IRIS vs. Toast Digital Ordering:
Which Is Right for You?

The Decision

Choosing between IRIS by IRIS Systems and Toast Digital Ordering hinges on your hotel’s specific needs, particularly around mobile guest services and F&B revenue. IRIS focuses on contactless, in-room, and guest-facing digital solutions that integrate with property management and point-of-sale systems, notably enhancing F&B and guest experience for smaller independents and luxury hotels. Toast, on the other hand, is primarily a restaurant-oriented platform designed to optimize order and payment processes within food service settings, with no recent reviews or ratings for hotel use.

Given the significant difference in focus—IRIS for hotel guest-facing service and Toast for restaurant service—the decision should be based on your operational priorities. Are you seeking to elevate your guest experience with streamlined mobile interactions and integrations? Or are you focusing on improving dine-in efficiency and order management in your F&B outlets? The choice becomes clearer when considering your hotel type and operational scope.

Is IRIS or Toast Better for Hotels?

IRIS truly aims to serve hotels directly, providing features like digital directories, digital menus, and in-room dining, alongside integrations with PMS, POS, and local city guides—features that facilitate a full hotel guest experience. Toast, however, is built for restaurants, with a focus on order management, contactless payments, and server efficiency, but it lacks hotel-specific features or recent hotel reviews.

IRIS’s user ratings — a 5/5 overall and an HT Score of 80.48 — far surpass Toast’s zero ratings and reviews. IRIS’s recent feedback emphasizes its ease of use, support, and ability to boost F&B revenue, making it a clear choice for hotels aiming to upgrade their mobile services.

So, if your hotel needs a dedicated guest experience platform that integrates with your property systems, IRIS is the more appropriate choice. Are you prepared to implement a hotel-specific digital solution that enhances guest engagement and operational efficiency?

IRIS vs Toast: Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If your hotel requires a mobile platform that enhances guest communication, digital concierge services, and in-room F&B ordering, IRIS is the better option. It’s especially suitable if you operate a small independent, boutique, or luxury property looking to elevate guest satisfaction and increase F&B revenue, supported by high ratings and a strong review count.

If your hotel’s primary focus is on restaurant dine-in and delivery operations, or you already use Toast for restaurant management, Toast’s platform might seem appealing. However, with no hotel-specific reviews or recent activity, it’s clear IRIS’s targeted hotel solutions and recent positive feedback make it the more reliable choice for your property.

In summary, for holistic hotel guest engagement and F&B growth, IRIS leads. For restaurant-centric operations with no hotel-specific needs, Toast might suffice—but it’s not designed for the full hotel environment.

Is IRIS or Toast Easier to Use?

IRIS’s interface is highly rated at 4.62/5, with a straightforward onboarding process and positive reviews highlighting its user-friendly nature. Support during implementation is praised, with reviewers mentioning dedicated help from team members like Miguel and Catalina, making staff adoption smoother.

Toast, lacking recent hotel reviews, has an unknown usability rating in this context. Its platform is designed to be simple for restaurant staff but has no recent hotel-specific onboarding or usability feedback.

Given IRIS’s strong recent user ratings and support reviews, edge goes to IRIS for ease of use in a hotel setting.

Which Has Better Features: IRIS or Toast?

IRIS offers 18 unique hotel-centric features—digital directories, menus, housekeep requests, restaurant reservations, POS and PMS integration, digital concierge, bell services, in-room dining, spa modules, and multi-lingual support. Its integrations with leading PMS and POS systems make it highly adaptable for property operations.

Toast’s three unique features—Near Field Contact (NFC), cross-venue payment splitting, and loyalty programs—are valuable in restaurant contexts but irrelevant for hotel guest services. It lacks hotel-specific functionalities like digital guest directories or in-room dining.

Edge: IRIS Systems, with a wide array of hotel-focused features and integrations.

Which Has Better Customer Support: IRIS or Toast?

IRIS’s customer support scores are notably high at 4.73/5, with reviews praising their responsiveness and professionalism. Reviewers commend the onboarding process and ongoing support, especially from team members like Miguel, who are dedicated to smooth implementation.

Toast’s support and onboarding ratings are not available for recent hotel use, making it impossible to compare directly. Given IRIS’s consistently high support scores and recent reviews, the edge goes to IRIS.

Which Has More Integrations: IRIS or Toast?

IRIS boasts 17 verified partners, including major PMS providers like Oracle Hospitality, Unifocus, and Infor, along with POS systems, guestware, and vendor management tools. Its extensive integrations facilitate smooth operations across hotel departments.

Toast has 13 verified partners, mainly focusing on restaurant and delivery platforms like Bbot, Olo, and Mews, but lacks many hotel-specific integrations. While suitable for restaurant settings, it’s less comprehensive for hotel needs.

Edge: IRIS Systems.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: IRIS or Toast?

IRIS’s average rating of 5/5 from 37 reviews over the past six months—more recent and numerous—reflects strong user satisfaction. Hotels across segments, especially independents and luxury properties, praise its ease of use, support, and revenue impact.

Toast has no recent hotel reviews or ratings available, making it impossible to gauge hotel user satisfaction. Given the recent, positive feedback for IRIS, it is clearly rated higher by hoteliers.

How Much Do IRIS and Toast Cost?

IRIS does not disclose specific pricing but offers a free trial—details on pricing models are not publicly available. Toast’s pricing is similarly undisclosed, with no clear subscription or licensing information.

Both products likely require customized quotes based on hotel size and complexity. For budgeting purposes, expect IRIS to be a premium, hotel-focused investment, while Toast’s costs will depend on restaurant volume.

What Type of Hotel Should Use IRIS?

• Hotels that want to enhance mobile guest experience with digital directories, menus, and in-room dining.
• Small to mid-sized independents seeking to boost F&B revenue and streamline guest communication.
• Hotels aiming for seamless PMS and POS integrations to reduce manual work.
• Properties looking to offer multilingual and multi-currency support for international guests.

Not ideal if your hotel relies solely on restaurant operations, or if you prefer a platform without extensive integrations.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Toast?

• Hotels that operate large on-site restaurants or food courts, focusing on dine-in and delivery.
• Properties wanting to streamline restaurant service with contactless ordering and payment.
• Hotels that already use Toast for restaurant management and want to extend its use to their hotel F&B outlets.
• Teams prioritizing quick, simple order and payment solutions over hotel-specific guest engagement features.

Not ideal if your hotel desires a full guest-facing digital platform or multi-department integration.

IRIS vs Toast: The Bottom Line for Hotels

IRIS’s core advantage is its hotel-specific focus, integrating directly with PMS and POS, and offering features that elevate guest experiences. It’s designed to serve small to luxury hotels that want to modernize and personalize their guest interactions.

If your hotel’s top priority is improving guest engagement, increasing F&B revenues, and integrating with existing hotel systems, IRIS is the clear choice. Its strong recent reviews, high ratings, and extensive feature set make it the more reliable and capable solution.

However, if your hotel’s focus is on restaurant operations, delivery, and contactless dine-in, and you are already using Toast in your food service outlets, Toast may be suitable. But with no recent hotel reviews, it lacks the proven hotel-specific capabilities IRIS offers.

In conclusion, for a comprehensive hotel guest experience platform that drives revenue and supports operational efficiency, IRIS stands out as the more effective product.