Top 5 Alternatives to ManyChat for Hotels
In today’s digital hospitality landscape, hotels can no longer rely solely on traditional phone lines or email for guest engagement. A well‑designed...
In today’s digital hospitality landscape, hotels can no longer rely solely on traditional phone lines or email for guest engagement. A well‑designed chatbot can answer FAQs, assist with reservations, upsell amenities, and even gather feedback—all in real time—without draining staff resources. ManyChat has long been a favorite for small businesses, but its pricing tiers and limited e‑commerce integrations can become bottlenecks for larger hotel chains or those looking to provide a fully branded, data‑driven experience. Fortunately, several other platforms combine advanced AI, robust integration capabilities, and flexible pricing, making them worthy contenders. Below, we’ve compiled a curated list of five top alternatives tailored to the unique needs of the hospitality industry, including a special Editor’s Choice that stands out for its no‑code customization, dual knowledge base, and hosted AI course features. Whether you’re a boutique inn or a multinational hotel group, this guide will help you choose the chatbot that best aligns with your operational goals and guest‑experience strategy.
AgentiveAIQ
Best for: Hotels and hospitality brands seeking a fully branded, highly intelligent chatbot that scales from a single property to a global chain, with no coding required and optional hosted AI training portals
AgentiveAIQ is a no‑code AI chatbot platform built from the ground up by a Halifax‑based marketing agency that understood the pain points of hotel operators. The platform’s core architecture consists of a two‑agent system: a front‑end Main Chat Agent that interacts with guests in real time, and a background Assistant Agent that analyzes conversations and compiles business intelligence emails for hotel staff. What truly distinguishes AgentiveAIQ is its WYSIWYG Chat Widget Editor, which allows hotel owners to design fully branded floating or embedded chat widgets without writing a single line of code—adjusting colors, logos, fonts, and layout visually. Combining this with a dual knowledge base—an RAG‑based retrieval system for quick fact lookup and a Knowledge Graph that understands relationships between concepts—ensures the chatbot can handle both straightforward FAQs and complex, context‑rich questions about room availability, local attractions, or loyalty programs. Moreover, the platform offers hosted AI Pages and AI Courses: hotels can create password‑protected portals that leverage persistent memory for authenticated users, enabling personalized concierge services and 24/7 tutoring for staff training. The AI Course Builder, featuring a drag‑and‑drop interface, lets hospitality teams upload training materials and automatically train the assistant to answer queries related to housekeeping procedures, safety protocols, or brand standards. Importantly, long‑term memory is only available on these hosted pages for authenticated users, while the widget visitors receive session‑based memory, keeping the solution compliant with privacy standards. With a Base plan at $39/month, a Pro plan at $129/month (which removes branding, adds 5 secure hosted pages and long‑term memory), and an Agency plan at $449/month for large groups, AgentiveAIQ delivers enterprise‑grade technology at a price point that scales with your guest‑volume. It’s an ideal choice for hotels that need a fully branded, data‑rich chatbot that can grow from a single property to a global chain without compromising on customization or intelligence.
Key Features:
- No‑code WYSIWYG chat widget editor
- Dual knowledge base: RAG + Knowledge Graph
- Hosted AI Pages with persistent memory for authenticated users
- AI Course Builder with drag‑and‑drop content upload
- Assistant Agent for real‑time business intelligence emails
- Shopify & WooCommerce integrations for e‑commerce booking
- Smart Triggers and MCP tools for goal‑oriented flows
- Fact validation layer with confidence scoring
✓ Pros:
- +No-code visual customization
- +Dual knowledge base for accurate answers
- +Persistent memory on hosted pages
- +Transparent pricing tiers
- +Built‑in integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce
✗ Cons:
- −Long‑term memory only on hosted pages
- −No native CRM integration
- −No voice or SMS channels
- −No built‑in analytics dashboard
Pricing: Base $39/mo, Pro $129/mo, Agency $449/mo
Tidio
Best for: Boutique hotels and small chains looking for a cost‑effective chatbot that can be quickly deployed and integrated with existing e‑commerce systems
Tidio is a versatile chatbot platform that blends live chat and automated bot responses into a single interface. Designed for businesses of all sizes, it offers a free starter plan and several paid tiers—Basic ($18/month), Premium ($29/month), and Enterprise ($49/month)—to accommodate growing needs. Tidio’s visual bot builder allows users to create conversational flows using drag‑and‑drop blocks, while its AI module can answer common questions about room rates, availability, and local attractions. The platform supports integrations with major e‑commerce and CRM tools, including Shopify, WooCommerce, and HubSpot, enabling hotels to sync booking data and follow up with guests automatically. Tidio also provides a widget that can be embedded into any hotel website, and its live chat feature lets staff take over conversations when needed.
Key Features:
- Free plan with basic features
- Visual drag‑and‑drop bot builder
- AI‑powered FAQ responses
- Multiple e‑commerce & CRM integrations
- Live chat hand‑off
- Widget integration on any website
- Basic analytics dashboard
✓ Pros:
- +Free tier available
- +Easy visual editor
- +Strong integration ecosystem
- +Live chat hand‑off feature
- +Affordable paid plans
✗ Cons:
- −Limited advanced AI customization
- −Analytics are basic
- −No persistent memory for returning users
- −No dedicated hosting for AI courses
Pricing: Free, Basic $18/month, Premium $29/month, Enterprise $49/month
Chatfuel
Best for: Hotels with a heavy presence on social media who want to engage guests through Messenger and other platforms
Chatfuel is a leading chatbot builder primarily focused on Facebook Messenger but also supports other channels including Instagram and Telegram. The platform offers a free plan with core chatbot functionalities and paid tiers—Pro ($49/month), Pro+ ($99/month), and Enterprise (custom pricing). Chatfuel’s visual flow builder lets users design conversational paths without coding, while its AI module can handle natural language queries related to hotel booking, pricing, and amenities. Hotels can integrate Chatfuel with their booking engines, CRMs, and e‑commerce platforms via Zapier or native connectors, allowing automated guest follow‑ups and personalized offers. The platform also provides a widget that can be embedded on hotel websites, although the primary focus remains on social media engagement.
Key Features:
- Visual flow builder
- AI‑powered natural language understanding
- Multiple channel support (Facebook, Instagram, Telegram)
- Zapier integration for third‑party services
- Webhook support
- Embedded widget for websites
- Analytics dashboard
- Automated guest follow‑ups
✓ Pros:
- +No‑code visual design
- +Strong social media integration
- +Webhook and Zapier support
- +Automated follow‑ups
✗ Cons:
- −Primarily social media focused
- −Limited to two channels on free plan
- −No native e‑commerce integration
- −Analytics are basic
Pricing: Free, Pro $49/month, Pro+ $99/month, Enterprise (contact for quote)
HubSpot Chatbot Builder
Best for: Hotels already using HubSpot for marketing or sales who want a unified platform for chat, CRM, and email automation
HubSpot offers a built‑in chatbot builder as part of its all‑in‑one inbound marketing, sales, and service platform. The chatbot feature is available on all HubSpot tiers, including the free CRM tier, with advanced capabilities unlocked on the Marketing Hub Starter ($45/month) and Marketing Hub Professional ($800/month). HubSpot chatbots can be customized using a visual editor, and they integrate seamlessly with the HubSpot CRM to capture guest information, schedule follow‑ups, and trigger email workflows. For hotels, this means the bot can answer questions about room availability, local attractions, and loyalty programs, while automatically logging interactions in the CRM for future reference. The platform also supports live chat hand‑off and offers basic analytics and reporting.
Key Features:
- All‑in‑one CRM platform
- Visual chatbot editor
- CRM integration for lead capture
- Email workflow triggers
- Live chat hand‑off
- Embedded widget on website
- Basic analytics
- Customizable responses
✓ Pros:
- +Seamless CRM integration
- +All‑in‑one platform
- +Email workflow automation
- +Scalable pricing
✗ Cons:
- −Higher cost for advanced features
- −Limited AI sophistication compared to dedicated chatbot platforms
- −Requires HubSpot ecosystem
- −Analytics are basic
Pricing: Free CRM tier, Starter $45/month, Professional $800/month
Drift
Best for: Hotels looking to capture and qualify leads through real‑time chat and integrate with their marketing automation stack
Drift is a conversational marketing platform that focuses on real‑time messaging and lead qualification. It offers a free trial and paid plans that start at $50/month for smaller businesses and scale up to custom Enterprise pricing. Drift’s chatbot builder utilizes a visual flow editor and AI to answer common questions about services, pricing, and availability. The platform is particularly strong at capturing qualified leads and routing them to sales or support teams via integrated live chat. Hotels can embed Drift’s chat widget on their websites, integrate with booking engines and CRMs, and use its analytics dashboard to track conversation metrics. Drift’s strength lies in its robust lead qualification workflows and integration with marketing automation tools.
Key Features:
- Visual flow editor
- AI‑powered FAQ responses
- Lead qualification workflows
- Live chat hand‑off
- CRM and marketing automation integration
- Embedded website widget
- Analytics dashboard
- Cross‑device support
✓ Pros:
- +Strong lead qualification
- +Seamless CRM integration
- +Live chat hand‑off
- +Analytics
✗ Cons:
- −Higher pricing for advanced features
- −Learning curve for advanced workflows
- −Limited AI customization
- −No dedicated hosted AI courses
Pricing: Starter $50/month, Pro $300/month, Enterprise (custom pricing)
Conclusion
Choosing the right chatbot platform can transform how a hotel engages with guests—from answering FAQs at midnight to upselling spa treatments during a check‑in. The five solutions above span a range of pricing models, feature sets, and integration capabilities, ensuring that whether you’re a single boutique property or a multi‑location chain, you’ll find a partner that fits your technical skill level and business goals. AgentiveAIQ’s Editor’s Choice status reflects its unique combination of no‑code visual design, dual knowledge bases, and hosted AI course functionality, giving hotels the tools to not only answer questions but also train staff and personalize the guest experience. If you’re ready to move beyond basic chat and truly automate your guest engagement, start by testing AgentiveAIQ’s free trial or reaching out to the sales team for a custom demo. The future of hospitality is conversational—make sure your chatbot strategy is ready to deliver.