Three pricing models
- Per room per month. Common among cloud PMSs. Fair for small properties, expensive as you grow.
- Per property, tiered by size. A flat price that jumps at thresholds, for example 1 to 20 rooms, 21 to 50, 51 to 100.
- Flat per property. The same price whatever the size.
Worked example
Assume a per-room price of 5 per month, a common range in the market, against a flat price per property.
| Hotel size | Per room at 5 | Flat per property at 39 |
|---|---|---|
| 15 rooms | 75 / month | 39 / month |
| 80 rooms | 400 / month | 39 / month |
| 250 rooms | 1,250 / month | 39 / month |
Per-room pricing also means your software bill grows every time you add rooms, exactly when cash is tight after an expansion.
The add-ons that change the total
The headline price is rarely the price. Before comparing, ask for the total with:
- ●Channel manager: included, add-on, or third party?
- ●Booking engine and its commission, if any.
- ●Payment processing markups on top of the card fee.
- ●Extra users or extra properties.
- ●Onboarding and data migration fees.
- ●API access, sometimes reserved for enterprise tiers.
Contract terms matter as much as price
Annual contracts with automatic renewal and 90-day notice periods are common. A monthly plan you can cancel costs a bit more on paper and much less when the product disappoints.
For groups
Groups should ask for per-property volume pricing and one invoice for all properties. Seven invoices from the same vendor is an accounting cost of its own.
FrontDesk pricing
FrontDesk is 39 per property per month with every feature up to 49 rooms (Enterprise priced per room from 50), and the group plan steps down to 33 from 3 properties and 29 from 10, on one invoice. There is a 14-day free trial without a card. Details on the pricing page and side-by-side comparisons in compare.
Simple hotel property management software for independent hotels, chains and groups. 14 days free, no card.