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 42 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:
Akia shines in ease of use and customer support — especially for brand properties (5.0/5) , with exclusive features like Mobile Friendly and Guest History.
PassportScan shines .
Side-by-side ratings based on 42 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | Contact sales | Contact sales |
| Verified Reviews | 42 | 0 |
After analyzing 42 verified reviews, Akia users most value its guest messaging, team communication and task management, contactless check-in, while PassportScan users highlight . Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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Guest messaging
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Team communication and task management
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Contactless check-in
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Customer feedback and reputation management
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Automated responses
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Integration and data synchronization
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Guidebooks and digital tools
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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
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| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #4 17 reviews | — |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #4 18 reviews | — |
| Large (75-199 rooms) | #19 0 reviews | — |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) | #16 0 reviews | — |
By Property Type
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| Boutique ▾ | #4 17 reviews | — |
| Luxury ▾ | #6 7 reviews | — |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #4 10 reviews | — |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #7 6 reviews | — |
By Region
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| North America ▾ | #2 41 reviews | — |
Choosing between Akia Contactless Check-In and PassportScan Cloud hinges on your hotel’s specific needs. Akia specializes in comprehensive guest communication and automation, while PassportScan emphasizes swift, digital pre-arrival registration. Both address contactless check-in, but Akia’s wider feature set and strong review presence make it the more dependable choice for most hoteliers today.
Akia aims to enhance operational efficiency through automated messaging, guest self-service, and team collaboration tools, whereas PassportScan’s core focus is on fast, accurate digital check-in via ID verification and pre-arrival forms. Which aligns better with your hotel’s priorities?
Akia and PassportScan both facilitate contactless check-in, but they serve different operational needs. Akia offers a broad suite of features including messaging, guest history, automation, and PMS integration, making it ideal for hotels seeking an all-in-one communication platform. PassportScan is primarily focused on streamlining pre-arrival check-in through online forms, ID uploads, and fast verification, which suits hotels emphasizing quick guest onboarding.
Akia’s reviews are recent and plentiful, with 38 in the last six months alone, and a high overall rating of 4.95/5. PassportScan has no recent reviews or ratings, which weakens confidence in its current performance. Are you prioritizing proven, well-reviewed solutions?
If your hotel needs a comprehensive guest engagement platform that reduces manual labor and improves online reputation, go with Akia. Its features like automated responses, guest messaging, and team collaboration are proven to improve service and operational efficiency.
If your primary goal is to enable guests to pre-register or check-in remotely with minimal setup, PassportScan’s digital forms and QR code system might seem appealing. However, due to the absence of recent reviews and a broader feature set, Akia clearly offers more value and reliability for most hotels.
Akia’s UI has a high ease-of-use rating of 4.82/5, backed by recent reviews praising its user-friendly interface, smooth onboarding, and quick staff adoption. Reviewers mention that staff find it straightforward to learn and use, with many appreciating its mobile friendliness and automation features.
PassportScan, lacking recent reviews and detailed user feedback, provides limited information on usability. Its streamlined check-in process via QR code suggests simplicity, but without current data, confidence in its ease of use is weaker.
Edge: Akia.
Akia offers 35 unique features, including SMS messaging, chatbot booking, PMS integration, digital registration, document scanning, and guest history. Many features—like automated replies, messaging surveys, and door lock integration—are not available in PassportScan.
PassportScan’s core functionality is online check-in with digital forms, ID upload, and PMS synchronization. It does not currently list additional features like guest messaging, automation, or integrations beyond its basic check-in. For a hotel seeking a feature-rich platform, Akia’s offerings are more comprehensive.
Edge: Akia.
Akia’s customer support score is 4.86/5, and recent reviews praise its knowledgeable, responsive team. Guests commend the ease of reaching support, quick issue resolution, and ongoing communication, which strongly indicates reliable service.
PassportScan has no recent reviews or support ratings, making it difficult to assess its support quality. Given Akia’s high ratings and recent positive feedback, it clearly has the edge in support.
Edge: Akia.
Akia connects with 32 verified partners, including popular PMS systems like RoomRaccoon, WebRezPro, and Stayntouch, and integrations such as Facebook Messenger, Door Lock systems, and more. These integrations streamline operations and data flow.
PassportScan currently has zero verified integrations listed. Without compatible PMS or third-party tools, its utility could be limited for hotels wanting a connected ecosystem. Akia’s extensive integrations make it more adaptable.
Edge: Akia.
Akia’s reviews are recent and glowing, with a 4.95/5 rating from 38 reviews, including a 97% likelihood to recommend. Property types like boutique hotels, inns, and resorts highly rate its ease of use and support.
PassportScan has no recent feedback, making it impossible to gauge user satisfaction. Given the recent, detailed reviews of Akia, it’s the clear favorite among hoteliers.
Edge: Akia.
Pricing information for both solutions is not publicly available, indicating they likely operate on custom quotes or subscription models. Akia does not offer a freemium or trial, suggesting a tailored pricing approach, while PassportScan’s costs are similarly undefined.
Without transparent pricing, your best approach is to request quotes based on your hotel’s size and needs. However, Akia’s extensive feature set indicates it may come at a premium, reflecting its added value.
Akia offers a well-rounded, highly reviewed platform that enhances guest experience through automation, communication, and integrations, making it ideal for hotels seeking operational excellence. Its recent reviews and high ratings confirm its reliability and value.
PassportScan’s core strength lies in quick, digital pre-registration and ID verification, but the lack of recent feedback and limited features make it less suitable for hotels aiming to scale or improve guest engagement. Its streamlined check-in is beneficial but insufficient for most modern hotel operations.
Choose Akia if you want a proven, feature-rich contactless check-in solution that can grow with your hotel’s needs. Opt for PassportScan only if your primary concern is simple, remote pre-registration without extensive automation or support requirements.
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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According to HTR's product database, Akia Contactless Check-In and PassportScan Cloud share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
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| Automated Replies | ||
| Chatbot Booking Agent | ||
| Desktop App (non-web based) | ||
| Mobile Friendly | ||
| Photo Sharing | ||
| Whatsapp Integration |
Showing top differences. 23 more features differ between these products.
We analyzed 1 verified case studies to compare what hotels actually achieve with each platform across four key business objectives.
"Automation emphasizes the guests experience at their fingertips. Akia closes the gap of missed opportunities by acting as a liaison to our guest satisfaction efforts. We have been..."
No published case study for this goal yet.
What hoteliers love
The messaging system is prized for facilitating real-time communication with guests, enhancing service quality. It helps staff manage guest requests a... The messaging system is prized for facilitating real-time communication with guests, enhancing service quality. It helps staff manage guest requests and issues promptly, which positively impacts guest satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Internal team communication and task management features are highlighted as significant benefits. These tools help hotel staff coordinate efficiently,... Internal team communication and task management features are highlighted as significant benefits. These tools help hotel staff coordinate efficiently, track tasks, and manage guest needs more effectively. Users believe improvements could be made in the clarity and usability of these systems.
Reviewers consistently appreciate Akia's contactless check-in feature, stating it makes the check-in process seamless and efficient. This feature redu... Reviewers consistently appreciate Akia's contactless check-in feature, stating it makes the check-in process seamless and efficient. This feature reduces physical interactions, streamlines the guest arrival experience, and ensures compliance with health guidelines, especially valued during the pandemic.
Where hoteliers push back
Many users highlight the benefit of Akia's automated responses which save time and effort. However, several reviews mention that these automated respo... Many users highlight the benefit of Akia's automated responses which save time and effort. However, several reviews mention that these automated responses can sometimes be inaccurate or mistimed, causing confusion for guests and requiring manual intervention from staff.
Users appreciate Akia's integration capabilities with PMS and other systems but desire improvements such as seamless credit card transaction integrati... Users appreciate Akia's integration capabilities with PMS and other systems but desire improvements such as seamless credit card transaction integration and better synchronization features to eliminate duplicated efforts and manual data entry.
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Akia Contactless Check-In and PassportScan Cloud share many core Contactless Check-in features, but each has unique capabilities. Akia Contactless Check-In offers 32 verified integration partners, while PassportScan Cloud offers 0. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Akia Contactless Check-In leads in ease of use at 4.8/5 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.
Akia Contactless Check-In: No. PassportScan Cloud: 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. Akia has an HT Score of 63 and PassportScan 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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