Guide

How much does hotel software cost?

For a small or boutique hotel, typical cloud hotel software costs $170 to $200+ a month — and that is often before the website, channel manager and other add-ons. Here is how the costs really add up.

The monthly subscription

Most hotel software is rented per month, often priced by the number of rooms. The subscription usually covers the PMS: reservations, front desk, rates and basic reports. You pay it for as long as you use the system — the price of year five is the same as year one, or higher.

The add-ons

Many vendors sell the parts a small hotel needs separately:

• Channel manager — the connection to Booking.com, Expedia and Airbnb.
• Booking engine and website — sometimes with a per-booking fee.
• Payments — processing fees on top of your card provider.
• Guest messaging — WhatsApp or email tools.
• Accounting — a separate package, or an accountant re-typing your month.

The hidden costs

• OTA commission of 15–20% on every booking you could have taken directly.
• Staff time copying bookings between systems and fixing double bookings.
• Setup and training fees.
• Features you can't get — the workflow your hotel needs but the vendor won't build.

Compare over five years

The purchase of the full system is quoted per hotel. Even so, owning the system and paying a small monthly fee usually costs far less over five years than renting forever.

Common questions