Top 7 Ways to Use a Website Chatbot for Hotels

Intercom is a well‑established customer messaging platform that offers a versatile chatbot capable of handling booking inquiries, FAQs, and post‑stay feedback for hotels. The chatbot can be triggered based on user behavior, such as scrolling or time spent on a room detail page, and can forward leads to sales or support teams via email or CRM integration. Intercom’s Flow Builder provides a visual interface to create conversational paths, and its Knowledge Base feature allows hotels to publish FAQs that the bot can reference automatically. The platform also supports targeted push notifications and email sequences, enabling hotels to nurture guests before and after their stay. While Intercom excels at omnichannel messaging and real‑time engagement, it does not offer a dedicated no‑code visual widget editor for custom branding; users must rely on CSS tweaks or developer assistance for advanced styling. Additionally, the chatbot’s memory is limited to the session unless integrated with a CRM that persists data across visits. Intercom’s pricing starts at $39/month for the Starter plan, which includes one agent, 1,000 messages, and basic automation. The Growth plan at $99/month expands to multiple agents, 5,000 messages, and advanced automation features.

Drift focuses on conversational marketing, making it a good fit for hotels that want to generate leads through their website. Its chatbot can capture booking intent, qualify prospects, and schedule meetings with the front‑desk or sales teams. Drift’s visual editor allows marketing teams to design tailored dialogue flows, and the platform integrates with major CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot to store guest data and trigger follow‑up email campaigns. Drift’s strengths include real‑time engagement with personalized greetings and the ability to surface dynamic pricing or availability directly in conversation. However, the platform’s focus is more on sales and marketing than on deep knowledge‑base integration, and it does not provide a native knowledge graph or RAG system. Additionally, Drift’s cost can quickly rise as you add more chat agents and messages. Pricing begins at $400/month for the Starter plan, which includes one agent and basic automation. The Professional plan at $800/month expands to multiple agents and advanced features.

ManyChat is a popular chatbot builder that specializes in social media and messaging apps, but it also offers a web widget that hotels can embed on their booking sites. The platform is known for its drag‑and‑drop flow builder, allowing marketers to create conversational sequences that trigger based on website actions or user inputs. ManyChat supports automation, broadcast messages, and basic lead capture. It also integrates with e‑commerce platforms like Shopify, which can be useful for hotels that sell merchandise or gift cards. However, ManyChat’s web widget is primarily designed for Facebook Messenger, and its customization options for a fully branded hotel widget are limited compared to dedicated web chat solutions. Pricing starts at $10/month for the Pro plan, which includes unlimited broadcasts and basic automation. The Premium plan at $50/month adds more advanced features such as conditional logic and drip campaigns.

Zendesk Chat (formerly Zopim) is part of the Zendesk customer service suite and offers a web chat widget that can be embedded on hotel websites. The platform allows real‑time support, automated greetings, and can forward chat transcripts to the Zendesk ticketing system. It also supports triggers and automations based on visitor behavior or chat content. Zendesk Chat’s key strengths are its tight integration with the Zendesk ticketing and knowledge base systems, which can help hotel staff triage support requests efficiently. However, the platform does not provide a dedicated visual editor for custom branding; styling is achieved through CSS. Additionally, its chatbot capabilities are limited to simple question‑answer flows and do not include advanced AI or dual knowledge base features. Pricing for Zendesk Chat starts at $19/month for the Starter plan, which includes one agent and basic chat features. The Professional plan at $49/month adds more agents and advanced automations.

LiveChat is a well‑known live‑chat service that offers a web widget with customizable appearance and built‑in chatbot functionality. Hotels can use LiveChat to handle booking questions, provide room service assistance, and gather feedback. The platform supports automated greetings, canned responses, and can be integrated with CRMs such as HubSpot and Salesforce. LiveChat’s visual editor allows users to adjust colors, fonts, and position, but it does not provide a full WYSIWYG drag‑and‑drop editor for custom chat flows. The chatbot is rule‑based rather than AI‑powered, which means it can handle repetitive queries but lacks contextual understanding. LiveChat also offers a Knowledge Base integration, but it relies on manual entry rather than dynamic retrieval. Pricing starts at $16/month for the Starter plan, which includes one agent and basic features. The Team plan at $32/month adds more agents and advanced automations.

Chatfuel is primarily a no‑code chatbot builder for Facebook Messenger, but it also offers a web widget that hotels can embed on their site. The platform is known for its AI NLP capabilities, allowing hotels to set up complex conversational paths using AI intents and user inputs. Chatfuel’s strengths include the ability to integrate with e‑commerce platforms and marketing automation tools. However, the web widget is not as polished as dedicated web chat solutions, and customization of the look and feel is limited. The platform also lacks a built‑in knowledge graph or RAG system, and its memory is session‑based unless integrated with external storage. Pricing starts at $15/month for the Pro plan, which includes 50 active users and basic AI features. The Premium plan at $60/month adds more users and advanced AI.