The Best Telephone Systems for Hotels

We researched eight leading phone systems and found that bOnline provides the best VoIP phone system for hotels in the UK.

Starting at £7 per user, per month, it has the lowest starting price on the market while still offering core management features like call forwarding and routing. These can help you quickly direct customers to the appropriate team member, minimizing wait times and improving service.

As landlines are abandoned, choosing a modern VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) hotel phone system that can provide a lavish menu of features, slash costs, and seamlessly integrate with your operation a crucial to staying ahead of the competition.

While bOnline ticks these boxes, it’s not a perfect system and is missing some security features large hotel businesses might prefer to have. That’s why we’ve populated our list of the five VoIP best phone systems with providers that suit a variety of hotels.

*some features are only available on more premium subscriptions

1. bOnline: Best Value for Money

bOnline offers the best value for money, with prices starting at £7 per user, per month, the cheapest starting price on the market.

However, we recommend its £13.95 per user, per month Unlimited Calling plan to small but busy hotels, since this will give you access to unlimited inbound and outbound minutes, and bOnline’s full set of call management features, for a price that’s still lower than most competitors.

What does bOnline do well?

bOnline has particularly good call management features and communication channels for the price, offering small hotels an affordable way to manage guest calls and streamline staff communication.

With the £13.95 per user, per month Unlimited Calling plan, hotels can get access to call management features like custom call routing, call queues with custom hold music, and a virtual receptionist with customisable greetings. This level of customisation can help you maintain a unified brand image throughout all your guest communications.

When it comes to communication tools, bOnline provides team messaging on all its plans, even the £7 per user per month Starter plan, and call conferencing from its Unlimited Calling plan. This should be enough for most small hotels to stay connected to staff at all times since bOnline has a smartphone app. That said, bOnline is missing an SMS channel, available at rivals GoTo Connect and Dialpad, which is a useful addition for communicating with guests.

We were also impressed by bOnline’s training tools since it features call monitoring on all its plans, the only provider that does so besides GoTo Connect. This allows you to maintain high levels of customer service without having to pay a premium for monitoring and training.

Are there any downsides to bOnline?

Although bOnline is an affordable option, integrating your bOnline software with CRM or Helpdesk will cost you £5 per integration. None of bOnline’s competitors charge extra for integrations, although a lot of them don’t allow for integrations on their cheapest plans. Vonage, for example, only allows integrations on its most expensive plan, the £25 per user per month Max plan.

bOnline’s software is also only compatible with Yealink brand phones, which means that if you already use another brand, you’ll need to replace all your hardware. If you want to avoid the extra cost, we recommend GoTo Connect. Starting at £25 per user, per month, it’s much more expensive than bOnline, but it’s compatible with a wide range of hardware.

Lastly, bOnline is missing some security features, such as multi-factor authentication, and user access controls, making it less suitable for large hotels with a vast network of staff and guests. A more scalable alternative with top security features is 8×8.

2. 8×8: Best for Large Hotel Businesses

8×8 is used by over two million business users and is a great option for large international hotels or chains, allowing for free unlimited calls to 48+ countries.

Its advanced call management features, which include call flip and call screening, are powerful enough to handle large amounts of guest calls, and its large number of CRM and Helpdesk integrations means it can seamlessly connect to all your existing systems.

What does 8×8 do well?

8×8 has a rich menu of customisable call management features, including call forwarding and a call-flow designer, as well as call recording and transcripts. All of this gives you ample autonomy in how you decide to take calls and gives you the necessary agility to keep guests satisfied.

It’s also got the biggest array of training and monitoring features of any provider on this list, only equalled by Vonage. Features go beyond simple call monitoring and extend to call barge and call whisper. These features are essential for well-known hotel brands striving to maintain their reputation for excellent customer service since they allow managers to quickly identify employees who require further training.

8×8 also integrates with a variety of third-party software, including popular CRMs such as Salesforce, Zendesk, Hubspot and Zoho, so it’s unlikely you’ll have to switch up your existing software suite if you upgrade your phone system to 8×8.

The same goes for hardware phones. Although 8×8 doesn’t integrate with quite as many brands as rival GoTo Connect, it’s still compatible with four leading brands, including Poly, Panasonic, and Yealink. If you’re a large hotel that’s worried about the cost of having to replace all your hardware, chances are you won’t have to when switching to 8×8.

Are there any downsides to 8×8?

8×8’s main downside is its high price. It’s the only provider on this list that isn’t transparent with its pricing but based on previous estimates, its starting price is £5 to £10 higher than competitors. This means 8×8 is not a great option for hotels on a budget, who’ll do better with cheap options like bOnline (from £7) and Vonage (from £10).

If you’re a very small hotel, you probably won’t even need the wide range of features offered by 8×8, and having them can complicate staff training. So sticking to a simple system will not only be better for your wallet but better for your staff as well.

Despite its vast range of call management features, 8×8 is missing one thing, SMS communications. If you like using SMS to communicate with guests, we recommend GoTo Connect, since it has the widest range of communication channels, which include SMS.

3. GoTo Connect: Best for Managing Internal Communications

GoTo Connect has the widest range of communication channels out of all the providers we researched and tested. Paired with its mobile app, available on Android and iOS, GoTo Connect is a great option for hotels that want to improve internal communications.

What does GoTo Connect do well?

GoToConnect is well known for its rich inbound and outbound communication features, which are widely available on its cheapest plan, the £18 per user, per month Phone System plan.

Its communications channels include SMS, team messaging, video and call conferencing, and even e-fax. This allows you not only to easily communicate with staff but also with guests using their preferred method of communication.

GoTo Connect is also on par with 8×8 when it comes to call management features, equipping hotels with customisable dial flows, call queues, voicemail to email, and a customisable virtual receptionist. These features allow you to quickly divert guests to the right employee, and minimise frustration by presenting options to them while in a call queue.

The provider also integrates with the largest number of hardware phone brands, making it the safest choice for hotels who want to minimise disruption by keeping their existing phone infrastructure. Brands GoTo Connect works with include Aastra, Poly, Yealink, Panasonic, and Cisco, to name a few.

Are there any downsides to GoTo Connect?

One of GoTo’s main downsides is that it’s the only provider on this list that doesn’t offer unlimited free calls. Instead, you get 1,000 toll-free minutes shared across all users, which isn’t great for hotels that make and receive calls frequently. If you’re looking for a similar offering to GoTo Connect with unlimited calls included, we recommend 8×8.

GoTo Connect also has slightly limited training features since it doesn’t allow for call barge or whisper. If you need these features for staff training, look to alternatives 8×8 and Vonage.

Lastly, GoTo Connect’s CRM and Helpdesk integrations are limited to Salesforce, Zoho, and Zendesk, making it a poor choice for hotels that use different software to these three. Rivals 8×8 and bOnline offer more integration options, although bOnline charges an extra £5 per integration.

4. Dialpad: Best for Small Hotels with High Call Volumes

Dialpad is a great option for small hotels with high call volumes since it’s an affordable mid-tier option (prices start at £12 per user per month), with AI-powered features that can help streamline workflows, and unlimited inbound and outbound calls.

What does Dialpad do well?

Dialpad’s £20 per user per month Pro plan is a particularly good option for hotels with a small staff and a high call volume since it offers conversational AI features that act as an extra staff member.

For example, the AI assistant is capable of transcribing phone calls in real-time, and automatically creating post-call summaries that include call keywords and actions. These features can save your staff time post-call, increasing the speed at which guest requests are met.

Dialpad’s strong set of call management features also includes a virtual receptionist and customisable hold music, as well as call queues and customisable call routing. This puts it practically on par with 8×8, the strongest contender when it comes to call management features.

Another similarity the system has to 8×8 is that it offers a high number of integrations with other software platforms, although not quite as many as 8×8. With Dialpad, you’ll be able to integrate with popular CRM and Helpdesk software, including Salesforce, ServiceNow, Hubspot, and Zendesk. Doing this will keep your data connected, and allow you to provide more personalised customer service to guests.

Are there any downsides to Dialpad?

One reason that Dialpad isn’t suited to large teams is that the only real training feature it has is call recording. It’s missing call barge, call monitoring, and call whisper features, meaning it has fewer training features than small business-friendly bOnline. We recommend Vonage for small teams that still need powerful training tools, while 8×8 is a great alternative for medium to large teams.

Additionally, although Dialpad integrates with quite a few popular CRM and Helpdesk software tools, it doesn’t have ready-made integrations for more niche software, which could cause issues for hotels that use them.

Lastly, although Dialpad’s starting price of £12 per user per month is quite cheap if you want access to its best features, you’ll need to pay £20 per user, per month on the Pro plan. This makes it a slightly expensive option, and businesses on a budget can enjoy similar features while only paying £13.95 per user, per month on bOnline’s Unlimited Calling plan.

5. Vonage: An Affordable Option for Small Hotels

Vonage is a reliable phone system for small businesses due to its competitive price and handy call features, which allow you to polish your operational capacity regardless of where your teammates are. Starting at £10 per user, per month, it’s not quite as cheap as bOnline, but it’s a highly scalable option since the call features on its more expensive plans match 8×8’s.

What does Vonage do well?

Although not quite as cheap as bOnline’s cheapest plan, Vonage’s £10 per user per month Express plan still offers enough call management functions to support a small hotel. With the plan, you’ll get a desktop and mobile app with features such as call reporting, screening, holding (with music on hold), flipping, forwarding and blocking, plus voicemail to email.

However, to get access to a virtual receptionist and customisable call queues, you’ll need to upgrade to the £20 per user, per month Pro plan. You can get these for cheaper for £13.95 per user per month on bOnline’s Unlimited Calling plan, however, none of bOnline’s plans come with as many training features as Vonage’s Pro plan.

The Vonage Pro plan includes call barge and call whisper, functions missing from all bOnline plans, and it also allows for user permissions, a security feature missing from bOnline’s range.

The addition of these features contributes to Vonage’s scalability. It’s £20 per user per month Pro plan costs about what 8×8’s starting plan would, despite being the second most expensive plan in Vonage’s offering. This makes Vonage an affordable option that small hotels can use to scale up their operations without having to pay as much as they would with industry leader 8×8.

Are there any downsides to Vonage?

One of the biggest drawbacks to using Vonage is that it only allows for integrations with third-party software on its most expensive plan, the £25 per user, per month Max plan. This is quite unusual, with competitors such as Dialpad and bOnline allowing for integrations on cheaper plans.

Vonage also doesn’t integrate with a large number of third-party CRM and Helpdesk software, with options limited to Salesforce, Hubspot, and MS Dynamics. If you use a different software than those listed and want to integrate it into your VoIP, we recommend bOnline, which allows for quite a range of integrations.

Lastly, we don’t love the fact that one of the most useful features for hotels, a virtual receptionist, is only available starting from the £20 per user per month Pro plan. This makes Vonage less accessible to very small hotels on a budget. You can get this feature for cheaper on bOnline’s £13.95 per user per month Unlimited Calling plan.

What Is a Hotel PBX and Is it Different to VoIP?

Short for Private Branch Exchange, PBX phones are responsible for diverting calls to the correct hotel extension number, ensuring that all guests are connected to the correct service. But how is PBX exactly related to VoIP?

As landlines are increasingly abandoned, hotels more commonly use IP-PBX phone systems.

In simple terms, all modern VoIP phone systems are equipped with PBX capabilities, except VoIP systems are supercharged by internet connectivity, and users are able to channel interactions from all communication networks, from instant messaging to email or phones.

Hotels that opt for a PBX cloud-based phone system usually bank on the benefits of long-distance calling, seamless mobile integration, and the mobility that comes with basing communications on the cloud.

Why Should Hotels Switch to VoIP?

Otherwise known as Voice Over Internet Protocol, VoIP equips hotels with a wide range of customisable features, like automated call forwarding, automated voice response, virtual receptionist, and unified communications.

Together, features like these enhance the guest experience and make managing and decoding the success of your operations a lot easier. It also helps guests feel their experience is more personalised, as calls are attended more efficiently, boosting your guest satisfaction.

Other valuable benefits include:

• Wake up calling
• Answer detection – tech used to screen outgoing calls and hop the hurdles of automatic answering machines like voicemails and IVR
• Integrability with other software like CRM, Helpdesk, web conferencing, and email

How We Ranked the Best Phone Systems for Hotels