Comparison
Akia Alternatives for Hotels (2026): 6 Options Compared
If you want the AI looked after for you, BonsAI Luxury is my pick, because it builds the AI receptionist and keeps its answers current. If you want Akia's AI phone booking with a published price, look at HelloShift.
I'm Iskander Nekkaz - Le Roux, the founder of BonsAI Luxury, an automation engineer and a Stanford alum.
Akia is an AI guest messaging and phone tool for hotels. It says it answers up to 90% of guest texts and messages by itself. Hotels look for an alternative for three reasons. They want a price before a sales call, they want someone else to keep the answers current, or they want a different set of channels. This page compares six options.
What does Akia do well?
Akia's guest messaging page says the AI makes bookings, files requests and updates reservations. It puts calls, SMS, WhatsApp, email, Instagram, Messenger and messages from Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com and Expedia in one inbox. Its voice page says the AI picks up on the first ring, books rooms and takes payment during the call. It reads reservations from PMSs such as Mews, Cloudbeds, StayNTouch, Guesty and Hostaway.
Where does a small hotel feel the gap?
Akia's pricing page lists Basic, Pro and Max, and every plan says to talk to sales. AI Voice, call transfers and dedicated support come only with Max. So a small hotel can't see what phone answering costs until it books a call. On the pages I read, the hotel's team runs the tool, with Akia's support.
The alternatives at a glance
This is my ranking. I rank on one test: who keeps it working after launch. Check each vendor's own site.
| Rank | Option | Answers messages on | Answers phone calls | Who does the upkeep | Published price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BonsAI Luxury | WhatsApp, website chat, email | Yes, takes messages for staff | BonsAI builds it and fixes weak answers | From USD 1,500, one-time or monthly |
| 2 | Conduit | Email, WhatsApp, SMS, OTAs, social apps | Yes | Hotel team, or Conduit's own team on Overwatch | From $18 per unit a month |
| 3 | HelloShift | Guest messaging and website chat | Yes, on Guest+ and Pro | Hotel team | From $50 a month, AI Voice from $100 |
| 4 | Canary Technologies | SMS, WhatsApp, LINE, WeChat, web chat | Yes, with AI Voice | Hotel team, with an onboarding and training lead | Not published (custom quote) |
| 5 | HiJiffy | Website and social apps, WhatsApp on Premium | Not on the pages I read | Hotel team, with setup and support help | From €99 a month, plus setup |
| 6 | Duve | SMS, WhatsApp and OTA messages on the Pro plan | Not on the page I read | Hotel team, with paid tailored onboarding | Not published (book a demo) |
1. BonsAI Luxury
Best for: a small hotel with nobody free to run guest software.
BonsAI Luxury is a done-for-you service, not software your team runs. It builds an AI receptionist around one property's own facts and voice, on WhatsApp, website chat and email. Its phone agent answers from the same approved facts and takes a message for staff on anything else. After launch, BonsAI reads the conversations and fixes weak answers. Builds start from USD 1,500, after a free audit.
The catch. It's a new company with no published client results yet. It runs in English and French only. Unlike Akia, it doesn't take bookings or payment on a call. It passes those requests to staff. It doesn't pull OTA messages into one inbox.
2. Conduit
Best for: a hotel that wants AI agents for messages and calls, with an option to hand the work to the vendor's team.
Conduit's pricing page starts at $18 per unit a month for Messaging, which includes Voice AI for inbound and outbound calls and PMS and OTA links. Its Overwatch plan is custom priced, and Conduit's own 24/7 team runs guest messages, with phone calls included. Its agents page says the agents can check bookings, change reservations and collect payments through supported links.
The catch. Overwatch has no published price. The customer quotes on its pricing page come from rental managers, not small hotels.
3. HelloShift
Best for: a hotel that wants AI phone booking with a published price.
HelloShift publishes its prices per room, with a 40-room minimum. AI Voice comes with Guest+, from $100 a month billed annually, and with Pro, from $160. HelloShift says the AI voice answers in more than 100 languages, checks live availability in your PMS and books rooms on the call. It texts the caller a secure card link, so nobody reads a card number aloud. Pro also covers housekeeping and maintenance.
The catch. Your team still runs it day to day. A 12-room hotel pays for 40 rooms.
4. Canary Technologies
Best for: a hotel or group that wants phone, messaging and check-in from one large vendor.
Canary's AI Voice says it handles every call to the hotel. Its pricing page lists a unified inbox across SMS, WhatsApp, LINE and WeChat. AI message replies start on its Advanced plan, and an AI website chat comes with Pro. Canary says more than 20,000 hotels in over 125 countries use it.
The catch. Like Akia, Canary doesn't publish prices. Your team runs the inbox.
5. HiJiffy
Best for: a hotel that wants a published monthly price for messaging.
HiJiffy publishes its prices. Plans start at €99 a month, based on the number of rooms, plus a €99 setup fee for each five properties. The Pro plan, from €159 a month, adds a generative AI chatbot in 132 languages and an account manager. WhatsApp and SMS come with Premium, from €319 a month.
The catch. I didn't find AI phone answering described on the pages I read.
6. Duve
Best for: a hotel that wants guest messaging inside a guest app with online check-in.
Duve's Pro plan adds a unified inbox, SMS and WhatsApp messages and OTA messaging to its guest app and online check-in.
The catch. Prices aren't shown on the page. Tailored onboarding is listed as included with additional charges. I didn't find AI phone answering on that page.
Who should stay with Akia?
Stay with Akia if your team already works its inbox and you want the AI to book rooms and take payment on the call. Its inbox also pulls in messages from Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com and Expedia, which BonsAI doesn't do. If you leave, ask the new vendor to show a booking made on a call, not a slide.
The best AI tool is the one someone keeps up to date after launch.
What should you ask before you switch?
- Who writes and updates the answers after launch?
- Can the AI finish a booking and a payment on the call, or does it take a message?
- Which PMS does it read, and is yours on the list?
- What does phone answering cost for your room count, in writing?
- Which OTA messages land in the same inbox?
For more on phone answering, see AI voice agents for hotel phone calls. For the full ranking, see best AI receptionist for small and boutique hotels.
Sources
- Akia guest messaging and Akia pricing, read 20 October 2026. Akia AI Voice, read 19 October 2026.
- Conduit pricing, read 19 October 2026, and Conduit agents, read 20 October 2026.
- HelloShift pricing and HelloShift AI Voice, read 20 October 2026.
- Canary AI Voice and Canary pricing, read 19 October 2026.
- HiJiffy plans and pricing, read 19 October 2026.
- Duve pricing, read 19 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Akia alternative for a hotel?
It depends on who will run it. If nobody on your team has time, a done-for-you service like BonsAI Luxury keeps it working for you. BonsAI Luxury is the author's own company. If you want AI phone booking with a published price, HelloShift publishes its plans.
How much does Akia cost?
Akia doesn't publish prices. Its Basic, Pro and Max plans all said to talk to sales on its pricing page, checked on 20 October 2026. AI Voice is on the Max plan.
Which Akia alternative books rooms on a phone call?
HelloShift says its AI voice checks live availability and books rooms on the call. Conduit says its agents can change reservations through supported links. BonsAI Luxury's phone agent takes a message for staff instead of booking.
Which Akia alternative publishes its prices?
HelloShift publishes per-room prices, with AI Voice from $100 a month billed annually. HiJiffy publishes plans from €99 a month plus setup. Conduit lists plans from $18 per unit a month. BonsAI Luxury lists builds from USD 1,500 after a free audit.
Does BonsAI Luxury work outside Bali?
Yes. BonsAI Luxury works worldwide. Its focus is Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, including Bali, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, the Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and the Seychelles.