are unavailable, which complicates direct comparison but suggests it may require custom quotes or higher costs not transparent upfront.

Crave’s transparent, straightforward pricing provides clarity for your budget planning, making it easier to evaluate ROI. The lack of publicly available pricing for HCN means you may face uncertainties or higher costs. When it comes to cost transparency, edge: Crave.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Crave?

• Hotels that want a mobile app to engage guests throughout their stay, including in restaurants, pools, or meeting spaces.
• Resorts and branded hotels seeking to increase sales via contactless menus and upselling.
• Hotels aiming for quick onboarding with proven support and extensive integrations.
• Properties looking for a customizable, user-friendly interface that guests and staff can adopt easily.

Not ideal if:

• Your hotel relies solely on in-room voice automation without a mobile engagement component.
• You prefer a platform with very limited features and no recent user feedback.
• Your budget requires a free or highly customizable solution without a clear pricing structure.

What Type of Hotel Should Use HCN?

• Hotels prioritizing in-room self-service and voice commands for guests, especially those with high occupancy or seeking automation.
• Properties wanting a solution that provides guests with mission-critical, branded, in-room assistance.
• Hotels with in-room entertainment or automation systems aiming for a unified guest experience.

Not ideal if:

• You need a mobile app for guest engagement outside the room.
• Your hotel prefers a widely adopted platform with recent reviews and proven success.
• You require extensive integrations or a transparent pricing model.

The Bottom Line for Hotels

Crave Interactive offers a tested, feature-rich mobile guest app with high user satisfaction and broad integrations, making it suitable for many hotel types, especially luxury and branded properties. Its recent reviews and high ratings confirm its effectiveness in enhancing guest experience and operations.

If your goal is a flexible, widely-supported mobile platform with extensive features, Crave should be your default choice. It excels in usability, support, and integration, leading to better guest engagement and revenue opportunities.

Conversely, HCN primarily targets in-room self-service and voice automation, but its lack of recent reviews and limited features make it a less reliable option currently. It may fit niche properties seeking in-room automation but does not offer the proven track record or extensive capabilities of Crave.

In summary, if you want a dependable, well-rated guest app with a broad feature set, go with Crave Interactive. If your focus is solely on in-room, voice-activated services, and you’re prepared for limited support data, HCN might be worth a closer look—though it’s less proven today.