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 108 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:
Maxial shines .
Planet shines in ease of use and customer support — especially for brand properties (5.0/5) , with exclusive features like On premise and Revenue management module.
Side-by-side ratings based on 108 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | Contact sales | From $500/mo |
| Verified Reviews | 0 | 108 |
After analyzing 108 verified reviews, Maxial 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.
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Functionality and Features
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Ease of Use
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Multi-property Management
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Support Issues
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Customization and Flexibility
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System Performance and Reliability
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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 | Maxial |
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|---|---|---|
| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | — | #27 32 reviews |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | — | #15 50 reviews |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | — | #15 10 reviews |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) | — | #17 3 reviews |
By Property Type
| Segment | Maxial |
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| Boutique ▾ | — | #21 42 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | — | #21 34 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | — | #17 33 reviews |
| Extended Stay ▾ | — | #20 9 reviews |
By Region
| Segment | Maxial |
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| North America ▾ | — | #29 6 reviews |
| Europe ▾ | — | #10 79 reviews |
| Middle East | — | #15 2 reviews |
Choosing the right Property Management System (PMS) can significantly impact your hotel's daily operations, guest experience, and revenue. Both Maxial by Maxial and protel PMS by Planet aim to streamline hotel management, but they differ sharply in maturity, features, and user feedback. Maxial's zero-star rating and absence of recent reviews suggest a nascent or unsupported product, while protel PMS boasts over 105 recent reviews averaging 4.11 stars, making it a more reliable choice for hoteliers today. Which aligns better with your hotel’s needs?
Maxial and protel PMS are designed to solve core hotel management challenges such as reservations, front desk operations, billing, and reporting. Maxial’s lack of reviews and a zero rating indicate that it might not yet be a viable solution for active hotel management. In contrast, protel PMS’s extensive recent reviews highlight its proven capabilities, with users praising its reliability, extensive integrations, and comprehensive features. Given the stark difference in review activity, is Maxial ready to meet your hotel’s operational demands?
If your hotel needs a mature, feature-rich PMS with extensive third-party integrations and a proven track record, go with protel PMS. It’s particularly suited for hotels of all sizes, especially those looking for cloud-native solutions with scalable modules like revenue management, guest CRM, and online booking. Maxial, on the other hand, shows no recent activity or reviews, making it unsuitable for hotels seeking dependable technology and ongoing support. Do you want a solution that’s tried, tested, and supported by the industry?
Review ratings clearly favor protel PMS’s usability, with a 4.12/5 ease-of-use score from 105 recent reviews, and users describing it as intuitive and quick to learn. Meanwhile, Maxial’s zero-star rating and lack of reviews suggest there’s no available information about its interface or onboarding process. With protel’s well-established onboarding process rated around 3.79/5, your team can expect a smoother transition. Edge: protel PMS.
Protel PMS offers over 46 unique features, including multi-currency, revenue management, integrated booking engine, guest CRM, and real-time reporting, none of which are available in Maxial. Maxial’s feature set remains unknown, and its review silence suggests it may lack the depth and breadth of protel’s offerings. For a hotel that needs robust, integrated tools, protel’s feature set clearly outshines Maxial. Edge: protel PMS.
Protel’s support is rated at 3.95/5 based on 105 recent reviews, with users citing helpful, responsive assistance and strong ongoing support. Maxial’s support scores are nonexistent, and the absence of reviews makes it impossible to gauge support quality. Given the importance of reliable support in hotel operations, protel’s established reputation provides peace of mind. Edge: protel PMS.
Protel PMS boasts over 195 verified integrations, including popular systems like RMS, CRM, and channel managers, while Maxial offers none. This extensive ecosystem enables hotels to connect various solutions effortlessly, improving operational continuity. Maxial’s lack of integrations suggests limited flexibility and scalability. For a future-proof system, protel’s ecosystem advantage is clear. Edge: protel PMS.
With 105 recent reviews averaging 4.11/5, protel PMS enjoys strong, current user satisfaction across diverse hotel segments such as boutique, city center, and resorts. Maxial, with zero reviews, provides no credible feedback. Hoteliers consistently praise protel for its reliability, ease of use, and comprehensive features, making it a trusted choice. Edge: protel PMS.
Maxial’s pricing details are unavailable, and its apparent lack of market presence suggests it may not be a paid or supported product. In contrast, protel PMS costs $500 monthly, a transparent fee covering extensive features and support. Given protel’s proven value and active support, its pricing reflects its established position in the market.
The core difference lies in maturity and support: protel PMS is an industry-tested, feature-rich platform with recent reviews and active user engagement, whereas Maxial offers no recent data, hinting it may not be operational or adequately supported. If your hotel needs a dependable, scalable PMS, protel is the clear choice. Maxial’s lack of reviews and features recommend it only for experimental or very small-scale scenarios.
Choosing protel PMS means opting for a comprehensive, widely adopted system with proven reliability, extensive integrations, and ongoing support. It’s well-suited for hotels aiming to optimize operations, improve guest experiences, and scale confidently. Conversely, Maxial’s profile suggests it’s not yet a viable solution for hotels seeking operational stability or growth. Your decision should be rooted in the assurance of support and proven technology, which protel offers in abundance.
According to HTR's product database, Maxial and protel PMS (by Planet) share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
| Feature | Maxial |
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| Booking Engine | ||
| Cloud based | ||
| Multi-currency | ||
| Multi-lingual | ||
| On premise | ||
| Revenue management module |
Showing top differences. 34 more features differ between these products.
We analyzed 4 verified case studies to compare what hotels actually achieve with each platform across four key business objectives.
No published case study for this goal yet.
"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."
What hoteliers love
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.
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.
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
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.
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
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Maxial and protel PMS (by Planet) share many core Property Management Systems features, but each has unique capabilities. Maxial offers 0 verified integration partners, while protel PMS (by Planet) offers 194. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. protel PMS (by Planet) leads in ease of use at 4.1/5 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.
Maxial: 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.
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. Maxial has an HT Score of 0 and Planet has 33. 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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