Octorate

Pros

Basic channel manager side does its job and syncing availability and reservations across OTAs like booking.com and airbnb is usually dependable.

Cons

Support and accountability were practically nonexistent. For weeks I was either ignored or given the wrong information and nobody ever took real ownership or provided a clear solution. Communication was all over the place. I ended up dealing with several different people, none of them followed through properly and they often gave conflicting answers. There were constant promises that things would be ready "tomorrow" or "soon" but those commitments never turned into anything. The booking widgets are terrible as well with an outdated and clunky design that feels completely out of place on a modern website. They also couldn't point me to even one good looking live website using their system which says plenty on its own. In the end it cost me more than six weeks during peak season just trying to get basic API access which meant wasted time and lost revenue.

Pros

The software is fairly comprehensive and (about more than two years ago) it was the all in one solution I needed for my two guesthouses

Cons

Real issue is the support. It has gotten much worse over time. In the beginning it was efficient: you could call and they would connect you directly with the technical team. Then they moved to appointments and that already became a problem because when your PMS is half blocked you need the issue fixed immediately. After that support shifted to chat and instead of helping quickly they often ask for screenshots. That would be fine in itself but many of the problems are recurring and always the same. Tonight on a Sunday, the PMS is down. I have last minute bookings and I can't figure out which room is available. Naturally I can't register the guest documents on time and neither the radar nor the receipt system works. I emailed support and got nothing back: after two hours there was still no reply and the PMS was still down. In fact even the read emergency system is no longer loading. It's a shame because this is pushing me to look for another complete suite and waste more time on switching and new training.

Pros

The initial setup was easy and the interface graphics are very well designed.

Cons

However after 2 years of using it I ran into countless problems and the list feels endless. Support is practically absent and extremely hard to reach. I once had to postpone a EUR2000 quote for 9 hours just waiting for a technician to reply about an issue that takes only 2 clicks to solve but unfortunately I'm not an expert. There's no phone number to call so you end up wasting a lot of time dealing with a bot. I also had issues with the automatic connection to the police system for reporting guest names so I would never rely on any automatic synchronization. And when they finally responds the answer is basically that it's not their problem. On top of that if something isn't clear during the setup phase (and when the sales team is VERY available online) you have to pay extra just to get explanations.