PressReader vs. STAY Guest App:
Which Is Right for You?

The Decision

Choosing the right hotel guest app can significantly influence guest satisfaction, operational efficiency, and your hotel's digital maturity. You’re evaluating PressReader and STAY, both designed to enhance guest engagement but with different core capabilities. While PressReader’s focus is on providing access to newspapers and magazines, STAY offers a broad suite of hotel service digitization and guest experience tools. Which one aligns best with your hotel’s strategic goals?

Is PressReader or STAY Better for Hotels?

PressReader is primarily a content platform, offering unlimited access to newspapers and magazines worldwide, ideal for hotels that want to provide a curated reading experience. Conversely, STAY is a full-featured guest experience management system, digitizing services like room service, reservations, and local recommendations, aiming to streamline hotel operations and elevate guest satisfaction.

PressReader has a negligible review presence with zero ratings and no recent data, indicating limited hotel-specific feedback. STAY, however, boasts 206 reviews with a 3/5 overall rating, a 4.78 ease of use score, and a 9.59 NPS score, showing strong, recent hotel industry validation. Given the recent reviews and high rating, STAY clearly has the more active and engaged customer base.

Are you seeking a comprehensive guest service solution or a content provider? How important is recent, verified hotel feedback to your decision?

STAY vs PressReader: Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If your hotel needs to digitize multiple guest-facing services—such as room reservations, messaging, room service, and local recommendations—STAY is the clear choice. Its 20+ features, including chatbots, automated replies, and guest profiles, support a holistic guest experience.

If, however, your goal is to offer guests access to newspapers and magazines as a value-add, PressReader could be suitable. But with no recent reviews and a lack of feature depth, it’s less likely to meet the broader needs of most hotels today. For hotels aiming to modernize guest interactions, STAY delivers a proven, feature-rich platform.

Hoteliers from luxury resorts to chain hotels find STAY’s extensive feature set and positive user feedback compelling. If your property prioritizes operational efficiency and guest engagement, STAY should be your pick.

Is PressReader or STAY Easier to Use?

PressReader, with zero ratings, offers no recent data on ease of use or onboarding, making it difficult to assess its user-friendliness. Its primary offering is a content platform, which naturally tends to be straightforward but isn’t tailored to hotel operational needs.

STAY shines with a 4.78/5 ease of use rating, and reviews highlight its intuitive interface, straightforward CMS, and quick onboarding process. Hotels report that staff adoption is smooth, and guests find the app easy to navigate, even during the initial rollout.

Edge: STAY.

Which Has Better Features: PressReader or STAY?

PressReader provides only 4 shared features, mainly access to digital content. It lacks functionalities like messaging, reservations, or service requests essential to modern hotels.

STAY offers a suite of 10 unique features, including guest messaging, chatbots, mobile checkout, and request management, alongside content delivery. This breadth allows hotels to digitize multiple guest touchpoints, improve operational workflows, and gather valuable data.

Edge: STAY.

Which Has Better Customer Support: PressReader or STAY?

PressReader’s support and onboarding ratings are nonexistent, making it impossible to evaluate their service quality. Their client testimonials are limited to cost savings and content satisfaction.

STAY, with a 4.83/5 customer support rating, is praised for its responsiveness and helpful onboarding. Many users mention quick support responses and proactive assistance, which can be crucial during implementation and troubleshooting.

Edge: STAY.

Which Has More Integrations: PressReader or STAY?

PressReader integrates with four verified partners, including Bowo and D-Edge, but has fewer overall integrations. Its focus remains on content distribution rather than internal hotel systems.

STAY boasts 20 verified integrations, including Hotelkit, Mews, SiteMinder, and Oracle Hospitality, facilitating smooth data flow across PMS, CRM, and other hotel systems. This extensive integration capacity helps hotels automate workflows and improve guest personalization.

Edge: STAY.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: PressReader or STAY?

PressReader, with no recent reviews, provides no data on user satisfaction. Its primary value is as a content platform, not a full guest experience system.

STAY’s 206 reviews reflect a hotel industry-friendly score of 3/5, with recent feedback emphasizing operational improvements, guest satisfaction, and platform reliability. Hotels in diverse segments—from luxury resorts to chains—rate it highly for enhancing their service delivery.

Edge: STAY.

How Much Do PressReader and STAY Cost?

PressReader does not publicly disclose pricing, and no trial or freemium options are available, suggesting a bespoke or enterprise pricing model.

STAY charges $300 per month, with no additional implementation or setup fees, offering a clear subscription model. Its affordability and transparency make budgeting straightforward for hotels considering long-term investment.

What Type of Hotel Should Use PressReader?

• Hotels that want to offer guests unlimited access to newspapers and magazines as a complimentary amenity.
• Establishments aiming to improve guest engagement through curated content.
• Properties that prioritize providing diverse reading options for relaxation or business needs.
• Hotels with a focus on guest entertainment and information rather than operational digitization.

Not ideal if:

• You seek a comprehensive guest service platform.
• Your hotel aims to digitize multiple service touchpoints.
• You need real-time communication, reservations, or in-app service management.

What Type of Hotel Should Use STAY?

• Hotels aiming to digitize room service, reservations, checkouts, and guest messaging.
• Chains or independents seeking to streamline operations and improve guest satisfaction.
• Properties wanting detailed analytics and integration with existing hotel systems.
• Hotels committed to reducing paper usage and manual process inefficiencies.

Not ideal if:

• Your focus remains solely on offering newspapers or magazines.
• Your hotel does not plan to expand digital guest services.
• You require a content-only platform without operational features.

STAY vs PressReader: The Bottom Line for Hotels

The core difference lies in scope: PressReader specializes in digital content delivery, while STAY offers a comprehensive guest experience platform. If you want to enhance guest engagement through newspapers and magazines, PressReader can serve that purpose, but it lacks operational features.

If your hotel aims to streamline multiple guest services, reduce costs, and gather actionable data, STAY’s broad feature set and recent positive reviews make it the more suitable choice. Its proven track record with over 1,000 hotels worldwide underscores its reliability.

Choose PressReader if your goal is to enhance relaxation and reading experiences with minimal integration needs. Opt for STAY if you want a dynamic, operationally focused app that genuinely transforms how your hotel interacts with guests and manages services.