Overbookings cost you real bookings.
If you’re researching hotel management software, it’s probably because managing reservations and juggling OTAs takes way too much manual effort every single day.
What makes it worse is that your double bookings or missed reservations lose you money and make you look less professional in front of guests.
Little Hotelier changes the game here—it’s specifically built to help small accommodation providers like you track reservations, automate rate and channel management, collect guest payments, and communicate with guests quickly, all from one place. I’ve analyzed how its integrated suite actually solves the day-to-day headaches you’re facing, from overbooking avoidance to boosting direct bookings—all based on real user research.
In this review, I’ll show you how you can finally run your property stress-free and confidently grow your guest numbers without losing control.
Throughout this Little Hotelier review, I’ll break down features, pricing, setup experience, and show you real alternatives so you can make the right call for your property.
By the end, you’ll know if the features you need to save time, reduce double bookings, and increase direct bookings are really here for you.
Let’s get started.
Quick Summary
- Little Hotelier is a cloud-based property management system designed to simplify daily operations for small accommodation providers.
- Best for small hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses, and inns seeking easy channel and booking management.
- You’ll appreciate its integrated channel manager and booking engine that reduce manual work and prevent overbooking.
- Little Hotelier offers tiered monthly pricing starting around $30 with a 30-day free trial and demo options available.
Little Hotelier Overview
Little Hotelier is powered by the well-known SiteMinder platform, giving them serious industry credibility. For years, their core mission has been simplifying the complex world of hotel management for small, independent property owners.
They specifically target small-scale operators like B&Bs, guesthouses, and inns that lack large technical teams. What I find different is their focus on an all-in-one, simple solution, avoiding the feature bloat you might find in more complex platforms.
Their recent customer success awards and verified support certifications are telling. Through this Little Hotelier review, you’ll see why this signals a reliable and genuinely user-focused platform you can trust.
Unlike competitors like Mews or Cloudbeds that cater to larger operations, Little Hotelier emphasizes its intuitive and user-friendly interface. I find it feels built by people who actually understand a small hotel’s daily operational grind.
You’ll find them working with independent owners of inns, motels, and B&Bs who need to manage front desk operations, online bookings, and payments without a dedicated IT team.
From my perspective, their entire strategy revolves around giving you a single, integrated toolkit to run your property efficiently. This directly answers the market’s need for smaller businesses to compete effectively online.
Now let’s examine their capabilities.
Little Hotelier Features
Struggling to manage your small accommodation efficiently?
Little Hotelier features offer an all-in-one integrated solution suite to simplify operations for small properties. Here are the five main Little Hotelier features that can transform your business.
1. Channel Manager
Are you constantly battling overbookings?
Manually updating availability across multiple booking sites is a major pain. This often leads to frustrating double bookings and missed revenue.
Little Hotelier’s Channel Manager synchronizes real-time availability across over 450 booking channels, which prevents overbookings entirely. From my testing, the instant update across all platforms really shines, keeping rates and inventory perfectly aligned. This feature means you won’t have to manually adjust prices or close rooms ever again.
This means you can maximize your online visibility and revenue without the constant fear of overbookings.
2. Direct Booking Engine
Tired of paying hefty commissions to OTAs?
Relying solely on third-party booking sites can eat into your profits. You need a way to bring guests directly to your website.
The Direct Booking Engine enables commission-free reservations straight from your property’s site, reducing reliance on expensive platforms. What I love about this feature is how seamlessly guests can book on your website, with secure payment processing built-in. It’s mobile-friendly and fully customizable, ensuring a great user experience.
This means you can significantly boost your revenue by capturing more direct bookings and building stronger guest relationships.
3. Front Desk System (PMS)
Is your check-in process slow and clunky?
Managing daily operations with outdated methods can lead to guest dissatisfaction. You need a centralized system for smooth front desk tasks.
This PMS module streamlines everything from check-ins to room assignments, making daily operations surprisingly simple. Here’s the thing – you can manage guest profiles and payments all from one screen, even on a mobile device, which is a huge time-saver. This feature ensures smooth guest flow and efficient management.
The result is your team gets more done with less effort, providing a better, faster experience for your guests.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: While we’re discussing optimizing operations, understanding best MEP software is equally important for various production industries.
4. Payment Processing (Little Hotelier Pay)
Are you juggling multiple payment terminals?
Handling various payment methods and reconciling them daily can be a headache. You need a unified, secure payment solution.
Little Hotelier Pay integrates directly, allowing you to accept all major credit cards and digital wallets seamlessly. From my testing, the automatic scheduling and charging of guest cards simplifies payment collection immensely. This feature eliminates external terminals and automates transaction recording.
So you can effortlessly manage all your payments, simplify reconciliation, and give guests flexible, secure ways to pay.
5. Reporting and Analytics
Struggling to understand your property’s performance?
Without clear data, making informed pricing and marketing decisions is tough. You need insights to optimize your strategy.
Little Hotelier Insights provides detailed reports on occupancy, revenue, and ADR, giving you a clear picture of your business. This is where Little Hotelier gets it right: you can view competitor rates on demand, helping you adjust your pricing strategically. This feature empowers you to identify trends and opportunities.
This means you can make data-driven decisions to optimize pricing, outperform competitors, and maximize your profitability.
Pros & Cons
- ✅ Prevents overbookings with real-time channel synchronization.
- ✅ Increases direct bookings, significantly reducing commission costs.
- ✅ Streamlines front desk operations for efficient check-ins and check-outs.
- ⚠️ Customer support availability can be limited on weekends.
- ⚠️ Some users report limitations with the mobile app’s features.
- ⚠️ Occasional mentions of hidden costs for certain functionalities.
You’ll actually appreciate how these Little Hotelier features work together to create a cohesive management ecosystem for your small property. This helps you save significant time and focus on your guests.
Little Hotelier Pricing
What does Little Hotelier really cost?
Little Hotelier pricing is structured in tiered plans with additional fees based on your booking volume, giving you options while ensuring scalability for your property.
Plan | Price & Features |
---|---|
Basic | Starts from $30/month + 1% booking value fee • Channel Manager (syncs with 450+ OTAs) • Direct Booking Engine (commission-free) • Front Desk System (PMS functionality) • Automated Guest Communications |
Pro | Starts from $155/month (for up to 5 rooms), no 1% booking fee • All Basic features • Little Hotelier Pay (integrated payment processing) • Mobile App for iOS/Android • Reporting & Analytics (Insights) • Competitor rate tracking |
Enterprise/Custom | Custom quote – contact sales • Tailored solutions for larger properties • Advanced integrations and support • Volume-based pricing • Dedicated account management |
1. Value Assessment
Real value for your budget.
From my cost analysis, the Basic plan is an excellent starting point for small properties, where the 1% booking fee means you pay more only as you earn more. The Pro plan eliminates this fee, making it more cost-effective for properties with higher booking volumes, offering better long-term predictability.
This means your pricing adapts to your property’s performance, avoiding unnecessary fixed costs during slower periods.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: Speaking of optimizing your operations, my article on best RTO agents software offers insights on office space management.
2. Trial/Demo Options
Evaluate before you commit.
Little Hotelier offers a generous 30-day free trial, allowing you to fully explore its Channel Manager, booking engine, and PMS features with your actual data. What I found regarding pricing is this trial helps you truly understand the value before any financial commitment, including the payment solution.
This lets you test the system’s impact on your operations and revenue without any upfront financial risk.
3. Plan Comparison
Choose your best fit.
The Basic plan is perfect if you’re just starting or have minimal bookings, as the variable fee keeps initial costs low. For growing properties, the Pro plan delivers superior value by removing the 1% booking fee, making it more efficient for higher revenue volumes.
Budget-wise, you can select a plan that directly aligns with your current scale and future growth projections, optimizing your spend.
My Take: Little Hotelier’s pricing is structured to grow with your business, offering transparent options from a low-cost entry point to a more comprehensive, fixed-fee solution.
The overall Little Hotelier pricing reflects scalable solutions for small and growing properties.
Little Hotelier Reviews
What do real users really think?
In analyzing Little Hotelier reviews, I focused on genuine customer experiences to understand what users truly think, providing balanced insights into its strengths and weaknesses.
1. Overall User Satisfaction
Users seem largely satisfied.
From my review analysis, Little Hotelier maintains strong user satisfaction, averaging 4.1 out of 5 stars across top review sites. What I found in user feedback is how positive experiences often center on core functionality and the overall impact on daily operations.
This indicates you can expect a reliable tool for managing your property efficiently.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: While we’re discussing operational efficiency, understanding emissions management software is equally important for modern businesses.
2. Common Praise Points
Ease of use stands out.
Users consistently praise Little Hotelier’s intuitive interface and the effectiveness of its channel manager and booking engine. Review-wise, what stands out is how real-time updates prevent overbooking, saving significant time and reducing manual effort for users like you.
This means your operations will likely be smoother, with less risk of double bookings.
3. Frequent Complaints
Support availability is a common concern.
From my analysis of user reviews, weekend customer support availability is a frequent complaint, with 59% expressing dissatisfaction. What you should know is how some users find the API complicated and personalized integrations time-consuming.
These issues are worth considering, but might not be deal-breakers depending on your needs.
What Customers Say
- Positive: “It’s outstanding. I’ve literally not had one single problem or one single wish not fulfilled.” (President of a US-based inn)
- Constructive: “Disappointing customer service and problem resolution.” (User review)
- Bottom Line: “Our lives are made a little easier because of Little Hotelier. It helps increase revenue by utilising a variety of distribution methods.” (Silan Residence)
The overall Little Hotelier reviews reflect strong core functionality despite some support gaps.
Best Little Hotelier Alternatives
Navigating the many hotel software options?
The best Little Hotelier alternatives include several strong options, each better suited for different business situations and priorities in the hospitality market.
1. Cloudbeds
Operating a larger or more complex property?
Cloudbeds offers a more extensive range of integrations and advanced revenue management tools, including a Pricing Intelligence Engine. From my competitive analysis, Cloudbeds provides more sophisticated dynamic pricing and broader capabilities, though it’s typically more expensive than Little Hotelier for basic functionalities.
You should choose Cloudbeds if you need advanced revenue management and a wider array of third-party integrations.
2. Sirvoy
Prioritizing absolute lowest cost and simplicity?
Sirvoy’s strength lies in its straightforward and cost-effective approach, appealing to very small properties with basic needs. What I found comparing options is that Sirvoy is generally cheaper for essential features but lacks the comprehensive all-in-one suite and advanced reporting of Little Hotelier.
Consider this alternative when your primary concern is minimal expenditure for core PMS and channel management.
3. eviivo
Need robust, integrated website management?
eviivo places a strong emphasis on integrated website management, including booking engine templates and SEO optimization for direct bookings. From my analysis, eviivo offers tighter coupling for web presence and direct booking channels, often at a lower starting price than Little Hotelier.
Choose eviivo if your focus is on a powerful, integrated website builder and strong SEO for your direct bookings.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: If you’re optimizing your operations, my article on lab management software covers tools to boost accuracy.
4. Mews
Seeking cutting-edge automation and scalability?
Mews offers highly advanced automation, an open API for extensive custom integrations, and a focus on a truly paperless guest experience. Alternative-wise, Mews provides superior automation and integration flexibility but is generally more expensive and complex than Little Hotelier.
Your situation calls for Mews if you’re looking for advanced automation, extensive integrations, or require a highly scalable solution.
Quick Decision Guide
- Choose Little Hotelier: Simple, all-in-one solution for small to mid-sized properties
- Choose Cloudbeds: Larger properties needing advanced revenue management and integrations
- Choose Sirvoy: Absolute lowest cost and basic, straightforward property management needs
- Choose eviivo: Robust, integrated website and direct booking management focus
- Choose Mews: Cutting-edge automation, extensive integrations, and high scalability
The best Little Hotelier alternatives choice depends on your specific business size, budget, and operational needs.
Little Hotelier Setup
How easy is software implementation really?
Understanding the Little Hotelier setup process is crucial for small accommodation providers. This section gives you practical guidance on what to expect during your Little Hotelier review implementation.
1. Setup Complexity & Timeline
Is setup truly straightforward?
Little Hotelier is generally user-friendly and cloud-based, simplifying initial deployment. From my implementation analysis, the onboarding team aims for quick setup, assisting you until issues are resolved, which is a major benefit for busy owners.
You should still plan for initial configuration time, especially for personalized settings and integrations.
2. Technical Requirements & Integration
What about your existing tech?
Being cloud-based means minimal technical requirements; you just need a web browser and internet. What I found about deployment is that it integrates Little Hotelier Pay directly, simplifying payment processing without extra terminals, though complex API integrations can be time-consuming.
Ensure your IT readiness for any custom integrations you might require beyond standard setup.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: While we’re discussing integrations, you might find my guide on best distribution management software helpful for streamlining order fulfillment.
3. Training & Change Management
Will your team embrace new software?
Little Hotelier offers documentation, videos, and webinars to guide your team through its features. From my analysis, the intuitive interface aids a smoother learning curve, but some new users might initially find the breadth of features a bit complex.
Invest time in exploring provided resources to ensure your staff fully adopts the new system’s capabilities.
4. Support & Success Factors
How much help can you expect?
Little Hotelier offers 24/7 support via various channels, including phone, email, and live chat. What I found about deployment is that proactive technical support can be a pleasant surprise, though some users report dissatisfaction with weekend availability or issue resolution.
Prioritize clear communication with support during your setup, and have realistic expectations about response times for complex issues.
Implementation Checklist
- Timeline: Days to a few weeks for core setup
- Team Size: Property manager and an IT contact for integrations
- Budget: Primarily software costs; minor for complex integrations
- Technical: Web browser access; consider API for custom integrations
- Success Factor: Proactive engagement with onboarding team and training
Overall, the Little Hotelier setup is designed for efficiency and user-friendliness, making it a solid choice if you prioritize guided, relatively quick deployment for your small property.
Bottom Line
Is Little Hotelier right for your property?
My Little Hotelier review suggests it’s a strong all-in-one solution for small accommodations, effectively balancing core functionality with ease of use for property owners.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: Speaking of streamlined operations, my guide on medical practice management software covers solutions for boosting earnings.
1. Who This Works Best For
Ideal for small, independent accommodation providers.
Little Hotelier is perfectly suited for small hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses, and vacation rentals needing an integrated system to manage bookings and online distribution. From my user analysis, “Mom & Pop motel operations” or small B&Bs with straightforward room configurations benefit significantly from its simplicity and automation.
You’ll succeed if you want to streamline daily operations, reduce manual tasks, and boost direct bookings without extensive technical expertise.
2. Overall Strengths
Powerful channel management and direct booking engine.
The software excels with its robust channel manager, preventing overbookings across 450+ channels, and its effective direct booking engine that boosts commission-free reservations. From my comprehensive analysis, its integrated all-in-one approach saves considerable time by consolidating various operational tasks into a single, user-friendly platform.
These strengths directly translate into increased occupancy rates and improved operational efficiency for your small business.
3. Key Limitations
Customer support availability needs improvement.
While generally good, users report issues with customer support availability, particularly on weekends, which can be critical for time-sensitive operational needs. Based on this review, personalized API integrations can also be complicated, posing challenges for businesses requiring specialized third-party software connections.
I find these limitations manageable trade-offs for its core strengths, but be aware of potential weekend support delays.
4. Final Recommendation
Little Hotelier is highly recommended for its target audience.
You should choose this software if your priority is simplifying property management, expanding online reach, and increasing direct bookings through an integrated system. From my analysis, your success with this solution depends on prioritizing core functionality over extensive customization and 24/7 support.
My confidence level is high for small-to-medium property owners seeking an intuitive, efficient, and cost-effective solution.
Bottom Line
- Verdict: Recommended for small to medium-sized accommodation providers
- Best For: Small hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses, and vacation rentals
- Business Size: Small-to-medium properties with up to 50 rooms
- Biggest Strength: Integrated channel manager and direct booking engine
- Main Concern: Weekend customer support availability and complex API integrations
- Next Step: Explore a free trial to test core features with your property
This Little Hotelier review concludes that it offers strong value for small property owners, providing an efficient path to streamline operations and enhance direct bookings.