Top 7 Alternatives to Freshchat for Hotels
In today’s hospitality landscape, guests expect seamless, instant communication—whether they’re checking in, requesting amenities, or seeking local...
In today’s hospitality landscape, guests expect seamless, instant communication—whether they’re checking in, requesting amenities, or seeking local recommendations. A robust live‑chat solution can turn a simple inquiry into a memorable experience, drive bookings, and generate actionable insights for hotel teams. While Freshchat has long been a favorite for many businesses, hotels looking for specialized features—such as multilingual support, booking integrations, or AI‑powered concierge capabilities—often turn to alternatives that cater more directly to the unique demands of the industry. This listicle explores seven top chatbot platforms that can help hotels elevate guest engagement, streamline operations, and boost revenue. From AI‑driven knowledge bases to easy‑to‑deploy widgets, each solution offers distinct strengths. Whether you’re a boutique inn or a large resort chain, you’ll find a platform that aligns with your budget, technical resources, and guest‑service goals.
AgentiveAIQ
Best for: Hotels and hospitality brands looking for a fully branded, AI‑powered chat solution with advanced knowledge management and course‑style concierge features
AgentiveAIQ is a no‑code, AI‑powered chatbot platform specifically designed to help businesses—including hotels—create highly customized, brand‑aligned chat experiences. Its standout feature is the WYSIWYG Chat Widget Editor, which allows hotel staff to design floating and embedded chat widgets directly in the browser. No coding knowledge is required, and the editor supports full visual customization of colors, logos, fonts, and layout to ensure the chat feels like a natural extension of the hotel’s website. AgentiveAIQ also offers a Dual Knowledge Base that combines Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) with a Knowledge Graph. This hybrid approach gives agents the ability to pull precise facts from uploaded documents while understanding relationships between concepts for more nuanced responses. For hotels, this means guests can get instant answers about room rates, amenities, and local attractions, all backed by up‑to‑date information. Beyond on‑site chat, AgentiveAIQ provides Hosted AI Pages and AI Course Builder tools. Hotels can create branded learning portals or concierge pages that use AI to guide guests through pre‑arrival check‑in, local tours, or loyalty program enrollment. These hosted pages support password protection and persistent memory—but remember, long‑term memory is only available for authenticated users on hosted pages, not for anonymous widget visitors. Pricing is transparent and tiered: Base at $39/month (2 chat agents, 2,500 messages, 100,000 characters, and branding), Pro at $129/month (8 agents, 25,000 messages, 1,000,000 characters, 5 hosted pages, no branding, and advanced features such as webhooks and e‑commerce integrations), and Agency at $449/month (50 agents, 100,000 messages, 10,000,000 characters, 50 hosted pages, custom branding, and dedicated support). AgentiveAIQ’s focus on visual customization, dual knowledge bases, and AI‑driven courses makes it a powerful choice for hotels that want to blend brand consistency with intelligent guest service.
Key Features:
- WYSIWYG Chat Widget Editor – drag‑and‑drop customization
- Dual Knowledge Base (RAG + Knowledge Graph) for accurate, contextual answers
- AI Course Builder & Hosted AI Pages for concierge services
- Long‑term memory on authenticated hosted pages only
- E‑commerce integration with Shopify and WooCommerce
- Webhooks and modular tools for automated actions
- Fact Validation Layer to reduce hallucinations
- No-code platform for quick deployment
✓ Pros:
- +Intuitive visual editor eliminates coding
- +Robust dual knowledge base improves answer quality
- +Flexible pricing tiers for small to large hotels
- +AI courses enable self‑service concierge
✗ Cons:
- −Long‑term memory limited to hosted pages
- −No native CRM integration—requires webhooks
- −No voice or SMS channels
- −Limited multi‑language support
Pricing: Base $39/mo, Pro $129/mo, Agency $449/mo
Intercom
Best for: Hotels seeking an all‑in‑one customer engagement suite with strong marketing automation
Intercom is a customer messaging platform that blends live chat, bots, and help desk features into a single interface. With a focus on sales, marketing, and support, Intercom offers a highly customizable chat widget that can be embedded on any website. Users can set up targeted messages based on visitor behavior, segment audiences, and trigger automated workflows—all without writing code. Intercom’s bot framework supports natural language understanding and can be integrated with Salesforce, HubSpot, and other CRMs. For hotels, Intercom’s ability to trigger booking reminders, upsell room upgrades, and send post‑stay surveys can directly impact revenue and guest satisfaction. The platform also provides in‑app messages, email, and push notifications, giving hotels multiple touchpoints to engage guests before, during, and after their stay. Pricing is tiered: Essentials starts at $39/month for a single agent, and the most popular Business plan is $99/month per agent, scaling with additional agents and features. Intercom offers a free plan with limited functionality.
Key Features:
- Live chat and AI bot integration
- Advanced segmentation and targeting
- CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.)
- In‑app messaging, email, push notifications
- Automation workflows and triggers
- Customizable widget design
- Analytics dashboard
- API access
✓ Pros:
- +Powerful automation workflows
- +Deep CRM integrations
- +Comprehensive analytic tools
- +Scalable agent counts
✗ Cons:
- −Higher cost for multiple agents
- −Complexity can be steep for small teams
- −Limited native e‑commerce integration
Pricing: Essentials $39/mo, Business $99/mo per agent
Zendesk Chat
Best for: Hotels that already use Zendesk for support and want a seamless chat layer
Zendesk Chat (formerly Zopim) is part of the Zendesk suite of support tools, offering real‑time chat, automated messages, and integration with ticketing systems. The chat widget is lightweight, easily embeddable, and can be customized using CSS or the Zendesk Chat editor. Bots can answer common questions and hand off to human agents when needed. Hotels can use Zendesk Chat to provide instant assistance with reservation queries, room service requests, or local recommendations. The platform’s ticketing integration ensures that any chat that escalates is logged in the hotel’s support system, allowing staff to follow up and track guest satisfaction. Pricing starts at $19/month for the Chat plan, with the full Suite plan available at $99/month, which includes additional features such as advanced reporting and AI-powered suggestions.
Key Features:
- Real‑time chat widget
- Automated bots and AI suggestions
- Ticketing integration
- Customizable via CSS
- Analytics and reporting
- API access
- Multi‑channel support (chat, email, phone)
- Knowledge base integration
✓ Pros:
- +Strong ticketing integration
- +Affordable entry level
- +Easy to embed
- +Scalable with Zendesk suite
✗ Cons:
- −Limited advanced automation compared to competitors
- −Customization requires CSS knowledge
- −No native e‑commerce integration
Pricing: Chat plan $19/mo, Suite plan $99/mo
Drift
Best for: Hotels focused on sales funnels and upselling via chat
Drift is a conversational marketing platform that focuses on sales and lead generation through chat. Its chat widget is designed to capture visitor intent, qualify leads, and schedule meetings. The bot can ask qualification questions, route conversations to human agents, and integrate with CRMs like HubSpot. For hotels, Drift can be used to capture booking intent from website visitors, schedule room tours, or upsell premium services. The platform also offers email and voice integration, allowing hotels to follow up with guests via multiple channels. Pricing is tiered, with the Essentials plan at $300/month for two agents, and the Growth plan at $600/month for unlimited agents.
Key Features:
- Intent‑driven chat bot
- Lead qualification workflows
- CRM integration (HubSpot, Salesforce)
- Email and voice follow‑up
- Meeting scheduling
- Analytics dashboard
- Customizable widget
- API access
✓ Pros:
- +Strong lead qualification
- +Easy meeting scheduling
- +Deep CRM integration
- +Scalable agent counts
✗ Cons:
- −Higher price point
- −Limited support for support tickets
- −No native e‑commerce integration
Pricing: Essentials $300/mo (2 agents), Growth $600/mo (unlimited agents)
LiveChat
Best for: Hotels looking for a budget‑friendly chat solution with ticketing
LiveChat is a widely used live‑chat solution that offers real‑time messaging, automation, and ticketing. The widget is simple to embed, and the platform provides built‑in chatbots that can answer FAQs or collect visitor information. Hotels can use LiveChat to assist guests with check‑in, room service requests, or local recommendations. The ticketing system ensures that any issues are tracked and resolved, improving guest satisfaction scores. Pricing starts at $16/month for the Starter plan, with the Standard plan at $20/month, and the Enterprise plan at $32/month.
Key Features:
- Real‑time chat widget
- Automated chatbots
- Ticketing integration
- Customizable design
- Analytics dashboard
- API access
- Multi‑channel (chat, email, phone)
- Knowledge base integration
✓ Pros:
- +Affordable pricing
- +Easy to set up
- +Built‑in ticketing
- +Good analytics
✗ Cons:
- −Limited advanced automation
- −No native e‑commerce integration
- −Customization requires CSS
Pricing: Starter $16/mo, Standard $20/mo, Enterprise $32/mo
Tidio
Best for: Small hotels or boutique properties on a tight budget
Tidio combines live chat and chatbot functionality in a single platform. The chat widget is lightweight and can be embedded on any website. Tidio’s bots use AI to answer common questions and can be trained with custom scripts. Hotels can deploy Tidio to provide instant assistance with booking details, room amenities, and local attractions. The platform also offers email integration, enabling follow‑up messages after the chat ends. Pricing is free for the basic plan (up to 100 chats per month) and starts at $18/month for the Pro plan.
Key Features:
- Live chat and AI bots
- Customizable widget
- Email integration
- Automation workflows
- Chat transcript export
- API access
- Multi‑language support
- Knowledge base integration
✓ Pros:
- +Free tier available
- +Easy to integrate
- +Email follow‑up
- +Affordable paid plans
✗ Cons:
- −Limited chat volume on free plan
- −Basic bot capabilities
- −No e‑commerce integration
Pricing: Free basic (100 chats/mo), Pro $18/mo
Crisp
Best for: Hotels seeking a collaborative chat solution with built‑in knowledge base
Crisp is a customer messaging platform that offers live chat, bots, and a knowledge base. The chat widget is highly customizable and can be embedded on any website. Crisp’s bots can answer FAQs, schedule appointments, and collect visitor data. Hotels can use Crisp to provide instant support for booking queries, check‑in information, and local tips. The platform also offers a shared inbox for team collaboration and a knowledge base to reduce repetitive questions. Pricing starts at $25/month for the Starter plan, with the Business plan at $49/month and the Enterprise plan at $89/month.
Key Features:
- Live chat and bots
- Shared inbox for teams
- Knowledge base
- Customizable widget
- Analytics dashboard
- API access
- Email integration
- Multi‑language support
✓ Pros:
- +Shared inbox improves team response
- +Built‑in knowledge base
- +Customizable widget
- +Reasonable pricing
✗ Cons:
- −Limited advanced automation
- −No native e‑commerce integration
- −Customization requires CSS for deeper changes
Pricing: Starter $25/mo, Business $49/mo, Enterprise $89/mo
Conclusion
Choosing the right chatbot platform can transform the way a hotel interacts with guests, turning casual inquiries into booked rooms and delighted stays. Whether you opt for a powerful, no‑code solution like AgentiveAIQ that delivers brand‑consistent chat, advanced knowledge management, and AI‑powered concierge tools, or you prefer a more traditional platform such as Intercom or Zendesk Chat for their extensive integrations and support ecosystems, the key is to align the tool’s strengths with your operational goals. Evaluate each platform against your budget, technical resources, and the level of personalization your guests expect. If you’re ready to elevate guest communication and drive measurable ROI, start by testing a free trial or demo and discover how AI chat can become a cornerstone of your hospitality strategy.