Elina Reviews

“Automated payments”

Pros

The flexibility in booking management and the automated payment features have been really valuable. They make handling reservations and transactions much more convenient.

Cons

Pricing based on pax occupancy is fairly complicated and can be confusing to work with.

“invoicing made simple”

Pros

Booking appointments and paying invoices feels simple and checking existing bookings or available time slots is very convenient.

Cons

At times certain features feel more complicated than they should with too many steps before you can actually see the result.

“booking and packages boost revenue”

Pros

Bringing this software into our business turned out to be a really positive decision. The online booking system and package selling features have played a big part in increasing our revenue and we've genuinely appreciated how much effort their team has put into supporting both our transition and the way we've adapted over the past few years.

Cons

Whenever there were parts we needed to customize for our specific business their team worked with us proactively to sort things out and smooth over any issues along the way.

“feature-packed”

Pros

Working with the software has been very easy. It's reliable, simple to use and delivers everything it's meant to. Even though it feels uncomplicated on the surface it still offers a solid range of advanced features.

Cons

Like with any system there are plenty of things we as a business would prefer to see handled a bit differently but those come down to individual preferences and specific feature options within the platform.

“All in one business control”

Pros

Much simpler to run my business with this because it covers nearly every part of it in one place. It really feels like a one stop shop while still doing a strong job across most areas. On top of that it's generally easy to use, makes logical sense and feels user friendly overall.

Cons

There are still a couple of areas I'd like to see improved but they're not major priorities for me so I'm not sure when (or if) those changes will happen.

“Complete features”

Pros

From sales to onboarding to technical support every interaction with their team has been positive. Everyone has been helpful, understanding and ready to assist whenever needed. The software includes all the functions we were looking for and it's simple to figure out and use. Having a dedicated contact person throughout the process has also made a big difference. Based on our experience I would definitely recommend this software to others!

Cons

Honestly I do not have many complaints but I would appreciate it if the team looked into giving users the option to choose different software themes. As far as I know there is currently only one theme available.

“powerful booking engine”

Pros

Right from the start it comes across as a very feature rich platform. It covers most of what you would expect from a dedicated Property Management System while also working really well as a powerful Booking Engine. The booking engine redesign last year made the online booking journey much stronger and created a very effective sales process for guests. The close partnership with STAAH also makes channel management integration quick and simple.

Cons

One area that still needs improvement is the accounting and invoicing side although they have been working on updating these modules over the past year. Their customer support team is genuinely lovely, extremely helpful and clearly knows the product inside out. Because they maintain such a high level of support response times can sometimes slow down during busier periods but they do always come back with a resolution.

“helpful support”

Pros

The platform felt user friendly from the beginning and we've really appreciated how flexible it is when it comes to building custom features that fit our business. The concierge team consistently does their best to understand what we need and come up with technical solutions that actually work in a practical everyday operational setting.

Cons

Like most software it can't be adapted to every possible need. Our company is based in Thailand so the time difference can sometimes make fast support a bit difficult though that's obviously not something they can really control.

“Reliable help”

Pros

Working with this team has been a very positive experience. They are open to adding new integrations or making improvements based on customer feedback which is the kind of flexibility you usually do not get from bigger companies. The platform helps automate important tasks and cuts down on manual work and it continues to improve through regular updates. Their support team responds very quickly, the system is dependable overall with no major problems and they clearly understand the challenges hotels deal with. They also provide useful tools and strategies to help increase direct bookings.

Cons

An area that still needs attention is usability especially reducing how many steps it takes to complete certain tasks or transactions. That said we have already seen encouraging progress in this area. At the beginning there was not much interaction from them and we were largely left to manage things on our own so it felt like we missed the chance to fully learn what else the product was capable of. More recently though that approach has changed and the support has become much more proactive.

“outstanding setup”

Pros

Running a business across both apartments and hotels in different regions with different tax requirements is complicated and this software handles it brilliantly. Once everything is configured properly, using it day to day feels very simple. It supports everything from daily operations to reporting and third party integrations like payment gateways, RMS and even a custom housekeeping app. It's definitely worth taking the time to carefully plan the full setup with their team (including marketing and automated communications) because that upfront effort saves countless hours every single week. Overall it's an excellent software platform backed by a really strong partnership.

Cons

Not much to complain about. We had a few concerns around design and usability before but those were resolved in one of their recent releases.

“best user friendly option”

Pros

Right from the start it has been very user friendly. We tried a lot of other providers before this and none of them came anywhere close to this software when it comes to the user experience.

Cons

The accountancy module still needs some improvement although it is currently being developed further. Their reps do a very good job of listening to end users and passing feedback on to the development team so they can create the right solution.

“reporting failures”

Pros

It simply doesn't work properly and ends up creating even more errors in reporting so there really aren't any positives to mention.

Cons

From the start the product failed at the basics. The Owners Report does not work and the system cannot even produce a simple room revenue report for one property across aibnb, booking.com and expedia. The demo may look convincing but when asked to show it live it falls apart. Their workaround for us was to manually adjust entries in the system just to get an accurate owner report. We were also told improvements would come but after 15 months of working with them nothing was fixed. Reporting has other major issues too. Dates are treated as text instead of actual dates and the system does not provide the number of nights stayed. On top of that every question seems to come with an extra charge of 150 pounds. If you want clarification on how the API works you pay. If you want to discuss development before anything is even built you pay for that too. I would also strongly avoid using them for a website. They rely on outdated tools and then charge extra later for upgrades. In 12 months we were not able to get a single client all the way to the final reservation page because of problems with their coding. The software is also inconsistent. In some printed reports a property appears as a description, in others as a short code and in others as the full name. We raised this several times and it was never corrected. Adding customers, owners and suppliers is far more complicated than it should be. To make matters worse not many partners seem willing to work with them because of their approach. We asked several companies about integrating with them and most refused outright.

“clean PMS with handy booking tools”

Pros

Using the software has been a pleasant experience overall especially because the interface feels clean and user friendly. Creating a reservation is quite simple and easy and changing a booking or extending a guest's stay is very convenient since it can be done just by dragging it back and forth. The connection with the channel manager is also a valuable feature.

Cons

The invoicing part of the PMS feels a little complicated compared to the rest of the system. Aside from that it's fairly simple to work with.

“direct booking features shine”

Pros

There's a wide range of functions that help establishments encourage guests to book directly.

Cons

It does take some time to fully get to grips with.

“Rude support and constant bugs”

Pros

The housekeeping list and the check in list were the only parts that worked well for us.

Cons

Customer service came across as rude and sarcastic which made every interaction frustrating. The PMS was extremely slow and full of bugs and whenever we reported a problem it usually took days before anything was fixed.

“constant disruptions and billing issues”

Pros

One thing it does offer is a guest arrivals and departures list. It also helps when checking booking history and reviewing the payment log which can be useful during audits to trace where a payment came from even if the booking history is not always completely accurate.

Cons

Service has been very frustrating with frequent interruptions and bookings showing up late in the system. Their solution was basically to tell us to enter bookings manually until they fixed it. The same thing happened with invoice integration and we were told to create invoices by hand instead. Things got even worse during one of their system upgrades. For an entire week we ended up overcharging customers and the only response we received was a simple apology with absolutely no compensation.

“ignored tickets”

Pros

At least there's finally a way to leave as long as you wait out the 6 month notice period.

Cons

Platform is full of bugs and when you report them support either ignores you or tries to make it sound like the problem is your fault. Their attitude comes across as rude and arrogant and they don't properly look into the issues people raise. Tickets often get a response months later only to be closed with a generic note saying they believe everything has been resolved even when it hasn't. Whenever there's a problem involving one of their integration partners they immediately blame the other side even when the issue is obviously theirs. Also they don't seem interested in taking user feedback seriously to improve the product.

“flexible owner and guest management”

Pros

Running a multi purpose property site means we need a system that can manage self catering rental accommodation, holiday ownership and exchange bookings all at once and this software handles that flexibility really well. It lets us work with both owners and guests at the same time which is essential for how our business operates. One feature we especially needed was the consecutive availability tracker and that has been working extremely well for us.

Cons

We're still waiting on a couple of add ons such as the ability to edit the dates or periods when an owner holds ownership.

“powerful tools for growing businesses”

Pros

Right from the start it offered a very complete range of features and reporting tools. The invoices look polished and professional which helps build more trust and confidence with my customers when they book my services. The booking engine also connects well with my website, payment gateway and channel manager which makes the setup very practical. The training suite is clear and user friendly especially in the early stages when you need something reliable to refer back to. Overall it's a strong option for growing and scaling a business without the trouble of switching to another provider later since it can support small, medium and larger operations alike.

Cons

One downside is that the deposit rules feel a little rigid and can be quite sensitive when bookings are amended which has sometimes resulted in customers being overcharged. Also correcting invoices is not always easy and can require help from the their concierge team.

“valuable support and slick booking”

Pros

Their representative has been a standout and truly deserves 5 stars! He has been incredibly valuable in helping us get the most from the system while also making sure our processes and procedures are structured properly. The platform also connects well with our website and gives our customers a polished booking experience and from what I've heard that side is set to improve even more.

Cons

At the moment making certain changes can still feel a bit clunky and manual although I've had a preview of the software and it looks amazing. There are also updates coming to the customer portal which should add a lot of value. One other downside is that there is often an added cost when needed changes have to be made but I realize that's fairly typical with most technology providers.

“Customised features”

Pros

Getting started with the system was very easy and it's been really user friendly from day one. It offers a wide range of features that fit our needs well (and other additional functions that we've found useful). Being able to use it on mobile phones, tablets and laptops from anywhere in the world has been ideal for the way we work.

Cons

There isn't much to complain about honestly. The only occasional issue has been the system slowing down at times mostly during upgrade periods.

“booking calendar shines”

Pros

Compared with other systems we've used before this one fits our needs much better because the back end management side is easy and simple to work with. The booking calendar has become incredibly valuable for us and overall the system isn't overloaded with unnecessary complexity, it just handles the job it's meant to do and it does it well. The onboarding and continued support have also been really strong. Our initial training was very detailed and by the end of it we felt confident not only in using the system but also in adapting it to work for our business. Whenever questions or issues come up they're handled quickly and the support team is always helpful, friendly and clearly knows the product well. That has been a big improvement compared with experiences we've had in the past.

Cons

A few parts of the accounting side still need work as it doesn't manage shortened bookings very well. Since we operate serviced apartments and usually take payment in advance that creates a problem for us (but it's also something we've run into with quite a few other systems)

“Good tools for property growth”

Pros

Very easy to start working with and running it day to day is simple as well. The support it provides is excellent for improving sales revenue and overall operations. It's also very user friendly when setting up and managing different kinds of properties, including sizes, bed types, pricing and availability. Features like the marketing tools, booking engine, distribution channel management and BI reports are genuinely useful for managing properties more effectively and helping them generate more profit and business value.

Cons

The rollout of local online payment platform integrations needs to happen faster so the full platform and all of its features can be used from the very beginning.

“outstanding occupancy”

Pros

Running a self catering complex with 12 holiday cottages meant I needed a system that could handle everything from short two day stays to bookings of three months or more. After a lot of research I chose this software and have been extremely happy with that decision. Since setting it up alongside a new website bookings have increased significantly with occupancy now exceeding 95% from April to October and around 90% across the full year. One of the biggest advantages is the automatic collection of two stage payments which has largely removed the need for manual involvement. The platform also offers great flexibility allowing me to define standard arrival and departure days as well as minimum and maximum stay lengths while still being able to adjust settings for individual cottages to fill gaps. Integration with Staah provides smooth two way connectivity with a wide range of relevant OTAs. The customer facing booking engine is polished and clearly guides users through the booking process while matching my website's branding, including the URL and SSL certification. The promotions tool is both flexible and easy to use and the Guest Lounge feature stands out as a unique benefit especially since many competitors don't offer anything similar. It also supports GDPR compliance by giving guests visibility into their personal data. The system is continually being upgraded and improved which is reassuring and customer service has been excellent. While the user guides and 'how to' videos could still be improved they are helpful overall.

Cons

A few areas could still be improved. It would be very helpful to have a mobile responsive system so working off site from an iPad or iPhone is easier. The back end property management side looks a little dated which doesn't really reflect the quality of the functions behind it. Making a manual reservation involves quite a lot of clicking between screens and the marketing tool doesn't feel as polished as it could. Still my understanding is that plans are already in place to improve most or all of these points which would be very welcome.

“Great customer service”

Pros

Being able to use it 100% retroactively is a huge advantage. The support team is incredibly fast and the system is very simple to manage and administer. Having our own IBE from the same company is also a big plus. Also if customers frequently request a feature they'll even develop it without charging extra which is impressive.

Cons

I can't point to any real downsides. There are only a few tiny details I'd change but those come down to my own personal preferences and habits more than anything else.