Digital Marketing by Net Affinity / Smarthotel vs. Sojern Traveler Advertising:
Which Is Right for You?

Is Net Affinity / Smarthotel or Sojern Better for Hotels?

Net Affinity / Smarthotel and Sojern both serve digital marketing for hotels but diverge sharply in approach and fit. Net Affinity offers a full marketing service tightly integrated with web design, booking engine technology, and SEO, making it ideal for hotels investing in comprehensive direct booking growth via their own websites. Sojern focuses on demand generation through multichannel advertising — display, social, email, SEM, and metasearch — on a commission model tied to actualized stays, suiting hotels prioritizing pay-for-performance and broad audience reach.

Both solve the fundamental problem of increasing direct bookings, but Net Affinity targets the owned digital presence and long-term marketing strategy, while Sojern aims to capture demand through targeted advertising and real-time campaign optimization. Hotels seeking to boost direct revenue can benefit from either, depending on their marketing maturity and resource allocation.

Net Affinity / Smarthotel vs Sojern: Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If you run a small to midsize independent hotel or boutique property primarily focused on improving your website's booking engine performance and SEO, choose Net Affinity / Smarthotel. Its 13 unique features including SEO, web design, conversion rate optimization, and social media management, paired with a highly rated booking engine, support hotels that want control over their digital presence. This is supported by 172 reviews with an overall 4.8 rating and strong segment performance in boutique (4.7/5 across 69 reviews) and luxury hotels (4.8/5, 83 reviews).

If your hotel prioritizes pay-for-performance marketing with multichannel reach and access to metasearch platforms, Sojern is the better fit. Its commission model, metasearch connectivity, and marketing dashboard simplify advertising spend and campaign management. Sojern performs well across branded hotels (4.8/5, 67 reviews) and resorts (4.7/5, 87 reviews), supported by 179 reviews and 12 recent in the last six months (4.4/5). However, data reliability issues and the smaller feature set suggest Sojern is stronger as a demand generation tool rather than a full marketing solution.

Data is thinner in limited-service segments for both, so exercise caution in those categories. Sojern’s broader global presence (45 countries) versus Net Affinity’s 10-country focus may also affect suitability for international portfolios.

Is Net Affinity / Smarthotel or Sojern Easier to Use?

Net Affinity / Smarthotel scores 4.6/5 for ease of use and 4.7/5 for onboarding from 172 reviews, with users praising its intuitive booking engine and user-friendly portals for updating website info and rates. Some mention complexity in the CMS and occasional confusing manual processes, but overall onboarding is thorough.

Sojern rates slightly higher at 4.8/5 ease of use and 4.7/5 onboarding from 179 reviews, highlighting a simple extranet and intuitive reservation reconciliation. Reviewers commend the fast communication and responsiveness that smooths adoption.

The difference is marginal and both products support operational workflows well enough for front desk and marketing teams to manage campaigns and direct bookings efficiently.

Edge: Even.

Which Has Better Features: Net Affinity / Smarthotel or Sojern?

Net Affinity / Smarthotel offers 13 unique hotel-specific digital marketing features beyond Sojern’s 4. These include SEO, web design and development, tag management, conversion rate optimization, SEO content strategy, content audits, social media analytics, custom CMS, yield management consulting, and graphic design. These support hotels seeking to build and optimize their owned digital channels and improve direct booking conversion rates. For example, yield management consulting guides pricing decisions to maximize revenue, a critical operational lever for GMs.

Sojern’s unique features focus on multichannel advertising: metasearch connectivity, marketing dashboard, email marketing, and e-commerce consulting. These enable demand generation and real-time campaign management, important for marketing teams looking to quickly adjust spend and target travelers across multiple channels without investing in full website overhaul.

Shared features include basic digital marketing and consulting elements, but Net Affinity’s broader toolkit impacts operational workflows more deeply by aligning website design, SEO, and booking engine improvements with marketing campaigns.

Edge: Net Affinity / Smarthotel.

Which Has Better Customer Support: Net Affinity / Smarthotel or Sojern?

Both products have identical customer support ratings of 4.8/5 and onboarding ratings of 4.7/5 from over 170 reviews each. Net Affinity users describe a proactive, approachable, and efficient team that continuously improves based on client feedback. The responsiveness during COVID-19 lockdowns was particularly praised. Some reviews note occasional delays in response during busy periods, but overall support is reliable.

Sojern reviewers highlight efficient, personal, and professional communication, with support that resolves issues promptly. Positive mentions include agility in adapting campaigns and high-quality data insights. However, one negative review cites poor value and deceptive billing practices, though this is balanced by many satisfied customers.

Both maintain high support standards in practice.

Edge: Even.

Which Has More Integrations: Net Affinity / Smarthotel or Sojern?

Net Affinity / Smarthotel integrates with 59 verified partners, nearly double Sojern’s 35. Shared integrations include key PMS and channel management systems such as Oracle Hospitality, Mews, Maestro PMS, and D-Edge, which both products support for seamless data flow.

Net Affinity’s exclusive partners—like Criton, Priority Software, GuestCentric, and TrustYou—offer hotels additional distribution and guest feedback tools, which can enhance marketing and operational insights. Sojern’s unique integrations, including Profitroom, Mirai, ROIBACK, and Bookassist, focus on metasearch and booking platforms aligned with its demand generation model.

Hotels using a broad tech stack that includes guest experience platforms or custom CMS benefit more from Net Affinity’s extensive ecosystem. Properties focused on metasearch-driven demand capture may prioritize Sojern’s select integrations.

Edge: Net Affinity / Smarthotel.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: Net Affinity / Smarthotel or Sojern?

Both products hold an overall rating of 4.8/5 from over 170 reviews each, indicating parity in satisfaction. However, Sojern’s recent reviews (12 in the last six months with a 4.4/5 rating) provide more current insight than Net Affinity’s 3 recent reviews, which are too few to measure recent performance reliably.

Segment ratings show Net Affinity excels with boutique hotels (4.7/5) and luxury hotels (4.8/5) with high review volumes (69 and 83 respectively). Sojern performs strongly in branded hotels (4.8/5, 67 reviews) and resorts (4.7/5, 87 reviews), also boasting a solid track record in city center hotels (4.8/5, 54 reviews).

Limited service and budget properties rate Net Affinity slightly higher (4.8/5 across 41 reviews) compared to Sojern (4.8/5 with 59 reviews), but numbers are close and not significantly different.

Edge: Even.

How Much Do Net Affinity / Smarthotel and Sojern Cost?

Net Affinity / Smarthotel starts at $900 per month with no freemium or trial available, and no implementation fee. Pricing is not per room but a flat rate that covers their full digital marketing service and booking engine support.

Sojern’s base price is $1,100 per month, also without freemium, but offers a 30-day trial. There is no implementation fee and pricing is not per room. Sojern’s commission-based model means hotels pay a portion of actualized stays, making it more of a performance investment than a flat marketing fee.

Hotels budgeting for a fixed monthly cost with comprehensive website and marketing services may find Net Affinity more predictable, while those seeking risk-sharing via commission may prefer Sojern despite the higher base price.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Net Affinity / Smarthotel?

• Hotels that want integrated website design, SEO, and booking engine optimization under one provider.
• Properties seeking to improve direct booking conversion through content strategy and conversion rate optimization.
• Boutique and luxury hotels with 4.7 to 4.8 average user ratings in these segments.
• Teams looking for extensive integrations with guest experience, PMS, and channel management platforms.
• Hotels valuing a flat monthly fee with no commissions on bookings.

Not ideal if:

• Your hotel requires metasearch-focused advertising with real-time campaign bidding.
• You seek a pay-for-performance marketing model tied directly to stay completion.
• Your property is outside Net Affinity’s core regions (10 countries).
• You want an extensive email marketing or metasearch dashboard feature.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Sojern?

• Hotels prioritizing pay-for-performance advertising with commission based on actual stays.
• Resorts and branded hotels with strong recent user ratings (4.7 to 4.8 across 87 and 67 reviews).
• Teams needing a single platform to manage display, social, email, SEM, and metasearch campaigns.
• Properties operating in diverse regions including Asia Pacific and Africa, supported by Sojern’s 45-country presence.
• Hotels looking for easy-to-use interfaces and rapid campaign adjustments.

Not ideal if:

• You require deep SEO, web development, or booking engine customization.
• Your hotel needs extensive integrations beyond metasearch and booking platforms.
• Data reliability and forecasting AI are critical, given current user concerns.
• You prefer fixed monthly pricing without commission-based fees.

Net Affinity / Smarthotel vs Sojern: The Bottom Line for Hotels

Net Affinity / Smarthotel and Sojern address different aspects of hotel digital marketing. Net Affinity focuses on owned digital presence, combining website design, booking engine technology, and SEO to drive direct bookings through improved site performance. Sojern offers a demand generation platform that manages multichannel advertising with a commission model, targeting traveler acquisition across wider channels.

Choose Net Affinity if your hotel seeks a comprehensive digital marketing partner with a strong booking engine, extensive integrations, and a fixed fee model. This is supported by 13 unique features including SEO and conversion optimization, and a large satisfied user base in boutique and luxury segments.

Choose Sojern if your hotel wants flexible, pay-for-performance advertising with metasearch connectivity and real-time campaign management. Its strength lies in broad regional coverage and a commission-based pricing model that aligns spend with actual bookings, making it suitable for branded hotels and resorts focused on demand capture rather than owned channel growth.