HotelKey alternative for small hotels, inns and motels
Innkeeper is a HotelKey alternative for independent US inns, B&Bs, motels and small hotels with 4 to 80 rooms that want a published price instead of a quote. HotelKey does not list its plans on its website, and third-party estimates for a small property range from about $300 a month to several times that. Innkeeper publishes every plan: $49 a month for up to 10 rooms, $149 for up to 30 and $499 for up to 80, or about half that billed yearly, with the tape chart, channel sync, a commission-free booking engine and housekeeping included. Innkeeper (innkeeper.ai) is a separate company and is not affiliated with HotelKey.
See the whole front desk day before you talk to anyone
Open the live demo and run an ordinary evening. Put a walk-in on the tape chart, drag a two night stay to another room, let a Booking.com reservation land and watch the same night close on Expedia and your own website. Flip rooms to clean from a phone and print the guest invoice with tax lines. There is no sales call between you and the product.
- Tape chart with drag and drop between rooms and dates
- Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb and Google on one calendar
- Direct bookings on your website with no commission
Innkeeper vs HotelKey at a glance
HotelKey is a cloud hotel management system that its listings describe as covering online booking, front desk, housekeeping and revenue management for small to large hotels, with a booking engine and channel connections sold as part of its suite. A 2021 industry announcement put it at about 2,500 hotels. The HotelKey column below comes from public listings and review sites, since the vendor shows no price list, so confirm every line in your own quote.
| What you compare | Innkeeper | HotelKey |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Yes, four plans on the pricing page | No, quote on request |
| Typical price for a small property | $49 to $149 a month, about half billed yearly | Third-party estimates from about $300 a month, one site lists $800 |
| Free trial | Live demo and no-lock-in plans | Listings report no free trial |
| Booking engine | Included in every plan, no commission | Part of the suite, confirm price in the quote |
| Channel manager | Included, 4 channels on Inn, unlimited from Hotel | Direct OTA connections, confirm per channel fees |
| Onboarding | Self setup, import with you on Boutique | Implementation, training and migration quoted separately |
| Open API | Not offered | Listings report no public API |
| Staff users | 2 on Inn, 10 on Hotel, unlimited from Boutique | Confirm user limits in the quote |
| Best fit | Owner-run properties up to 80 rooms that want one fixed price | Properties that want a vendor-guided rollout and have budget for implementation |
The full cost picture with a yearly table from 8 to 80 rooms is in our HotelKey pricing article.
Why owners look past HotelKey
No price means a call before you learn the cost
Most small property owners want to see a number before they spend an hour with a sales team. HotelKey asks you to request a quote, and the figures that circulate online disagree: one review site estimates a license of $3,600 to $18,000 a year and a first year total of $6,000 to $25,000 for a team of ten, another lists $800 a month. A 12-room inn cannot plan a budget on a range that wide.
Implementation is a separate line
Review sites report that implementation, customization, training and data migration are quoted on top of the license. Innkeeper has no setup fee on any plan, and on Boutique we run the import with you in an onboarding session.
Integration and add-on questions
Listings report no open API for HotelKey, so a custom link to your accounting or door lock vendor goes through the vendor. Innkeeper does not offer an open API either, so if integrations drive your decision, ask both vendors for the exact list. Innkeeper posts invoices and exports to your accountant and runs the channel and booking engine in the same plan.
Where HotelKey is the better pick
Be fair about it. HotelKey sells a wider suite aimed at hotels of every size, with revenue management and a vendor-led rollout. A property with several hundred rooms, a restaurant point of sale to integrate or a requirement for a dedicated implementation manager will find more in a larger suite. Innkeeper is built for owner-run properties up to 80 rooms, and for a single group up to 200 rooms across properties.
How to move from HotelKey to Innkeeper
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01
Export your data
Run reports for future reservations, guest profiles and open folios and save them as spreadsheets, or ask HotelKey support for the export in writing. Keep the last night audit and revenue reports as PDF for your accountant.
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02
Import and check
Upload the files to Innkeeper. Future stays land on the tape chart with guest, dates, room and total, and guest profiles keep their history.
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03
Connect channels and your website
Connect Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb and Google in Innkeeper and put our booking engine where the old Book now button sits on your website. Compare availability for the next 90 nights side by side.
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04
Check your contract and switch
Read your HotelKey agreement for the notice period before you cancel, move each OTA to Innkeeper and confirm it is live, then close the old payment setup once the last deposits have settled.
Who should pick Innkeeper, and who should stay on HotelKey
Innkeeper fits owner-run inns, B&Bs, motels and small hotels up to 80 rooms that sell on two or more OTAs plus their own website and want every piece in one published plan. Our pages on bed and breakfast software, inn management software and motel management software show the daily routine for each type of property, and the hotel booking engine page shows how direct bookings work without commission.
Stay on HotelKey if you have a large property or several hundred rooms, want a vendor-managed rollout with revenue management, or already depend on its integrations.
HotelKey alternative questions
What is the best alternative to HotelKey?
For an independent inn, B&B, motel or small hotel up to 80 rooms, the best HotelKey alternative is a cloud PMS with a published price and the booking engine and channels inside the plan. Innkeeper does this from $288 a year for up to 10 rooms. Cloudbeds, ThinkReservations and Sirvoy are other systems small properties compare.
How much does HotelKey cost?
HotelKey does not publish its prices, so you need a quote. Third-party estimates differ widely: one review site puts a small property near $300 a month for a basic license and a first year total of $6,000 to $25,000 with onboarding, another lists $800 a month. Ask for a 12 month total with implementation and channel fees.
Does HotelKey have a free trial?
Review sites report that HotelKey offers neither a free trial nor a free version, so the first look at the product usually comes through a sales demo. Innkeeper has a live demo you can open without a sales call and plans with no lock-in.
Does HotelKey have an API?
Listings on GetApp state that HotelKey has no public API available. If you need a custom integration, ask HotelKey what it supports before you sign. Innkeeper does not offer an open API either, so list the systems you must connect and ask each vendor for the exact integrations.
Can I move my reservations from HotelKey to Innkeeper?
Yes. Export future bookings and guest records as spreadsheets, or ask HotelKey support for the files, then upload them to Innkeeper, where stays land on the tape chart with guest, dates, room and total. Keep the old OTA connections live until each one is confirmed in Innkeeper.
Is Innkeeper affiliated with HotelKey?
No. Innkeeper (innkeeper.ai) is a separate company and a separate product. We compare against HotelKey only from its public listings and review sites, so check your own quote before you decide.
Innkeeper plans for HotelKey properties
No setup fee, no booking commission and no lock-in on any plan. Full details on the hotel PMS pricing page.
A published price, the booking engine and channels on one bill
Create your account, import your reservations and run Booking.com, Expedia, your website and walk-ins from one calendar, with no commission and no add-on fees.