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The best hotel POS system is Toast, thanks to its built-in reservation features and effective loyalty program tools for incentivizing customers. On top of that, we found Toast to be one of the easiest to use POS system across our research, making it perfect for beginners that aren’t entirely familiar with the technology.
Toast obviously isn’t the only option when it comes to the best POS systems on the market, though. In fact, there are plenty of top tier solutions that will mesh well with your hotel needs, providing the tools you need to manage guests, take reservations, and engage customers.
In this guide, you’ll learn about the best POS systems for hotels, including how much they cost, what they can do, and what kind of hotels are the best fit for particularly solutions.
Key Takeaways
- We ranked Toast the best POS system for hotels because of its ability to handle complex operations, and its built-in reservation and customer loyalty features
- Square is a solid alternative for hotel businesses looking to grow, and Clover is recommended for businesses looking for high-quality hardware options
- Lightspeed is another great choice for driving repeat business and we recommend TouchBistro for its user-friendly front-end and back-end
- Hotels should consider factors such as their size, budget, marketing requirements, and internet infrastructure when choosing a POS system
- We tested 16 different POS systems based on elements such as features, pricing, and usability
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What Are the Best Hotel POS Systems?
Hotels are multifaceted businesses with lots of moving parts. Luckily, POS systems can streamline operations by helping staffers carry out several tasks, including managing room reservations, taking payments from guests, tracking stock levels, and more.
Based on the results of our rigorous data analysis and user testing, these are the best hotel POS systems the market has to offer.
- Toast – Best for hotels with complex operations
- Square – Best for growing your hotel
- Clover – Best for high quality hardware
- Lightspeed – Best for driving repeat guests
- TouchBistro – Best for ease of use
Why Should You Trust Us?
The Tech.co team pours hundreds of hours into researching the best POS systems because it’s the only way to ensure we’re providing our readers with the most accurate, up-to-date information possible.
We’ve spoken to daily POS users working in restaurants, hotels, bars, and retail shops, and we have tested out more than 20 point-of-sale platforms ourselves, paying close attention to everything from the quality and feel of the hardware to how easy the software is to use, to help you make a clear decision for your business needs.
Head over to our methodology section to learn more about our product review process, which is one of the reasons more than one million users consult our articles every month.
1. Toast — Best for Hotels with Complex Operations
- Starting price: $69 per month
- Free plan: Yes
Toast is the best POS for hotels, largely because it can handle a wide range of complex operations. Advanced reservation tools like that allow owners to control flow, block reservations, and view cost/profit management reports are built directly into the platform. We also found that features like automatic tip sharing and mobile ordering really enabled us to manage the kinds of complicated requests that come with hotel ownership.
Check out our Toast review to learn more
Pros
- Built-in customer engagement and loyalty program features
- Excellent inventory management tools like stock alerts
- Support for tableside ordering and payment
Cons
- No iOS compatibility
- No social media or email support
- No ecommerce app market integration
- Point of sale plan with prices starting from $69/month
- Customizable starter kits available
- Free Pay-as-you-go plan available
- Transaction fee: 2.49% + 15¢
Another bright spot for Toast is that it offers excellent customer engagement functionality, allowing for an additional layer of marketing. We were able to create loyalty programs with set spends and point systems with ease. With loyal customers more likely to stay at hotels for longer, and up their spend, strong customer loyalty tools like Toast’s should be a top priority for hoteliers.
The engagement features suggested campaigns to help us attract more customers. Source: Tech.co testing
Toast was also notably quite easy to use, mostly thanks to the in-depth tutorial that walked us through the setup process, step by step. In fact, we found the entire back-end experience to be particularly intuitive, so beginners should feel comfortable adapting to Toast at your hotel.
“You can’t fault a platform which pretty much has everything and actually it’s very very simple and simplistic” – A member of Tech.co’s user testing team
The system has a useful search functionality as well, which helped our testers locate features quickly without having to spend lots of time figuring things out. This gives Toast’s user experience a leg up over Square, as the POS does not currently offer this capability.
The dual screen for Toast makes customer interaction easier for your business. Source: Tech.co testing
Most suitable for:
- Full-service hotels that handle complex operations
- Hotel with accompanying bars and restaurants
- Hotels with large product inventories
Less suitable for:
- Hotels that require retail-specific features
- Users who rely heavily on customer support
- Hotels that want to integrate their POS with iOS hardware
Toast pricing
Toast does have a free plan – although it might be a bit too limited for hotels, notably not having access to the team management features that allow for scheduling and tip sharing. Luckily, the $69 per month plan isn’t terribly expensive, with transaction fees at 3.5% + $0.15. Check out how the pricing plans match up below:
| Plan | Price Monthly cost of the software. | Best for | Transaction fees | Benefits | |
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| Small, single location food vendors, and mobile sellers | Established food and beverage businesses | Large or complex food and beverage establishments | |||
| 3.09% | 2.49% + 15¢ | 3.5% + $0.15 | |||
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If you like Toast, you may also like…
- TouchBistro, if you’re after a feature-rich iPad-based hotel POS system
- Square, if you run a smaller hotel or lodging and don’t require tons of advanced features
2. Square — Best POS for Growing Your Hotel
- Starting price: $60 per month
- Free plan: Yes
Square is one of the biggest names in the POS industry, and for good reason. The point of sale is feature-rich and extremely cost-effective, making it perfect for smaller lodgings like inns, B&Bs, hostels, and motels that want to grow into larger businesses. Our research suggests it’s the strongest system for retail businesses, restaurants, and the best POS for bars too, which is a pretty impressive feat.
Pros
- Completely free plan available
- Stylish and popular hardware options
- Excellent mobile ordering features for customers
- 24/7 phone support available for most users
Cons
- Limited cost management and inventory tracking features
- 3.5% + 15¢ charge for keyed-in transactions
- Support options vary by plan
- Free to install
- No monthly fees, charges transaction fees instead
- 2.6% + 10c fees for card transactions
But this reasonable price tag doesn’t mean Square won’t meet the needs of hotels. For instance, the POS offers lots of hotel-friendly features like “Square Appointments”, which lets users manage bookings and take payments for services.
Square’s hardware is also, in our opinion, some of the sleekest in the industry. First impressions matter – an ancient-looking POS terminal can make even the most stylish reception desks look dated, and Square is the only provider that can keep up with Clover when it comes to aesthetics.
Check out our Square POS review to learn more
The Square calendar makes it easy to schedule staff and find times that work. Image: Tech.co testing
When we tested Square out, we found it took quite a long time to search for specific features, like advanced payment splitting tools. This wasn’t helped by the fact that there wasn’t a search bar to access features quickly. Despite this, some functions like adding items to a tab and customizing floor plans were very simple, suggesting that the POS will be useful for hotels with accompanying cafes or bars.
What’s more, we didn’t think Square’s till features were very versatile, making it less suitable for hotels that require specific payment and ordering functions. However, with the system producing one of the best app stores we’ve reviewed, and Square’s support team available 24/7, we reckon this setback can be overlooked pretty easily.
Square’s 2nd generation iPad stand is more reliable than previous models, and is even able to operate offline. Source: SquareUp
Most suitable for:
- Smaller lodgings like B&Bs and motels
- Businesses that want to get started for free
- Hotels that manage appointments
Less suitable for:
- Full-service hotels that require very specific POS features
- Hotels with large accompanying restaurants
- Hotels after ultra-low card processing fees
Square POS pricing
A major reason Square deserves these accolades is because of its affordability. Square offers a generous free plan with all the features smaller hotels need to get started, like basic stock tracking and sales reporting.
Square’s paid POS pricing plans start at $60 per month, and its transaction fees, which we list below, aren’t as low as other systems.
- 2.6% + 10 cents of each card-based sale
- 3.5% + 15 cents for each keyed-in transaction
- 2.9% + 30 cents for online sales
To learn more about Square’s pricing model you can check out our Square POS pricing review, or compare its plans in the table below:
| Plan | Price Monthly cost of the software. | Best for | Transaction fees | Benefits | |
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| Small, mobile food and beverage vendors | Established food and beverage businesses | Business with more than five locations | Growing retail businesses | Established brick-and-motor retail stores | |
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| Custom transaction fees when you contact sales | |
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If you like Square, you may also like…
- Clover, if you’re able to invest slightly more in dedicated hardware and software hotel POS packages
- SpotOn, if you want to get started with a free hardware plan
Learn more about the free Square alternative in our SpotOn POS review.
3. Clover — Best for High Quality Hardware
- Starting price: $14.95 per month
- Free plan: No
Making a good impression can go a long way when it comes to hotels. With Clover, you’re getting some of the highest quality, professional hardware that will ensure that your team isn’t fumbling over a display in front of your guests.
Check out our Clover POS review to learn more
Pros
- Top-of-the-line hardware options for users
- Many features for staff and order efficiency
- In-depth and customizable analytics system
Cons
- High up-front cost for hardware
- Additional features cost extra and can become expensive
- No automated tip sharing tools
- Cheapest plan is $14.95/month
- Cheapest Restaurant plan is $179/month for 36 months
- Offers 'Quick-Service' & 'Full Service' dining plans
For one, Clover offers POS terminals that operate with LTE connectivity. That means that even if your Wi-Fi goes out for some reason, you’ll still be able to get your guests checked in and out of their rooms.
On top of that, Clover offers fingerprint scanning technology for quick and easy staff logins and haptic feedback on devices to cut back on errors. All that to say, Clover is top-of-the-line when it comes to hardware.
The Clover Customers page offers options to customize data for your patrons. Image: Tech.co testing
The software isn’t too shabby either, with an intuitive, straightforward interface in the backend that can provide robust analytics like stock alerts and profit tracking. With most hotels managing multiple forms of revenue, these tools are essential for helping business owners track their lodging’s performance over time, and identify areas to boost profitability.
Plus, the front end is particularly equipped for fast-paced environments thanks to the responsive displays. One user tester in particular commended Clover for its “simple” and “modern” interface, and how easy it was to gain insights from performance reports.
Clover was found to offer the best hardware options in our research. Source: Tech.co testing
Most suitable for:
- Full-service hotels after professional hardware
- Hotels that want to retain loyal customers
- Hotels building a hardware setup from scratch
Less suitable for:
- Hotels with pre-existing hardware
- Businesses wanting low or free start-up costs
- Hotels that all sell services online
Clover pricing
Unlike many options on this list, Clover doesn’t offer a free plan, but the $14.95 per month starting price for its Professional Services Starter plan – which lets you manage business processes and take payments through a web browser – isn’t too steep.
However, that price doesn’t give you access to the hardware, though, nor the advanced analytics features. For that, you’ll need to opt for an industry-specific hardware and software bundle.
The price you’ll pay will depend on your needs, and which hotel function you’ll be using it to manage. For example, prices for its retail package start at $16 per month for 36 months, while prices for its full-service restaurant package start at $179 per month for 36 months.
Check out our table below for more clarity on the provider’s pricing, or check out our Clover POS pricing guide.
| Plan | Price Monthly cost of the software. | Best for | Transaction fees | Software plan | Hardware | 24/7 live support | |||||
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| Kiosks and market stalls | Small stores | Mid-side to large stores | Food trucks and pop-ups | Small counter service food businesses | Counter service restaurants | Small full-service restaurants | Tableside service restaurants | Mid-size to large full service restaurants | Sole traders and mobile personal service businesses | Small personal services businesses | Mid-side to large service businesses |
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| Payments | Retail Growth | Retail Growth | Restaurant Growth | Restaurant Growth | Restaurant Growth | Restaurant Growth | Restaurant Growth | Restaurant Growth | Payments | Services Growth | Services Growth |
| Compact terminal system with 3.6″ screen with built-in receipt printer |
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| Compact terminal system with 3.6″ screen and built-in receipt printer |
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If you like Clover, you may also like…
- Square, if you run a simple lodging like a model or B&B, and want to avoid hefty start-up fees
- Toast, if you’re in need of advanced employee management capabilities like automated tip-sharing tools
4. Lightspeed — Best for Driving Repeat Guests
- Starting price: $69 per month
- Free plan: No
Lightspeed offers one of the strongest inventory management toolkits on the market, with the POS boasting a number of specialist features like waste management, low stock alerts, and automatic replacements.
Check out our Lightspeed POS review to learn more
Pros
- Entirely tablet-based system for better mobility
- Excellent customer engagement and loyalty tools
- Automatic offline functionality
Cons
- Exclusively tablet-based, so no hardware options available
- No automated tip management features
- Changing floor plan can be a bit difficult
- Pricing plans start from $89/month
- Most expensive restaurant plan costs $399/month
- 2.6% +10c card transaction fees
Its loyalty program ‘Lightspeed Loyalty’ offers advanced customer loyalty tools too, like omnichannel rewards and customizable loyalty points, making it a great option for larger hotels and those looking to franchise.
The Lightspeed customer data page is simple and easy to fill out. Image: Tech.co testing
Unlike rival Square, Lightspeed can be seamlessly integrated with your hotel’s property management system too, unlocking a wide range of useful functions like online and QR code ordering, room charging features, and venue management.
We didn’t find Lightspeed to be super intuitive when we tested it out ourselves. While its interface is simple and has an appealing contrasting color scheme, one of our user testers struggled to carry out quite basic tasks like filling out customer information.
While it shouldn’t take too long for staff to get to grips with this process, if you’re committed to finding a POS with a shallower learning curve, we’d recommend using TouchBistro or Clover instead. Lightspeed is a bit pricier than similar systems, too. We take a look at its pricing next.
Most suitable for:
- Hotels with large or complex inventories
- Hotels that want to build a loyal customer base
- Hoteliers serious about expanding profit margins
Less suitable for:
- Hotels that want to get started for free
- Vendors after an all-in-one POS terminal
- Business owners who want low transaction fees
Lightspeed pricing
Lightspeed offers three paid pricing plans that start at $69 per month. No free tier is provided, and most of its features are reserved for pricier tiers, which makes it a hard value pick against more affordable options. Take a look at our table below for a detailed breakdown of Lightspeed plans:
| Plan | Price Monthly cost of the software. | Best for | Transaction fees | Benefits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Essential | Premium | Enterprise | |||
| $189/month | $399/month | Custom quote | |||
| Full-service restaurants, and food delivery businesses | Large or specialist full-service restaurants | Multi-venue restaurants | |||
| Card-present rate: 2.6% + 10¢ | Card-present rate: 2.6% + 10¢ | Preferred payment rates | |||
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If you like Clover, you may also like…
- Clover, if you manage a full-service hotel and need a sophisticated hardware setup to match
- Toast, if you require automated tip management tools for your hotel staff
5. TouchBistro — Best for Ease of Use
- Starting price: $69 per month
- Free plan: No
There’s something to be said for a POS that is easy to use, so that your team uses it effectively rather than spending time trying to figure it all out. Fortunately, in our research, TouchBistro was the easiest to use POS system, with an intuitive back-end and front-end experience for even the most novice of users.
Check out our TouchBistro review to learn more
Pros
- Entirely tablet-based system for better mobility
- Easily accessible floor planning tools
- Helpful cost management features for managers
Cons
- TouchBistro does not sell POS hardware
- No automated tip management features
- No mobile or QR code ordering available
- Starts at $69/month
- Kitchen display system: no public pricing
This ease of use largely comes from the fact that TouchBistro’s software is entirely tablet-based, so users are already familiar with the interface in some capacity. Combine that with the flexibility for users makes it a key tool for hotels that may need to be a bit more mobile on the job.
“It has everything. It’s not the prettiest, it’s not the most straightforward, but it literally has everything and even certain capabilities and functionalities that I didn’t even think we needed.” – A member of Tech.co’s user testing team
Despite TouchBistro’s perks, one of our users had an issue managing the inventory process, specifically when it came to adding stock to the system and modifying orders. While this probably won’t be a dealbreaker for many hotels, if your business does manage complicated or large inventories, we’d advise using a POS with stronger stock management features like Toast or Lightspeed instead.
We found the front-end and back-end of TouchBistro to be exceptionally intuitive. Source: Tech.co testing
Most suitable for:
- Hotels that need an easy to use system
- Businesses content with a relatively simple tablet-based setup
- Hotels serious about keeping track of their performance
Less suitable for:
- Hotels after a physical POS terminal
- Hotels that require retail-specific POS features
- Businesses looking to get started for free
TouchBistro pricing
TouchBistro pricing starts at $69 per month for the software, with add-ons available for everything from gift cards and marketing to loyalty and reservations. The pricing is fairly standard for this kind of functionality, matching the paid plans of Lightspeed and Toast exactly.
TouchBistro will generate digital, interactive copies of bills you can edit and then print. Source: Tech.co testing
TouchBistro does not offer a free plan, which can be a bit of a bummer, but as a hotel, free plans are typically a bit too limited to handle everything you’d need a modern POS for.
If you like TouchBistro, you may also like…
- Clover, if you prioritise ease of use, but want a slightly more sophisticated hardware setup
- Square, if you’re happy with a simple tablet-based set up and want to avoid monthly fees
How to Choose the Right POS System for Your Hotel
We’ve provided a lot of information above about which POS systems are best for hotels, which can be a bit intimidating for businesses that aren’t entirely sure what they should be looking for. That’s why we want to lay out exactly what kind of features and functionalities you should be looking for to help you choose the right one for your particular hotel.
- Hotel size – Smaller establishments like hostels and B&Bs would be fine with more simple tablet-based solutions, while larger hotels and resorts will likely need enterprise-level solutions with advanced hardware to keep up.
- Budget – The price range on hotel POS systems is substantial, so if you can’t afford the advanced functionality, you should probably opt for one of the lower cost solutions.
- Staff expertise – Some POS systems are easier to learn than others, so if your team isn’t well-versed in the technology, you’ll want to be sure that your system isn’t too complicated for beginners.
- Marketing needs – If you are trying to attract new customers while managing your patron needs, some POS systems offer built-in marketing tools that can help you get started.
- Connectivity – Not all hotels have reliable internet, and the last thing you want is a long line at checkout if the Wi-Fi goes out, so finding a solution that offers offline functionality can go a long way.
Need to upgrade how you communicate with customers? Check out our guide to hotel phone systems.
We take our impartial research and analysis seriously, so you can have complete confidence that we're giving you the clearest, most useful recommendations. After identifying the most relevant, popular POS platforms on the market, we put them through their paces with hands-on testing to better understand their strengths and weaknesses.
In total, we put 16 POS systems to the test, with a vigorous research and testing methodology. We carried out 40 user testing sessions, which amounted to 720 hours of testing in total. In these sessions, participants were asked to carry out tasks on POS software and describe their user journey, to help us understand what it's like to use the systems first-hand. In addition to first-hand testing, we developed a detailed methodology that focuses on six categories of investigation, including criteria like software features and help and support centers.
These categories were broken down into a further 41 subcategories, so we were able to drill down further into certain topics, to make our insights as granular and useful as possible. Here’s an overview of our main testing categories for POS systems:
- Software features: The capabilities provided by the POS product. Includes general features like ordering and payment functionality, as well as industry-specific tools like KSU uploads, and inventory-level stock tracking KDS software.
- Hardware: The quality of a POS’s hardware selection. The presence of an own-brand terminal, as well as hardware accessories like kitchen display systems, receipt printers, and barcode scanners.
- Pricing: The cost associated with acquiring and using the POS system, such as the initial purchase cost, transaction fees, licensing fees, subscription plans, and any additional charges or ongoing costs.
- Ease of use: We test out the software to gauge how intuitive and easy to navigate it is. We also consider how easy the software is to navigate, and whether any errors took place during testing.
- Help & Support: The assistance and resources available to users when they encounter issues or need guidance while using the POS system, including documentation, tutorials, or knowledge bases.
- Customer satisfaction: The aggregate score from customer review sites like Trustpilot and TrustRadius, to understand how POS providers are viewed by their own customer bases.
When it comes to calculating a product's final score, not all testing areas are weighted evenly, as we know some aspects matter more to our readers than others, For example, we’ll prioritize certain industry-specific features for specific reviews, like an offline mode when reviewing POS systems for food trucks, or kitchen display systems (KDS) when reviewing restaurant POS systems.
At Tech.co, we have a number of full-time in-house researchers who re-run this testing process regularly to ensure our results remain reflective of the present day.
Verdict — Ready to Choose a Hotel POS?
Our research found that Toast is definitely the best POS for hotels, thanks to its robust set of features that can handle the complex aspects of the business. From reservations to mobile ordering, the platform makes it easier to run a hotel.
Beyond that, though, there are lots of options out there. From the growth features of Square to the ease of use of TouchBistro, it all depends on what you need a POS system for that will decide your best option.
Even with resources like this, finding a POS that matches your budget isn’t always easy. If you’re looking to cut through the noise and find accurate pricing, our quote-finding tool can provide you with tailored quotes in minutes — it’s completely free too.
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