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 215 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:
Shiji Group shines , with exclusive features like Payments and Mobile Checkin.
STAY shines in ease of use and customer support — especially for brand properties (0.0/5) , with exclusive features like Mobile App.
Side-by-side ratings based on 215 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Value for Money |
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| Starting Price | Contact sales | From $300/mo |
| Verified Reviews | 0 | 215 |
After analyzing 215 verified reviews, Shiji Group users most value its , while STAY users highlight guest experience optimization, mobile and user experience, operational efficiency. Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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Guest Experience Optimization
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Mobile and User Experience
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Operational Efficiency
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Support and Service
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CMS and Customization
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Integration Capabilities
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Analytics and Reporting
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How each product ranks among Hotel Guest Apps 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) ▾ | — | #9 10 reviews |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #36 0 reviews | #4 83 reviews |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | #28 0 reviews | #2 89 reviews |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) ▾ | — | #2 24 reviews |
By Property Type
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| Boutique ▾ | #36 0 reviews | #2 77 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | #33 0 reviews | #2 88 reviews |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #32 0 reviews | #3 91 reviews |
| Extended Stay ▾ | — | #6 7 reviews |
By Region
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| North America ▾ | #20 0 reviews | #5 27 reviews |
| Europe ▾ | #35 0 reviews | #3 112 reviews |
| Asia Pacific | — | #6 3 reviews |
| Middle East | — | #7 2 reviews |
Choosing the right guest app is crucial for elevating your hotel’s guest experience, streamlining operations, and boosting revenue. Both Shiji Stellaris Digital and STAY Guest App aim to digitize key touchpoints, but they serve different hotel profiles and offer varied features. Your choice depends on your hotel’s size, technological needs, and expectations for support and integrations.
Both products address guest engagement and operational efficiency, but their approaches differ: one is a comprehensive platform with broader integrations and scalability, while the other emphasizes ease of use and rapid deployment. Which aligns better with your hotel’s goals?
Shiji Stellaris Digital positions itself as a full-service, all-in-one digital suite designed to serve large, complex hotel operations with extensive integrations and customizations. It’s built to connect seamlessly with existing PMS and POS systems, offering features like mobile check-in and secure payments. However, its steep learning curve and lack of recent reviews make it less transparent about user experience.
STAY Guest App, on the other hand, offers a straightforward, user-friendly platform with high ratings for ease of use and support. Its focus is on rapid deployment, reducing front desk queues, and providing real-time updates through a mobile-first interface. The recent surge in reviews and high scores highlight its strong reputation among hotels of various sizes. Are you looking for a highly integrated, scalable system or a quick-to-implement guest-centric app?
If your hotel operates at a large scale or requires extensive integration with PMS, POS, and other systems, Shiji Stellaris Digital is likely the better fit. Its feature set includes mobile check-in and payments, and it boasts over 64 verified partners, making it suitable for properties seeking a comprehensive digital backbone.
If your hotel prioritizes ease of implementation, high guest satisfaction, and a focus on reducing queues and manual processes, STAY Guest App stands out. With over 200 recent reviews and a 4.78/5 ease-of-use rating, it’s a solid choice for hotels of all sizes wanting to enhance operational efficiency with minimal disruption.
STAY Guest App scores 4.78 out of 5 for ease of use, with glowing reviews emphasizing its intuitive interface, straightforward content management, and simple onboarding. Users report that staff adoption is smooth and guests find it easy to navigate, leading to quicker service delivery and fewer training needs.
Shiji Stellaris Digital, however, receives a zero rating for ease of use and has no recent reviews, suggesting it may be complex or less user-friendly. Its implementation likely requires dedicated IT support, making it less accessible for smaller teams or hotels without extensive tech resources.
Edge: STAY Guest App.
Shiji Stellaris Digital offers 10 shared features with STAY, plus two exclusive features: payments and mobile check-in. These additions make it suitable for hotels seeking a comprehensive, integrated experience that covers multiple operational touchpoints.
STAY Guest App provides four unique features: a dedicated mobile app, chatbot capabilities, automated replies, and message routing, all aimed at streamlining guest communication and reducing manual workload. Its focus on real-time updates and internal analytics helps hotels optimize service delivery.
While Shiji offers a broader feature set for complex operations, STAY’s features are tailored to quick wins in guest engagement and operational efficiency. Which feature set aligns better with your current priorities?
Edge: Shiji Stellaris Digital.
STAY Guest App’s support and onboarding ratings are both 4.83/5, with reviews praising the responsiveness and helpfulness of their support team. Guests and hoteliers alike appreciate the fast resolution of issues and ongoing assistance.
Shiji Stellaris Digital has no recent reviews or ratings for support, making it difficult to assess. Its support experience remains unverified, which could be a concern for hotels needing reliable, ongoing assistance.
Edge: STAY Guest App.
Shiji Stellaris Digital connects with 64 verified partners, including major brands like SiteMinder, Amadeus, and Revinate, offering extensive integration options. This makes it well-suited for large hotel groups with complex IT ecosystems seeking a unified platform.
STAY Guest App integrates with 20 verified partners, including Mews, Oracle Hospitality, and Hotelkit, focusing on core hotel services and internal operations. Its narrower but solid integration network favors properties seeking straightforward connectivity.
Edge: Shiji Stellaris Digital.
STAY Guest App has a higher overall rating of 3/5, with 206 recent reviews and a 96% likelihood to recommend. Hoteliers across segments, especially urban, resort, and chain hotels, praise its ease of use, support, and impact on operations.
Shiji Stellaris Digital scores 0/5 with no recent reviews, indicating a lack of user feedback and confidence. Its ratings suggest that, while potentially robust, it is less trusted or understood by current users.
Edge: STAY Guest App.
Shiji Stellaris Digital does not publicly list pricing or offer a freemium model, suggesting a bespoke quote based on hotel size and needs. Its implementation and ongoing costs are likely significant, making it more suitable for larger enterprises.
STAY Guest App charges a straightforward $300 monthly fee, with no mention of setup or hidden costs. This transparent pricing makes it easier for smaller or mid-sized hotels to budget and evaluate its value.
Not ideal if your hotel is small or prefers quick deployment without extensive customization.
Not ideal if your hotel requires highly customized integrations or complex backend systems.
Shiji Stellaris Digital offers a wide-ranging, integrated digital platform suitable for large hotels or chains wanting an all-encompassing system. Its extensive integrations and features support complex operations but demand significant investment and support.
STAY Guest App, with its high user ratings and focus on ease of use, is ideal for hotels seeking rapid deployment and immediate operational improvements. It’s especially effective for reducing queues, boosting guest satisfaction, and simplifying staff workflows.
If your hotel is large, tech-savvy, and needs a customizable, integrated solution, Shiji Stellaris Digital is the better choice. For hotels prioritizing guest experience, quick setup, and excellent support, STAY Guest App is the clear winner.
Hotel Guest Apps 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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| Starting Price | — | From $300/mo |
According to HTR's product database, Shiji Stellaris Digital and STAY Guest App share 10 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
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| Automated Replies | ||
| Chatbot | ||
| Message Routing | ||
| Mobile App | ||
| Mobile Checkin | ||
| Payments |
We analyzed 11 verified case studies to compare what hotels actually achieve with each platform across four key business objectives.
"Tokenisation, automated posting, and secure payment links have significantly improved internal workflows and guest trust, especially for group and conference bookings."
"Thanks to STAY, we offer our guests an interaction tool with our staff. We can make real-time decisions with it. This simplifies our staff's duties at the same time. The guest expe..."
"We reduced check-in time by over 80%, from up to eight minutes to just about one minute with the new system."
"Implementing STAY contributed to a significant increase in our revenue and customer satisfaction. The app pays for itself. We have seen significant increases in consumption for all..."
Unique capabilities
What hoteliers love
Multiple reviews highlight how STAY dramatically enhances guest experience by providing digital and sustainable ways for guests to access information... Multiple reviews highlight how STAY dramatically enhances guest experience by providing digital and sustainable ways for guests to access information and services. Features like real-time updates, mobile service ordering, and the ability to make restaurant reservations reduce wait times and provide convenience.
The app's user interface and mobile experience are lauded for being intuitive and easy to navigate. Users find it simple to update information and man... The app's user interface and mobile experience are lauded for being intuitive and easy to navigate. Users find it simple to update information and manage content, whether they are hotel staff or guests.
STAY aids in improving hotel operational efficiency by allowing quicker handling of guest requests, optimized internal processes, and reduced front de... STAY aids in improving hotel operational efficiency by allowing quicker handling of guest requests, optimized internal processes, and reduced front desk lines. The tool facilitates sustainable practices by digitizing traditional paper-based services, aiding hotels in their sustainability goals.
Where hoteliers push back
The CMS is highlighted for its ease of use and customization capabilities, though users have indicated some areas for improvement, particularly more f... The CMS is highlighted for its ease of use and customization capabilities, though users have indicated some areas for improvement, particularly more flexibility in design and functionality.
Users appreciate STAY's robust integration capabilities with various internal applications and systems, including PMS and CRM systems. These integrati... Users appreciate STAY's robust integration capabilities with various internal applications and systems, including PMS and CRM systems. These integrations streamline data management and help provide a seamless experience for both staff and guests.
Ranks higher for
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Shiji Stellaris Digital and STAY Guest App share many core Hotel Guest Apps features, but each has unique capabilities. Shiji Stellaris Digital offers 64 verified integration partners, while STAY Guest App offers 20. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. STAY Guest App 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.
Shiji Stellaris Digital: No. STAY Guest App: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Hotel Guest Apps 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. Shiji Group has an HT Score of 0 and STAY has 47. 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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