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 1,640 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:
Canary Technologies shines in ease of use and staff efficiency — especially for resort properties (4.8/5), with exclusive features like Payment & Authorizations and Hotel Website Check-in Portal.
Side-by-side ratings based on 1,640 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | From $300/mo | Contact sales |
| Verified Reviews | 1,640 | 0 |
After analyzing 1,640 verified reviews, Canary Technologies users most value its ease of use and staff efficiency, contactless/mobile check-in and pre-arrival registration, guest messaging and real-time communication, while ICG Software users highlight . Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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ICG Software |
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Ease of use and staff efficiency
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Contactless/mobile check-in and pre-arrival registration
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Guest messaging and real-time communication
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Credit card authorization and payment verification
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PMS/third-party system sync and integration
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Notifications, alerts, and message timing
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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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ICG Software |
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| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #2 105 reviews | — |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #1 1044 reviews | — |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | #1 285 reviews | — |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) ▾ | #1 100 reviews | — |
By Property Type
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ICG Software |
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| Boutique ▾ | #1 756 reviews | — |
| Luxury ▾ | #1 579 reviews | — |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #1 718 reviews | — |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #1 128 reviews | — |
By Region
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ICG Software |
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| North America ▾ | #1 1363 reviews | — |
| Europe ▾ | #3 66 reviews | — |
| Asia Pacific ▾ | #1 28 reviews | — |
| Middle East ▾ | #2 11 reviews | — |
Canary Contactless Check-In by Canary Technologies clearly outperforms ICG Check-in Online by ICG Software in every measurable category. With 1,631 verified reviews averaging 4.8/5 overall and 146 recent reviews maintaining that score, Canary demonstrates consistent high satisfaction and operational success. ICG Check-in Online lacks any verified reviews or customer feedback, limiting evidence of its market fit or product maturity.
Both products aim to digitize and simplify the guest check-in process without physical contact, reducing front desk congestion and speeding arrivals. However, Canary’s extensive feature set, PMS integrations, and global adoption across 55 countries establish it as a proven platform, while ICG’s lack of verifiable data and integrations suggests it remains unproven or niche. Hotels seeking a reliable, revenue-generating contactless check-in solution will find Canary the superior choice.
If you operate a hotel anywhere from luxury to limited service with any guest volume, choose Canary Contactless Check-In. It has validated success in diverse segments, including luxury hotels (4.7/5 across 588 reviews), branded hotels (4.8/5 over 758 reviews), resorts, boutique, and city center hotels, all with hundreds of reviews confirming fit and performance. Data from 55 countries supports Canary’s global scalability and PMS compatibility.
If you manage a very small or emerging property and are considering ICG Check-in Online, note there are no verified reviews, integrations, or documented use cases to validate its capabilities. This lack of data means ICG’s suitability is untested in real-world hotel operations, increasing risk. Properties needing proven security, advanced upselling, or extensive hotel system integration will regret choosing ICG over Canary. The evidence decisively favors Canary unless your hotel has very unique constraints not captured here.
Canary Contactless Check-In scores 4.8/5 for ease of use with 1631 reviews reflecting straightforward setup and daily operation. Users highlight a 20-minute setup time and easy guest link creation, enabling front desk staff to quickly adopt the system and reduce manual check-in workload. Reviews cite intuitive navigation, though occasional slow screens and notification timing issues appear.
ICG Check-in Online has no verified user reviews or ease-of-use data. This absence means there is no verifiable evidence of user adoption or onboarding quality. Without direct feedback, it cannot be confirmed if ICG’s interface matches Canary’s usability or staff acceptance.
Edge: Even.
Canary Contactless Check-In offers 26 hotel-specific features absent in ICG Check-in Online, including PMS integration, network security, PCI compliance audits, door lock integration, ID verification, document scanning, pre-registration data collection, payment authorizations, deposit collection, digital signature of registration cards, multi-lingual support with automatic translations, custom questions, website check-in portals, and lobby kiosks. These features streamline front desk workflows, enhance guest verification, and boost revenue through upsells and upgrades.
ICG Check-in Online has no unique features listed or verified by reviews. Without evidence, it lacks the advanced capabilities Canary provides, notably in fraud prevention, digital payments, and upselling. Hotels requiring compliance and security standards or robust guest engagement tools will find ICG’s feature set insufficient.
Edge: Canary Contactless Check-In.
Canary Contactless Check-In earns a 4.7/5 customer support rating across 1,631 reviews, with onboarding rated 4.7/5. Reviewers praise prompt responses and helpfulness, especially in resolving synchronization issues or training staff. Support contributes to smooth implementation and operational continuity.
ICG Check-in Online has zero verified reviews, making customer support quality unknown and unverified. This absence presents a risk for hotels that depend on rapid issue resolution and vendor partnership.
Edge: Even.
Canary Contactless Check-In offers 62 verified partner integrations, including leading PMS providers like Priority Software, Visual Matrix, RoomRaccoon, WebRezPro, and innRoad, as well as keyless access systems such as FLEXIPASS. These integrations enable seamless data flow, reduce manual entry, and support complex hotel operations across multiple platforms.
ICG Check-in Online has no verified integrations, limiting its ability to function within existing hotel tech stacks. Hotels requiring interoperability with PMS or mobile key systems will find ICG unsuitable.
Edge: Canary Contactless Check-In.
Canary Contactless Check-In holds a 4.8/5 overall rating across 1,631 reviews, with recent reviews maintaining the same score (146 in the last 6 months). Hotels of all sizes and segments, including luxury (4.7/5), resorts (4.8/5), branded (4.8/5), and boutique hotels (4.8/5), consistently rate it highly. The 95% likelihood to recommend confirms strong user satisfaction.
ICG Check-in Online has no verified reviews, making rating comparisons impossible. Without feedback, hoteliers cannot assess risk or predict operational success.
Edge: Even.
Canary Contactless Check-In lists a base price of $300, with no freemium, no per-room monthly fees, and no implementation fee. Pricing transparency aids budgeting, especially for small to medium properties.
ICG Check-in Online does not publish pricing details, increasing uncertainty for buyers. Hotels must rely on vendor quotes without clear benchmarks.
Not ideal if:
Not ideal if:
The core difference between Canary Contactless Check-In and ICG Check-in Online lies in proven reliability and feature depth. Canary offers a mature, secure, and fully integrated contactless check-in platform with extensive hotel-specific features and validated guest and staff benefits. ICG lacks any verified reviews, integrations, or feature transparency, severely limiting its credibility in the market.
Choose Canary Contactless Check-In if your hotel prioritizes robust security, PCI compliance, and advanced upselling capabilities that significantly boost revenue. Its 62 PMS integrations and global adoption across 55 countries ensure it fits nearly any hotel operation ranging from luxury to limited service.
Choose ICG Check-in Online only if you are exploring a contactless check-in option with minimal budget or integration requirements and are willing to accept uncertainty due to lack of proven customer success or support. The absence of verified data means hotels may face risks in implementation, guest satisfaction, and operational continuity.
Contactless Check-in 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.
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ICG Software | |
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| Starting Price | From $300/mo | — |
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.
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ICG Software |
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Pre-Arrival & Check-in
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| Hotel Website Check-in Portal | ||
| Lobby Kiosk | ||
| Self Service Checkout | ||
| Self Service Checkin | ||
| Device Agnostic | ||
| Easy Room Selection | ||
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Information Collection
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| Custom Questions | ||
| Terms & Conditions Signing | ||
| Marketing Communications Opt-in | ||
| Pre-regisration info collection | ||
| Document & Passport Scanning | ||
| ID Verification | ||
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Translations
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| Automatic Translations | ||
| Multi-lingual | ||
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Payments & Authorization
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| Registration Card E-signature | ||
| Collect Deposits | ||
| Payment & Authorizations | ||
| ID Verification | ||
| PCI Compliant | ||
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Mobile Key
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| Door Lock Integration | ||
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Upgrades & Upselling
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Other
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We analyzed 8 verified case studies to compare what hotels actually achieve with each platform across four key business objectives.
"In short, we’ve been able to improve the guest experience, eliminate fraud, and drive incremental revenue from upsells."
No published case study for this goal yet.
"Anytime a software works well and makes my life easier, I like it and Canary has done exactly that. I absolutely recommend the platform to all other hotel operators."
No published case study for this goal yet.
What hoteliers love
Users repeatedly describe Canary as easy to learn, simple to navigate, and helpful for reducing front-desk workload. The common business outcome is th... Users repeatedly describe Canary as easy to learn, simple to navigate, and helpful for reducing front-desk workload. The common business outcome is that staff spend less time on paperwork and routine transactions, and more time on guest service, although a few reviews mention slow screens, clunky login, or cumbersome workflows.
This is the core value driver in the reviews: Canary helps guests complete registration before arrival, skip lines, and arrive ready for key pickup or... This is the core value driver in the reviews: Canary helps guests complete registration before arrival, skip lines, and arrive ready for key pickup or a faster handoff. Hotels say this reduces lobby congestion, shortens wait times, and lets staff focus more on service than paperwork, though some note the process can still feel too long or confusing for certain guests.
Users repeatedly say Canary makes it easier to text guests before arrival, during the stay, and after checkout, which reduces phone calls and helps st... Users repeatedly say Canary makes it easier to text guests before arrival, during the stay, and after checkout, which reduces phone calls and helps staff answer requests faster. Many reviews note that this improves service recovery, keeps guests informed, and helps hotels broadcast important updates or operational notices.
Where hoteliers push back
A major theme is how well Canary integrates with hotel systems like Opera, SynXis, Jonas Chorum, and AutoClerk. While many users say the platform redu... A major theme is how well Canary integrates with hotel systems like Opera, SynXis, Jonas Chorum, and AutoClerk. While many users say the platform reduces manual work by syncing data and streamlining operations, recurring complaints center on delayed updates, incomplete transfers, one-way integrations, and the need for more seamless real-time syncing.
A recurring operational complaint is that staff do not always get alerted quickly enough when new messages or check-ins arrive. Users want clearer not... A recurring operational complaint is that staff do not always get alerted quickly enough when new messages or check-ins arrive. Users want clearer notifications, sounds, better inbox visibility, and more control over automated message timing so guests are not over-messaged or contacted too early.
Unique capabilities
It depends on your requirements. Canary Contactless Check-In and ICG Check-in Online share many core Contactless Check-in features, but each has unique capabilities. Canary Contactless Check-In offers 62 verified integration partners, while ICG Check-in Online offers 0. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Canary Contactless Check-In: No. ICG Check-in Online: 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. Canary Technologies has an HT Score of 100 and ICG Software 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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