Crave Mobile Platform (acq by HCN) vs. LIKE MAGIC:
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Is Crave Interactive/HCN or LIKE MAGIC Better for Hotels?

Crave Interactive/HCN and LIKE MAGIC both serve as hotel guest engagement platforms but diverge sharply in their operational focus and geographic reach. Crave Interactive/HCN centers on an appless, web-based experience emphasizing contactless ordering and payments with 18 unique features including Apple Pay, NFC, and POS integrations. It primarily serves a broad hotel mix with strong adoption in branded hotels (13%) and luxury hotels (18%) across 14 countries worldwide. Conversely, LIKE MAGIC operates through a downloadable app offering guest profiles and mobile check-in, focusing on streamlining the entire guest journey from pre-arrival to check-out with fewer features but a strong emphasis on automation and direct communication. Its user base is concentrated in Europe, mainly extended stay and serviced apartments (33%) and city center hotels (15%).

Both platforms solve the core problem of elevating guest convenience and operational efficiency by digitalizing guest interactions and service requests. However, Crave Interactive/HCN excels in food and beverage ordering and ancillary revenue capture, while LIKE MAGIC better addresses guest journey management and operational automation. Your hotel’s operational model and location will largely determine which fits better.

Crave Interactive/HCN vs LIKE MAGIC: Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If your property operates a full-service hotel with substantial F&B amenities and requires robust contactless ordering and payments, Crave Interactive/HCN is the better choice supported by its 18 unique features tailored to ordering and payments and a user base including 10% resorts and 13% branded hotels. Crave’s 67 reviews averaging 4.6/5 and 93% likelihood to recommend demonstrate strong market validation among hotels prioritizing guest engagement via digital ordering.

If your hotel is a European-based extended stay or serviced apartment with a need for a comprehensive guest journey solution including mobile check-in and guest profiles, LIKE MAGIC stands out. Its 26 reviews with a perfect 5/5 rating and 99% likelihood to recommend reflect satisfaction in this segment, especially in small properties seeking operational automation. Its fewer unique features focus on core guest management rather than ancillary ordering.

For boutique or city center hotels, both products receive strong ratings (Crave: 4.7/5 boutique, 4.6/5 city center; LIKE MAGIC: 4.9/5 boutique and city center). However, LIKE MAGIC’s automation and guest journey approach may better serve small-to-mid sized European hotels, while Crave’s global footprint and payment integrations favor larger or multi-service properties.

Is Crave Interactive/HCN or LIKE MAGIC Easier to Use?

LIKE MAGIC has an edge in ease of use and onboarding with ratings of 5/5 on both metrics compared to Crave Interactive/HCN’s 4.6/5 ease of use and 4.7/5 onboarding. Reviewers of LIKE MAGIC highlight the platform’s intuitive interface that enables nearly 100% guest self-check-in and reduces staff training time to as little as 1.5 days. Conversely, Crave Interactive/HCN users appreciate the user-friendly guest interface but note the back-end system could be more modern and customizable, which may complicate staff adoption.

This difference is operationally significant for hotels with lean teams or high staff turnover where fast onboarding is critical. For example, LIKE MAGIC’s streamlined workflows allowed the Zipper Hotel to operate with 80% fewer staff while maintaining high guest satisfaction.

Edge: LIKE MAGIC.

Which Has Better Features: Crave Interactive/HCN or LIKE MAGIC?

Crave Interactive/HCN offers 18 unique hotel-relevant features unmatched by LIKE MAGIC’s 3 unique features. Crave’s appless web-based platform supports automatic translations, Apple Pay, Google Pay, QR codes, local recommendations, contactless ordering, multi-menu ordering, and POS integrations. These features directly impact operational workflows by enabling guests to order food and services from anywhere on property without installing an app, speeding up service delivery and increasing ancillary revenue. For instance, Crave’s up-selling functionality increased sales by at least 20% in one review.

LIKE MAGIC uniquely provides app download capability, guest profiles, and mobile check-in. These features enhance guest journey management by automating pre-arrival check-in and consolidating guest data, which streamlines front desk operations and improves guest personalization. Its mobile check-in reduces queue times and staff workload.

While Crave Interactive/HCN’s broader feature set supports more diverse service automation, LIKE MAGIC’s core features focus on guest journey and operational efficiency. Both have 7 shared features, but the quantity and operational impact of Crave’s unique features outweigh LIKE MAGIC’s smaller set.

Edge: Crave Interactive/HCN.

Which Has Better Customer Support: Crave Interactive/HCN or LIKE MAGIC?

Both platforms score equally high in customer support with identical 4.8/5 ratings and very similar onboarding scores (4.7/5 Crave vs 4.8/5 LIKE MAGIC). Crave Interactive/HCN reviewers praise its “incredible” response times, citing examples of price changes processed within minutes, and describe the support staff as “professional” and “quick.” LIKE MAGIC users appreciate the “solution-oriented support” and availability but note occasional confusion in messaging and desire for telephone support for urgent cases.

Operationally, this parity suggests both vendors provide reliable support capable of handling implementation and ongoing issues effectively, with Crave’s faster responses suited to urgent operational adjustments and LIKE MAGIC’s supportive approach beneficial during adoption phases.

Edge: Even.

Which Has More Integrations: Crave Interactive/HCN or LIKE MAGIC?

Crave Interactive/HCN leads with 17 verified partners compared to LIKE MAGIC’s 11, a 54.5% higher integration count. Both share Oracle Hospitality and Adyen as common integrations, crucial for property management and payment systems. Crave’s unique integrations include PressReader, Book4Time, Quore, Kipsu, Infor, and Amadeus, supporting a wide range of hotel operations from spa management to event bookings and POS systems. LIKE MAGIC’s unique partners such as 4SUITES, apaleo GmbH, Mews, SALTO Systems, Triptease, and TrustYou focus primarily on property management and guest feedback tools relevant to European markets.

Hotels with complex F&B or event operations will benefit from Crave’s broader integrations, enabling seamless workflows across departments. Hotels focused on property management and guest communication within Europe may find LIKE MAGIC’s integrations sufficient.

Edge: Crave Interactive/HCN.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: Crave Interactive/HCN or LIKE MAGIC?

LIKE MAGIC holds a higher overall rating of 5/5 compared to Crave Interactive/HCN’s 4.6/5 with fewer reviews (26 vs 67). Both have zero reviews in the last 6 months, so current ratings reflect past performance. LIKE MAGIC’s perfect rating is consistent across segments including extended stay & serviced apartments (5/5, 13 reviews), boutique hotels (4.9/5, 8 reviews), and city center hotels (4.9/5, 11 reviews). Crave Interactive/HCN also scores well in these segments but slightly lower, e.g., boutique hotels 4.7/5 (28 reviews) and city center hotels 4.6/5 (20 reviews).

The higher likelihood to recommend for LIKE MAGIC (99%) versus Crave (93%) supports this rating gap. However, Crave Interactive/HCN’s larger review volume provides more representative validation across a broader hotel mix, including luxury and branded hotels.

Edge: LIKE MAGIC.

How Much Do Crave Interactive/HCN and LIKE MAGIC Cost?

Crave Interactive/HCN’s base price is $400 with no freemium, monthly flat, or per-room pricing and no implementation fee or trial. LIKE MAGIC’s base price is $700 under the same conditions. Neither vendor offers trials.

Crave Interactive/HCN offers a lower entry price, aligning with its broader global market presence and appeal to a range of hotel sizes. LIKE MAGIC’s higher base price reflects its all-in-one app-focused solution and operational automation benefits, primarily targeted at European extended stay and boutique properties.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Crave Interactive/HCN?

• Hotels that prioritize contactless food and beverage ordering with integrated payment options like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
• Hotels with extensive ancillary services needing multi-menu ordering and scheduling, such as resorts and branded full-service hotels.
• Properties requiring broad global support and integrations, including POS systems and spa/event platforms.
• Teams seeking to increase ancillary revenue via up-selling and tipping features.
• Properties with multilingual guest bases benefiting from automatic translations.

Not ideal if:

• Your hotel requires a mobile app download for guest engagement, as Crave is appless.
• Your team needs intuitive back-end customization and menu control, as customization requires vendor assistance.
• You operate primarily in Europe and prefer a guest journey solution focused on mobile check-in and profiles.

What Type of Hotel Should Use LIKE MAGIC?

• European hotels, especially extended stay and serviced apartments, requiring comprehensive guest journey management.
• Small to mid-sized city center or boutique hotels seeking streamlined digital check-in and guest profile automation.
• Hotels aiming to reduce staff workload and training time via operational automation.
• Properties that value integrated booking engines and guest communication within a single app.
• Teams focused on delivering smooth guest experiences with high use of self-service check-in.

Not ideal if:

• Your property requires extensive contactless payment and food ordering features.
• Your hotel operates outside Europe, as LIKE MAGIC’s market presence is limited to six countries.
• You need extensive third-party integrations beyond property management and guest communication.

Crave Interactive/HCN vs LIKE MAGIC: The Bottom Line for Hotels

Crave Interactive/HCN and LIKE MAGIC differ fundamentally in feature focus and operational scope. Crave Interactive/HCN excels as a contactless ordering and payment platform with extensive integrations and global reach, ideal for hotels emphasizing ancillary revenue and multilingual guest interactions. LIKE MAGIC offers a holistic guest journey app with digital check-in and guest profile management, optimized for European extended stay and boutique hotels prioritizing operational automation and streamlined guest experiences.

Choose Crave Interactive/HCN if your hotel requires an appless, web-based solution with robust food and beverage ordering, multiple payment options including Apple Pay and Google Pay, and integration with diverse hotel systems including POS and spa management. Its lower base price and 67 verified reviews support a trusted, widely adopted platform for hotels with complex service needs.

Choose LIKE MAGIC if your property is a European extended stay, serviced apartment, or boutique hotel seeking a modern app that automates guest check-in, profiles, and communication to reduce staff workload and training time. Its perfect 5/5 rating across 26 reviews and case studies demonstrating up to 80% staff reduction evidence strong operational efficiency gains in this segment.

In summary, Crave Interactive/HCN fits properties focused on contactless service and ancillary revenue on a global scale, while LIKE MAGIC best serves European properties centered on guest journey automation and staff efficiency.