20. October 2025

Thinking about buying a hotel automation platform? Here's how to choose the right one.

Forgive us for stating the obvious, but hotel operations are a tough thing to get right. You're expected to deliver guest satisfaction, fast turnarounds, and smooth service across teams; often with fewer hands on deck. 

Automation is one of the most powerful ways to keep things moving – easing pressure on your team, reducing mistakes, and helping everyone work smarter – but there are more tools available now than ever before. With choice comes complexity, and the knowledge that choosing the wrong platform can cost time, money, and trust.

Here's what to consider before you commit.

What makes a platform the wrong fit?

Not all automation platforms are designed the same way. Some will suit your hotel, others won’t, and the difference isn't always obvious at first glance. Let’s take a look:

Built for someone else’s hotel, not yours

Some platforms are built for big chains with complex organisational structures and in-house IT teams. They might offer powerful features, but will also have steep learning curves, long onboarding processes, and extra layers of functionality. For an independent or seasonal hotel with leaner teams and tighter margins, that kind of complexity can be overwhelming, and even counterproductive.

Designed for desktops, not people on the move

Then there’s the question of who’s actually using the platform. If your staff are on their feet all day, managing room turns, logging maintenance issues, and juggling guest requests, they need a system that works with them, not one that forces them to slow down and sit at a screen. 

Beautiful interfaces don’t guarantee daily use

Some tools look impressive but have clunky day-to-day usability. If your team finds it easier to fall back on WhatsApp, radios, or hallway conversations, that’s a red flag. Adoption is everything; if the platform doesn't feel natural to use, getting your team to switch will be an uphill battle.

Doesn't integrate with your tech stack

If a platform doesn’t integrate easily with your PMS or other core systems, it’ll create friction. True automation should run seamlessly in the background, to the point where it’s almost invisible. If you’re having to manually transfer data between tools or switch between different platforms, you’re just creating more work for yourself.

Here’s the reality: a platform can look great on paper but still be the wrong fit. The key is knowing what to look for.

What actually matters when choosing a platform

When you're comparing automation platforms, focus on these real-world priorities:

Mobile-first design: hotel staff are often on the move. If they can’t use the platform quickly and clearly while working, it won’t become part of their daily flow.

Support for cross-team collaboration: housekeeping, maintenance, and the front desk are all part of the same guest experience. Your tools should reflect that, not split their workflows apart.

Smart workflows: true automation means the platform handles repetitive logic, assigns tasks automatically, and reduces the need for chasing.

Low-friction onboarding and solid support: the first 30 days, at least, should be high-touch. You’ll need someone guiding your team, and to know what happens if you get stuck later down the line.

Designed for everyone: the platform should make sense for people who are new, busy, or not fluent in your primary language. Icons, colors, and simplicity matter more than sleek interfaces.

Tangible guest experience improvements: the best hotel tech will make your life behind the scenes easier, which, in turn, will improve how smoothly guests are served and problems are solved.

If that sounds like a lot to keep in mind, don’t worry. We’ve put together ten key questions that’ll help when doing your research.

10 questions to help you find the right hotel automation platform

Can tasks be automatically assigned based on real-time events like early check-outs? This keeps your teams moving without needing a manager to reassign everything manually.

Can your departments all work within the same tool? If housekeeping and maintenance can’t collaborate in the same space, things will fall through the cracks.

Is it truly mobile-first, not just mobile-accessible? The best platforms are designed from the ground up for use on the floor, not retrofitted from desktop software.

Will your staff be able to use it confidently without hours of training? Time spent training is time off the floor. If the system isn’t intuitive, adoption will suffer.

Will it cut down on radios, WhatsApps, and hallway updates? The tool should reduce complexity, not add another layer to already scattered communication channels.

Is the interface simple and accessible for everyone? Visual cues like icons, color codes, and support for multiple languages help your whole team feel confident.

Can routine workflows (like inspections or follow-ups) be automated? Look for a tool that does the thinking for you where appropriate. This frees your team to focus on service, not admin.

Does it integrate with your existing PMS and core hotel tools? If it doesn’t connect, you’ll end up duplicating work or losing important information.

What does onboarding and ongoing support really look like? Think beyond the sales call. Who’s there when you hit a wall two weeks in? Or when you onboard seasonal staff?

Can you clearly link the tool to a better guest experience? Whether it’s faster check-ins, cleaner rooms, or fewer service delays, the impact should show up in guest reviews.

Feeling clearer? Let’s take a look at where Sweeply fits into all this.

Where Sweeply shines: the workflows and priorities we’re built for

Now, all this advice hasn’t come from nowhere. Instead, it’s been gained from years of building a hotel automation platform of our own. If you’ll give us a minute to introduce ourselves, we’d love to show you what we can do.

Sweeply is built around the realities of hotel life: fast-paced, on the move, and team-driven. For teams working on the move, our mobile-first interface is easy to learn, fast to navigate, and designed to support action. Whether you’re checking tasks, updating room status, or logging maintenance, it all happens in seconds, not hours.

In fact, one of our customers at Íslandshótel, Iceland, recently commented that "the introduction of Sweeply has lightened our workload, bringing genuine satisfaction and joy to our staff”. We were pretty happy with that one!

Keeps teams in sync 

If your hotel relies on tight coordination between departments, Sweeply makes that communication automatic. Housekeeping flags an issue? It’s sent straight to maintenance. A guest requests a late checkout? The change is reflected instantly, and the cleaning team is updated without needing to check in manually or pick up a post-it note from the front desk. 

That’s exactly what happened to The Views hotel in Madeira: "It took us about three days… by the fourth day, people were comfortable. After a month, we stopped paper completely”. No post-its = winning. We’re sure you agree.

Less chasing and more doing

For hotels focused on doing more with less, Sweeply’s automated workflows cut out repetition. You define the rules and Sweeply takes care of the rest: assigning tasks, triggering inspections, and flagging follow-ups so nothing gets missed.

And the result of all this behind-the-scenes efficiency? Sweeply helps you deliver smoother service to guests by reducing delays, miscommunication, and last-minute surprises. Now that’s a result.

Every hotel runs differently. That’s why we tailor every demo to your setup. We’ll walk you through Sweeply in real time, show how it connects to your workflows, and answer anything you want to throw at us. Book a demo and let’s take a look together.