Octorate Reviews

“weeks of broken promises

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 The booking widgets are terrible as well with an outdated and clunky design that feels completely out of place on a modern website.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.

“complete suite, declining support

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.

“Professional team!

Pros

It's hard to point to just one thing because the overall impression has been really positive. I'd say the platform feels accessible, capable and simple to use and the sales team has been friendly and professional throughout!

Cons

I'm not sure what to put here. I really don't have anything specific to complain about and I feel a bit uncomfortable trying to come up with a negative point just for the sake of answering :/

“support is nearly nonexistent

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.

“Powerful option for independent properties

Pros

It's an excellent choice for independent hotels and vacation rental properties. It includes everything needed to enter the market with a very practical tool plus the extra features it offers add even more value.

Cons

I still need to verify how price reductions move from PriceLabs into this software and then on to the OTAs to make sure everything is precise and accurate. Based on what I've seen so far the numbers don't quite add up so I want to double check it.

“Always available support

Pros

Using this has been a really positive experience for me. Whenever there's any issue in the chat everything gets sorted out very quickly.

Cons

The product is very simple to use and customer support is always available and so I have no cons to report.

“promises without real reliability

Pros

On paper it seems to offer almost everything needed to manage vacation apartments. Whether those features actually work properly is a completely different story.

Cons

Using the software is complicated and property information is scattered in different sections so there is no single complete property page where you can check all the details at once. The Airbnb connection caused countless issues including: the calendar being blocked even though it showed as available in the channel, tourist taxes disappearing which led to bookings being paid without the tax and therefore caused financial loss, extra charges disappearing, photos being flipped upside down after syncing and finally errors in translating listing texts into other languages. Apart from that there were repeated synchronization attempts that either failed or got stuck. Support works mainly by asking for screenshots and sending links to generic help pages. They were polite but every single issue required opening a new chat and each chat was handled by a different agent. If you did not reply quickly (even around 8 in the evening) they would close the case and you had to start all over again with someone else. Overall the whole support process felt disorganized and unnecessarily complicated. The app was basically unusable both because of how the calendar was displayed and because it allowed very little else to be managed. After a month of losing hours every day and having connected only 4 of my 15 properties (not even completely) I reported all these problems to the national contact person with plenty of evidence from my many support conversations and was essentially told that it was probably my fault.

“Wasted time and costly mistakes

Pros

They ended up costing me a lot of time and money.

Cons

After it messed up my calendar it caused double bookings and left me paying compensation to relocate guests. I also lost my Superhost status for a year because I had to cancel those duplicated reservations they created. Now they're acting clueless just to avoid taking responsibility and compensating me for the damage.

“Immediate start and continued use

Pros

We started using it out of simple curiosity and getting up and running was so easy that we never really stopped using it afterward.

Cons

Every now and then we run into a few gaps or system bugs but with the help of their support team or consultants we've always managed to solve everything.

“perfect integration

Pros

It integrates perfectly with all the system's features and works really well overall.

Cons

There aren't any particular issues to report and the support team is always ready to help whenever there's a question or doubt.

“works well after setup

Pros

It's a PMS that helps with guest communication and for smaller properties it can be a good fit. Once everything is configured it works fairly well.

Cons

The system feels complex and a bit cryptic and without support it's very hard to get it set up properly.

“Excellent pricing

Pros

Very simple to use and the features and integrations included are really useful! the price is excellent!

Cons

I've never had any particular issues but even if something were to come up the support team is excellent and always available to solve problems and help with the setup.

“Comprehensive service

Pros

This software provides a complete service! The interface is excellent and the customer support team is always incredibly helpful and available.

Cons

Nothing really, everything has been perfect! If I had to mention one small thing it would be slightly faster responses in the chat are needed.

“versatile platform

Pros

It's very simple to use, the interface looks polished and overall it feels both versatile and powerful.

Cons

I haven't come across any issues while using the product.

“all booking tasks covered

Pros

I appreciate having software that handles every aspect of a reservation in one place.

Cons

It's fairly simple to use and the app is really pactical for managing things while away from the office so you can always keep everything under control.

“Direct bookings

Pros

Running a guesthouse from scratch would have been much harder without this software. It helps me handle in just a few minutes a lot of tasks that would otherwise take up so much time: sending guest registration forms to the police, filling in ISTAT data, preparing quarterly and yearly reports for the tourist tax, electronic invoicing, guest communications and all those administrative duties that need to stay under control so you do not run into problems during inspections. I really cannot do without it anymore. The part I appreciate most is the support team: the people working there are wonderful and always ready to help whenever I have questions. Since I turned my home into a guesthouse starting from zero this software has helped me understand some of the more complicated parts of the job and offer a better service to my guests. In just one year thanks to the website integrated with it I managed to shift 20% of my bookings away from Booking.com into direct reservations. I know that because it is right there on the softwares dashboard every time I log in: 20% direct bookings. Not bad at all.

Cons

At the beginning it took me a little while to understand how to reach support since I needed to open the chat from inside the program. At first that felt difficult also because technology tends to intimidate me. With some time and a bit of help from my son it eventually became as familiar as using Facebook.

“reliable and user friendly platform

Pros

It's very easy to use, runs without errors and the technical support has been very good whenever needed.

Cons

Honestly nothing has really been a problem for us. Everything seemed good overall maybe just the direct website could be improved a bit.

“complete and indispensable tool

Pros

Using this software has been a real advantage for my small business. It's very accessible and easy (yet still complete), useful and full of detail. It has helped me make my daily work much more professional and now I manage all operations from it while also keeping efficiency under control. It truly feels like a complete and indispensable tool. I also have to compliment the support team: they are dedicated, kind and highly professional. Top quality!

Cons

The mobile app version still doesn't match the level of the desktop product. That said I'm confident they're already working on it and I expect we'll see another top level improvement very soon.

“Quick support

Pros

It offers a wide range of features that cover both the commercial and operational management needs of an accommodation business. The system feels flexible and simple to use and the support team is always quick to help whenever needed.

Cons

I consider it an excellent product and it's clear they keep working on improving it over time.

“powerful platform

Pros

The software really stands out for its design, versatility and overall functions. It feels well built and gives me the tools I need in a practical and efficient way.

Cons

The only weak point is the team's technical support during weekends which could be more responsive and available.

“Accessible tools and standout support

Pros

Over the past few years it has grown in a really impressive way while still keeping pricing more convenient than many comparable channel managers. The system is simple and easy to use and the calendar for marking events is very useful. The Booking Engine is excellent and there are plenty of features that make things much clearer and more manageable for hosts. Customer Care has been outstanding by both email and phone. It's especially reassuring that the same person (who already knows you and understands your issues) is usually the one who replies. The sales team is also excellent by email and phone always available when needed. I would absolutely recommend it 100%.

Cons

I don't see anything that needs improvement at the moment. The channel manager keeps evolving every day and whenever they introduce something new they notify you and provide very helpful video tutorials that clearly explain each new feature.

“feature rich and well connected

Pros

They integrate with practically everyone and they regularly roll out useful new features.

Cons

Sometimes new features are released a little rough around the edges but they usually fix everything within a few days.

“complete and always updated

Pros

It connects well with the main OTAs in the industry, stays constantly updated and offers a very complete set of features.

Cons

At the beginning switching from the old channel manager was a bit challenging but the team's availability made the whole process faster and simpler.

“Great channel manager and connectivity

Pros

For the past two years we've been using thei technology with several hotels we work with and the experience has been very positive. It has allowed small independent hotels to access a really strong channel manager with all the features we need and connections to every channel that matters to us. The booking engine is also very solid and the integration with metasearch platforms is a major advantage nowadays. It's very simple to use and both our team and our clients are very happy with the product as well as the service.

Cons

There are always things that can be improved especially since technology moves so quickly. The booking engine still has some areas that could be refined although when we've requested changes they have made those adjustments for us.

“Excellent value and OTA connectivity

Pros

Compared with other options we looked at in this price range this softwae offers excellent value for the features included. In our case the OTA connectivity has worked really well. It's easy to use and more importantly it gives us more flexibility than many competing products when it comes to configuring rooms and rates.

Cons

The reporting side still feels quite limited even though it has improved a bit over the last two months. The system only provides very basic information for analysis and some of the statistics it generates are inaccurate.