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

The Decision

Choosing the right hotel guest app can significantly impact your guest experience, operational efficiency, and revenue. Both Crave Mobile Platform and STAY Guest App aim to improve how your guests access services, but they serve slightly different needs. Crave focuses heavily on guest engagement and service automation, while STAY emphasizes operational streamlining and real-time updates. Knowing their strengths and limitations will help you decide which aligns better with your hotel's goals.

Are you prioritizing a more established platform with extensive features and a larger global presence, or do you want a solution that simplifies operations and reduces wait times? Let's compare both in detail.

Is Crave Interactive or STAY Guest App Better for Hotels?

Crave Interactive offers a comprehensive, feature-rich mobile platform designed to elevate guest engagement through digital menus, in-venue ordering, contactless payments, and extensive integrations. It has a significant review count—48 reviews—and recent feedback remains absent, making its data slightly outdated but still valuable. STAY, on the other hand, boasts over 200 reviews with recent feedback, indicating stronger current user satisfaction.

Crave’s strength lies in its extensive feature set, including QR codes, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and POS integrations, making it suitable for hotels seeking a robust, customizable digital guest solution. STAY excels in operational efficiency, providing real-time updates, appointment bookings, and a straightforward CMS, making it ideal for hotels focused on reducing queues and streamlining staff workflows. Which of these priorities aligns with your hotel’s immediate needs?

Crave Interactive vs STAY Guest App: Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If your hotel needs a guest app that offers in-depth engagement tools and diverse features—like multi-menu ordering, contactless payments, and integrations with POS or NFC—Crave is your best option. Its high rating of 4.75/5 from 48 reviews underscores its reliability and breadth of capabilities.

However, if your primary goal is operational efficiency—reducing front desk queues, improving internal communication, and providing real-time service updates—STAY’s simpler, more streamlined platform is preferable. It’s trusted by over 1,000 hotels in 67 countries, indicating a proven track record in delivering efficiency improvements and guest satisfaction. For hotels aiming to digitize operational workflows over guest engagement, STAY is the clear choice.

Is Crave Interactive or STAY Guest App Easier to Use?

Crave's user interface receives a 4.61/5 rating, praised for its customizability and ease of use for staff and guests. However, some users note that menu creation could be simpler, and the back-end system might benefit from modernization. Customer support is highly rated at 4.79/5, with reviews highlighting quick and helpful responses.

STAY scores slightly higher in ease of use, with a 4.78/5 rating and reviews emphasizing its straightforward CMS and intuitive mobile experience. Its simplified design minimizes staff training time, and its user interface is praised for clarity. Edge: STAY.

Which Has Better Features: Crave Interactive or STAY Guest App?

Crave offers 17 unique features, including web-based (appless) operation, digital menus, in-venue ordering, contactless payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay, POS integration, and NFC. These features support a highly customizable and versatile guest experience, especially suited for hotels with varied service needs.

STAY provides 6 exclusive features, such as a dedicated mobile app, chatbot functionality, automated replies, message routing, and guest profiles. While less feature-dense, these tools excel at streamlining operations and delivering quick, automated communication.

Crave’s extensive feature set makes it the more comprehensive platform, but STAY’s targeted features focus on simplifying staff workflows. Edge: Crave Interactive.

Which Has Better Customer Support: Crave Interactive or STAY Guest App?

Crave’s customer support is highly rated at 4.79/5, with reviews praising its quick, polite, and effective responses. Hoteliers appreciate its proactive support, especially during menu updates and technical issues, although some mention that hardware durability could improve.

STAY’s support is similarly rated at 4.83/5, with reviews emphasizing helpful, prompt assistance. Some users note that STAY’s support lacks phone options, which can slow issue resolution for certain regions.

While both are excellent, Crave’s support has a slight edge due to more positive recent reviews. Edge: Crave Interactive.

Which Has More Integrations: Crave Interactive or STAY Guest App?

Crave integrates with 17 verified partners, including systems like Oracle Hospitality, Amadeus, Infor, and Kipsu, providing extensive compatibility with hotel management systems. STAY, with 20 verified partners, also supports seamless integrations with PMS, CRM, and other internal applications, including Hotelkit, Mews, and SiteMinder.

Both platforms boast strong integration portfolios, but STAY’s broader partner list and widespread adoption in large chains like NH Hotels and Riu suggest a slight advantage for hotels seeking extensive system connectivity. Edge: STAY.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: Crave Interactive or STAY Guest App?

Crave’s overall rating is 4.75/5 based on 48 reviews, with recent feedback indicating high satisfaction. Hoteliers praise its ease of use, integration, and customer service, especially in large or luxury hotels.

STAY’s rating is 3/5 across 200 reviews, with recent feedback highlighting operational benefits but also noting issues like slow reporting and limited language options. Given the larger review base and recent positive comments, Crave’s rating is more indicative of current hotelier satisfaction. Edge: Crave Interactive.

How Much Do Crave Interactive and STAY Guest App Cost?

Crave’s pricing begins at a base of $400, with no mention of a trial or freemium model. STAY’s base price is $300, also without a trial or free tier, making them comparable in upfront costs.

Cost considerations should include features and support: Crave’s higher price may reflect its extensive features, while STAY’s lower entry point suits hotels prioritizing operational efficiency.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Crave Mobile Platform?

• Hotels that want a feature-rich digital guest engagement platform, including QR codes, contactless payments, and in-venue ordering.
• Properties aiming to enhance guest experience with customizable menus and integrations with POS systems.
• Large or luxury hotels seeking comprehensive automation and marketing capabilities.
• Hotel chains that prioritize extensive data analytics and guest communication tools.
• Teams that want a proven, globally deployed system with a strong support network.

Not ideal if you prefer a simple, operational tool without many extra features or if your hotel has limited technical support.

What Type of Hotel Should Use STAY Guest App?

• Hotels seeking to streamline operations by reducing queues at the front desk and in-room service wait times.
• Properties that want an easy-to-use CMS for content management and quick updates.
• Hotels focused on operational efficiency and internal communication.
• Chain hotels and independents looking for a reliable, straightforward platform with excellent global support.
• Hotels aiming for sustainability through paperless guest services.

Not ideal if you need extensive guest engagement features like digital menus or complex payment integrations.

The Bottom Line for Hotels

Crave Interactive offers a comprehensive, feature-rich guest app with high satisfaction ratings and extensive integrations, making it suitable for hotels seeking engagement and marketing tools. Its strong support network and user-friendly interface make it a reliable choice, especially for larger or luxury properties.

STAY focuses on operational efficiency, with a simple, intuitive platform that reduces queues and enhances internal workflows. Its integration capabilities and real-time updates make it ideal for hotels looking to streamline staff operations and improve guest satisfaction through digital service delivery.

If your hotel values rich guest engagement and marketing, Crave is the stronger candidate. For a focus on efficiency and internal communication, STAY provides a more targeted, easy-to-implement solution.

In conclusion, choose Crave if you want a broad, feature-rich platform with high engagement capabilities. Opt for STAY if your primary goal is to improve operational flow, reduce wait times, and simplify management—especially if you prefer a straightforward, easy-to-use system with proven success in large chains.