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 13 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:
LobbyLights shines .
onboard shines in ease of use and customer support .
Side-by-side ratings based on 13 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
| HTScore |
|
|
| Likelihood to Recommend |
|
|
| Ease of Use |
|
|
| Customer Support |
|
|
| Value for Money |
|
|
| Starting Price | Contact sales | From $100/mo |
| Verified Reviews | 0 | 13 |
Choosing the right HRIS tool for your hotel hinges on your specific operational needs and priorities. LobbyLights primarily offers industry-specific wage and benefits data, while onboard provides a comprehensive, modular HR platform focusing on recruiting and employee management. Both aim to improve HR efficiency, but they address different core concerns: compensation benchmarking versus detailed personnel management.
LobbyLights’s core strength is its niche focus on hotel wage and benefits data, giving you insight into industry standards. onboard, on the other hand, excels in automating HR workflows and streamlining employee processes. Which problem do you want your HR system to solve—benchmarking or management? The answer guides your choice.
LobbyLights targets hotels seeking to optimize payroll costs and reduce turnover by providing real-time wage and benefits benchmarking data. Its primary function is industry-specific data collection, not day-to-day HR management. Conversely, onboard offers a full suite of HR tools for recruiting, onboarding, employee files, and time tracking, making it suitable for hotels aiming to digitize HR workflows.
LobbyLights’s reviews are scarce, with no recent data or user ratings, limiting confidence in its current effectiveness. onboard has 8 recent reviews from hotels across multiple regions, with an overall high score for user support and onboarding, indicating it’s more trusted by hotel teams. The choice depends on whether operational HR management or industry comparison is your priority.
If your hotel needs a robust HR management platform that streamlines recruiting, onboarding, and employee data handling, onboard is the better fit. Its modular design and high user satisfaction, especially in onboarding and support, make it ideal if you want to digitize HR workflows.
For hotels focused on benchmarking wages and benefits or seeking industry-specific compensation data, LobbyLights might seem appealing. However, the lack of recent reviews and user ratings makes onboard the more reliable choice for comprehensive HR needs. For most hotels, onboard’s recent positive feedback and features give it a decisive edge.
LobbyLights’s usability data is unavailable, but its core function as a data provider suggests a less interactive user experience. onboard has a perfect ease of use rating (5/5) based on recent reviews, with users praising its intuitive interface and straightforward onboarding process.
Hotel teams find onboard’s platform simple to adopt, with quick setup and minimal learning curve. Its high-rated onboarding process (4.88/5) and positive support reviews reinforce its user-friendliness. Edge: onboard.
LobbyLights’s features are limited strictly to wage and benefits data collection and benchmarking, with no additional functionalities. onboard offers a broad modular suite, including recruiting, onboarding, employee files, digital signatures, and time tracking, with two verified integrations (hotelkit, ASA Hotelsoftware).
While LobbyLights’s focus is narrow, onboard’s extensive feature set and multiple modules provide a comprehensive HR platform. If you want a single platform for managing HR tasks end-to-end, onboard’s feature count and integration options give it a clear advantage. Edge: onboard.
LobbyLights provides no recent support ratings or reviews, leaving uncertainty about its support quality. onboard has a 5/5 support rating based on recent reviews, with users describing the support team as fast, helpful, and always on point.
Recent onboard reviews highlight its excellent onboarding experience (4.88/5) and ongoing support, which many users say makes a significant difference in their daily HR operations. When support quality matters, onboard’s proven record makes it the better choice. Edge: onboard.
LobbyLights has no verified integrations listed, limiting its ability to connect with other hotel or HR systems. onboard boasts two verified partners—hotelkit and ASA Hotelsoftware—plus numerous other potential integrations, making it more adaptable.
For hotels with existing tech stacks or plans to integrate HR data into other systems, onboard’s broader integration network offers more flexibility. Its ability to connect smoothly with other hotel management tools makes it the stronger choice. Edge: onboard.
LobbyLights has no recent reviews or user ratings, making it impossible to gauge hotel satisfaction. onboard has 8 recent reviews, with an overall high rating for ease of use, onboarding, and support, and a 10/5 NPS score indicating high likelihood to recommend.
Hotel teams rate onboard as making HR tasks more efficient and praise its support and user-friendly design. Given the recent, positive feedback, onboard’s rating clearly outshines LobbyLights. Edge: onboard.
LobbyLights does not publicly list its pricing, suggesting it may be custom or unavailable for general purchase. onboard charges a base price of $100 monthly, with a 30-day trial, offering transparency and flexibility.
For hotels needing predictable, straightforward costs, onboard’s clear pricing model provides an advantage. The absence of LobbyLights’s pricing info adds uncertainty, favoring onboard for budget-conscious decision-makers. Edge: onboard.
Not ideal if your hotel needs a full HR management system or detailed employee workflows. LobbyLights is best suited for hotels with a primary focus on wage benchmarking and less on day-to-day HR operations.
Not ideal if your hotel only needs wage benchmarking without managing employee data or workflows. onboard is tailored for hotels aiming to streamline and digitize HR processes.
The core difference between LobbyLights and onboard lies in their focus. LobbyLights offers industry-specific wage and benefits data to help hotels stay competitive with compensation strategies. onboard provides a comprehensive HR management system designed to streamline processes, support recruitment, and manage employee data.
Choose LobbyLights if your hotel’s main concern is benchmarking wages and benefits—especially for budget planning and turnover reduction. Its limited recent user feedback and lack of features make it less suitable for broader HR management.
Opt for onboard if you want a well-supported, easy-to-use HR platform that covers recruiting, onboarding, employee files, and time tracking. Its recent reviews from hotels across regions demonstrate reliability and high satisfaction, making it the safer, more versatile choice for most hotels.
In summary, for hotels looking for a true HR automation tool, onboard stands out. For those primarily focused on compensation benchmarking, LobbyLights may be a starting point but lacks recent validation.
HRIS 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.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | — | From $100/mo |
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. LobbyLights and onboard HR Software share many core HRIS features, but each has unique capabilities. LobbyLights offers 0 verified integration partners, while onboard HR Software offers 2. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. onboard HR Software leads in ease of use at 4.9/5 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.
LobbyLights: No. onboard HR Software: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most HRIS 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. LobbyLights has an HT Score of 0 and onboard has 0. 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 →
Custom recommendations tailored to your property