Crave Mobile Platform (acq by HCN) vs. Guest Services by SmartStay:
Lequel vous convient le mieux ?

The Decision

Choosing between Crave Mobile Platform by Crave Interactive and Guest Services by SmartStay by Liverton hinges on your hotel’s specific needs. Both products aim to elevate guest engagement through mobile and digital solutions but differ significantly in their core features, maturity, and market presence.

Crave Interactive offers a more comprehensive, widely adopted platform with a proven track record backed by a higher review count and more recent feedback. Liverton’s platform, while promising and innovative, has fewer reviews and less recent data, making its reliability less certain for your team. Which solution aligns best with your hotel’s operational goals?

Is Crave Interactive or Guest Services Better for Hotels?

Crave Interactive’s platform is a well-established, mobile-first guest engagement tool designed for hotels seeking to modernize services and increase revenue. Its features include integrated ordering, messaging, and multi-language support, making it suitable for diverse hotel types.

Guest Services by Liverton provides a digital guest journey with check-in, upselling, and in-room service features, focusing heavily on seamless integration with PMS and POS systems. However, its limited review data and smaller user base raise questions about its maturity and support.

Given Crave’s higher review volume (48 reviews vs. 7) and more recent feedback, it’s clearer which product has more proven reliability. Are you comfortable with a platform that demonstrates a long-standing market presence and extensive user feedback?

Crave Interactive vs Guest Services: Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If your hotel needs a robust, proven platform with extensive integrations, detailed analytics, and a broad feature set—including web-based access, digital menus, contactless ordering, and multi-lingual support—Crave is the clear choice. Its reviews highlight excellent customer support and a user-friendly interface, making onboarding smoother.

On the other hand, if your hotel prioritizes a digital check-in experience with upsell options, flexible room selection, and in-room service requests, Guest Services might appeal. However, since it has fewer reviews and less recent feedback, consider whether its current feature set and support levels meet your expectations.

For most hotels looking for reliability and proven results, Crave’s larger review base and higher recent ratings position it as the safer, more characterized choice.

Edge: Crave Interactive.

Is Crave Interactive or Guest Services Easier to Use?

Crave Interactive’s ease of use is rated 4.61/5, with reviews praising its intuitive interface and straightforward setup. Users report that their staff and guests find the platform simple to navigate, with quick onboarding and minimal fuss.

Guest Services by Liverton scores slightly lower at 4.57/5, with reviews indicating a generally smooth experience but some concerns over initial setup complexity and the need for further staff training, especially during the pilot phase.

Given Crave’s higher overall ratings and more extensive positive feedback, it’s the easier platform for your team to adopt and train on quickly.

Edge: Crave Interactive.

Which Has Better Features: Crave Interactive or Guest Services?

Crave offers 25 unique features, including web-based app access, digital menus, multi-language support, contactless ordering, in-venue ordering, and NFC payment options. Its rich feature set supports a wide range of guest interactions, from pre-arrival to post-stay engagement.

Guest Services provides 20 features, focusing on digital check-in, room selection, in-room requests, and basic F&B ordering, with strong integrations into PMS and POS systems. Still, it lacks some of the advanced ordering and marketing features found in Crave.

If advanced guest engagement features like local recommendations, tipping, and multi-platform ordering are priorities, Crave’s comprehensive suite makes it the more capable option.

Edge: Crave Interactive.

Which Has Better Customer Support: Crave Interactive or Guest Services?

Customer support ratings favor Crave with a 4.79/5 rating and reviews emphasizing fast, helpful responses, with comments like “their service team addressed questions at any time of day or night.” Many users appreciate the proactive and professional support during onboarding and troubleshooting.

Guest Services’ support scores 4.29/5, with reviews mentioning responsive service but occasional delays and some technical hiccups during early deployment phases. Support appears less consistent based on available reviews.

Given the consistency and volume of positive feedback, Crave’s support team is more likely to assist your hotel efficiently and reliably.

Edge: Crave Interactive.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: Crave Interactive or Guest Services?

Crave’s overall rating of 4.75/5 and a review count of 48, with recent reviews still positive, indicate a high level of user satisfaction across hotel segments, especially in branded and luxury hotels. Its latest reviews reinforce its reputation for reliability and feature richness.

Guest Services, with only 7 reviews and a 0/5 rating in some segments, offers limited data, making it difficult to gauge overall satisfaction. The sparse and older reviews suggest less confidence in its maturity.

For a hotelier seeking a trusted, widely-used platform, Crave’s higher ratings and recent positive sentiment make it the preferred choice.

Edge: Crave Interactive.

How Much Do Crave Interactive and Guest Services Cost?

Crave’s pricing model starts at a base fee of $400, with no mention of monthly or per-room charges, indicating a straightforward licensing fee. No free tier or trial is listed, but the value aligns with its feature set.

Guest Services costs $500, with similar no-trial policies and no ongoing monthly fees detailed. The slight difference in initial costs may reflect the scope of features.

Cost isn’t the sole factor; consider the value and support level. Crave’s lower starting price combined with more features suggests better ROI for most hotels.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Crave Interactive?

Hotels that will benefit from Crave’s extensive guest engagement tools include:

• Hotels seeking a proven system with a broad feature set.
• Properties prioritizing digital menus, contactless ordering, and multi-lingual support.
• Hotels aiming for in-depth analytics and targeted marketing opportunities.
• Hotels with multiple F&B outlets or high guest volume that want to maximize upselling.
• Hotels with existing PMS integrations seeking a plug-and-play solution.

Not ideal if your hotel has minimal F&B services or a very small guest volume, as some features might be overkill.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Guest Services?

Hotels that would consider Guest Services include:

• Hotels focusing mainly on digital check-in and upselling during the arrival process.
• Properties prioritizing guest room selection and pre-arrival upgrades.
• Hotels looking for a simple digital in-room service platform.
• Hotels with a strong emphasis on mobile keys and basic F&B ordering.
• Hotels with existing integrations into PMS and POS systems, especially those already using Liverton or Shiji.

Not ideal if your hotel requires a broad suite of engagement tools or advanced marketing features, given its limited current review data.

Crave vs Liverton: The Bottom Line for Hotels

Crave Interactive stands out as the more mature, widely adopted platform, with a proven track record backed by more recent reviews and a larger user base. Its extensive feature set and high support scores position it as a reliable choice for hotels wanting to enhance guest experiences and operational efficiency.

Guest Services by Liverton offers innovative features like digital check-in, room selection, and in-room requests, but its limited reviews and smaller presence make its reliability less certain for now.

If your hotel demands a trusted, feature-rich solution with ongoing support, Crave is the clear winner. Choose Liverton if your focus is on specific digital check-in and upsell features and you're willing to invest in further testing and collaboration.

In conclusion, for most hotels seeking proven performance, robust features, and reliable support, Crave Interactive is the better investment. Liverton’s platform shows promise but needs more user feedback to match Crave’s confidence in the market.