Hotelinking | WiFi Captive Portal vs. The Hotels Network (Personalization):
Which Is Right for You?

The Decision

Choosing between Hotelinking's WiFi Captive Portal and The Hotels Network’s Personalization platform hinges on your hotel’s core objectives and operational needs. Both tools aim to increase your direct bookings and improve guest engagement, but they approach this goal differently. Hotelinking is primarily a guest data collection solution, while The Hotels Network emphasizes website conversion and personalized guest experiences. Which aligns better with your current priorities?

These products also differ in maturity, reviews, and regional presence. Hotelinking has a smaller review base with only three reviews, but recent reviews are absent, making it risky to rely solely on recent feedback. Conversely, The Hotels Network boasts 347 reviews, with 35 in the last six months, offering stronger, more current user insights. Are you comfortable with less proven solutions, or do recent, extensive reviews sway your decision?

Is Hotelinking or The Hotels Network Better for Hotels?

Hotelinking and The Hotels Network serve different facets of your direct booking strategy. Hotelinking excels at capturing high-quality guest data via Wi-Fi—guaranteeing at least 70% capture rate—and seamlessly integrating with PMS and CRMs to build detailed guest profiles. Its core strength lies in enriching guest data to fuel personalized marketing efforts and loyalty programs.

In contrast, The Hotels Network focuses on website optimization, offering tools aimed at increasing conversion rates, boosting website traffic, and engaging visitors through personalized content, pop-ups, and targeted messaging. It also provides advanced analytics and cross-property management features that help refine your digital marketing strategies.

If your primary need is robust guest data collection for targeted marketing, Hotelinking is the logical choice. But if your focus is on driving immediate direct bookings through website engagement, The Hotels Network is more suited. Which problem do you want to solve first?

Hotelinking vs The Hotels Network: Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If your hotel needs to gather detailed, actionable guest data from Wi-Fi connections to enhance loyalty and direct marketing, go with Hotelinking. Its minimum 70% guest capture rate and integration with PMS and CRM systems make it ideal for hotels prioritizing data-driven guest relationships.

If your goal is to increase website conversions and bookings through on-site personalization, then The Hotels Network is preferable. Its suite of tools—such as pop-ups, exit intent messaging, and rate parity checks—delivers immediate uplift in direct bookings and website traffic.

For small to mid-sized hotels focusing on building guest profiles, Hotelinking offers a cost-effective, straightforward solution. Larger hotels or chains aiming to optimize digital marketing and increase website revenue should opt for The Hotels Network’s richer feature set and proven track record.

Is Hotelinking or The Hotels Network Easier to Use?

Hotelinking scores 4.33 out of 5 for ease of use, with reviews highlighting its straightforward implementation and intuitive setup. Customers appreciate that it’s easy to integrate within their organization and that new features are added regularly, simplifying ongoing management.

The Hotels Network surpasses with a 4.76 out of 5 rating, with users praising its user-friendly interface and excellent onboarding experience. Many reviews mention that the platform’s tools are easy to deploy, and their team offers responsive support, making adoption smoother.

Edge: The Hotels Network.

Which Has Better Features: Hotelinking or The Hotels Network?

Hotelinking offers 5 shared features, including basic guest data collection, while only providing 3 exclusive features such as SMS reminders, instant rewards, and form autofill. These are useful but limited compared to the broader suite.

The Hotels Network provides 5 shared features but shines with 9 exclusive tools, including pop-up and exit intent messages, price comparison, messaging analytics, metasearch surveillance, parity reports, OTA live feed, A/B split testing, tab abandonment alerts, and live chat. This extensive feature set enables more comprehensive website engagement and conversion tactics.

Edge: The Hotels Network.

Which Has Better Customer Support: Hotelinking or The Hotels Network?

Hotelinking’s customer support scores 4.67 out of 5, with reviews emphasizing its responsiveness and ease of getting help. One user praises their support team as “excellent” and highlights the ease of implementation.

The Hotels Network scores slightly higher at 4.91, with reviews consistently mentioning their proactive, helpful support, and seamless onboarding. Many users feel supported throughout their setup and ongoing use.

Edge: The Hotels Network.

Which Has More Integrations: Hotelinking or The Hotels Network?

Hotelinking integrates with 19 verified partners, including PMS and channel managers like Stay, Winhotel, and SIHOT, enabling basic connectivity for guest data collection.

The Hotels Network boasts 67 verified integrations, including major players like RoomRaccoon, Cloudbeds, SiteMinder, and Oracle Hospitality. Its extensive partner network allows for more advanced website personalization and marketing integrations.

Edge: The Hotels Network.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: Hotelinking or The Hotels Network?

Hotelinking, with just 3 recent reviews, has an overall rating of 4.33/5 and an 80% likelihood to recommend. Resorts and city hotels generally appreciate its ease of use and value, but limited recent data makes it less conclusive.

The Hotels Network, with 347 reviews and a recent 35 reviews, scores 0/5 on overall rating in the data, but its NPS score of 9.56/10 indicates strong satisfaction among users. Larger, branded, and resort hotels highly rate its ability to boost direct bookings, as evidenced by recent case studies and positive testimonials.

Edge: The Hotels Network.

How Much Do Hotelinking and The Hotels Network Cost?

Hotelinking’s pricing starts at $400 per month without a freemium option or trial. Its cost is straightforward but may be less flexible for some hotels.

The Hotels Network charges $300 per month, also without a freemium or trial, but offers a broader suite of tools with clear value for hotels seeking comprehensive website engagement features.

Both options are subscription-based, with prices reflecting their feature sets and target markets.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Hotelinking?

Hotels that should consider Hotelinking:

• Resorts and large properties seeking detailed guest profiles for targeted marketing.
• City hotels wanting to boost guest loyalty through Wi-Fi data collection.
• Hotels that prioritize guest data for segmentation and personalized marketing.
• Teams aiming for seamless PMS and CRM integration.
• Hotels with existing Wi-Fi infrastructure wanting to leverage guest access for marketing.

Not ideal if:

• Your hotel primarily needs website conversion tools.
• You require extensive website personalization features.
• Your focus is on immediate website revenue growth.
• You do not have the infrastructure to support Wi-Fi data collection.

What Type of Hotel Should Use The Hotels Network?

Hotels that should consider The Hotels Network:

• Hotels seeking to increase direct bookings via website optimization.
• Brands aiming for a scalable, customizable guest engagement platform.
• Hotels with a digital marketing team ready to leverage analytics for ongoing improvement.
• Large properties or chains with multiple sites that need consistent messaging.
• Hotels wanting to reduce OTA reliance and improve website traffic.

Not ideal if:

• Your main goal is detailed guest data collection from Wi-Fi.
• Your hotel operates in regions with limited digital infrastructure.
• You prefer a simple, less feature-heavy solution.
• You are not ready to invest in website personalization and advanced marketing tools.

The Bottom Line for Hotels

Hotelinking offers a focused, less complex tool centered on capturing guest data through Wi-Fi, making it an excellent choice for resorts and city hotels looking to build their guest profiles. Its lower overall rating and limited recent reviews introduce some risk, but its ease of implementation and integration can deliver value for data-driven marketing.

The Hotels Network excels at converting website visitors into direct bookings, with a broad array of features proven to increase revenue. Its extensive partner network and recent positive reviews point to a mature, reliable platform ideal for larger hotels and brands committed to digital marketing.

If your primary goal is detailed, high-quality guest data collection, Hotelinking is suitable, especially if you already have a strong PMS integration. But if your focus is on website conversion, guest engagement, and increasing online revenue, The Hotels Network is the more secure, feature-rich choice—backed by a larger, more recent set of reviews.