Hotels have unique phone system needs. As part of the hospitality industry, hotels need phone service for their staff and guests. Routing tools like IVR menus and ring groups, phone extensions, front desk support capabilities, and SMS texting–these features all help hotels communicate with guests and prospective customers.I tried over a dozen VoIP phone systems to determine which ones make the best hotel phone systems. In this article, I’ll outline my top choices for a hotel phone system.
Top Hotel Phone System Providers
Each business phone system offers a unique suite of features, routing tools, and pricing options. I tried dozens of VoIP providers to determine which ones make the best hotel phone systems.
Below are my top picks for hotel phone system providers.
- RingCentral - Best for hotels that need routing and caller ID features
- Nextiva - Best for hotels with multiple departments to be organized into ring groups
- Dialpad - Best for hotel chains, or large hotels that service a lot of guests at once
- 8x8 - Best for hotels that prioritize phone communication between the front desk and guest rooms
- Zoom Phone - Best for hotels that want to support staff collaboration through team chat
- GoTo Connect - Best for unlimited phone line extensions for guest rooms
RingCentral
RingCentral’s business phone system includes routing tools, call queues, phone line extensions, and a receptionist tool. Staff members can access the RingEx app on desktop or mobile, with team messaging for quick communication. The platform also provides SMS, for guests and staff to communicate via text.
The platform has an easy-to-use interface where administrators can set up IVR menus, ring groups, call queues and departments, and extensions for each guest room. Call logs provide a record of call history for all users and extensions.
Top Features for Hotels
- Multi-level IVR: Build an IVR menu that provides a self-service menu to reach their intended destination. This IVR menu can route to staff members, receptionists, departments, or even specific guest room lines–if the caller knows the room’s extension.
- Receptionist console: An interface that makes it easier for front desk workers to view up to 100 extensions at once, along with enhanced inbound caller ID. This feature supports receptionists in receiving calls and managing communications with each extension
- Phone extensions: Each RingCentral phone number includes 100 extensions, but RingCentral can provide more upon request. Assign extension numbers to desk phones for each guest room. Guests can make and receive calls from their extensions and reach the front desk.
Pricing
RingCentral offers three RingEx plans:
- Core plan: $20 monthly per user
- Advanced plan: $25 monthly per user
- Ultra plan: $35 monthly per user
For more information on RingCentral pricing, see our detailed review of all RingCentral’s pricing and plans.
Pros
- Front desk support: The receptionist interface, IVR menu and extensions help front desk receptionists handle calls to and from multiple parties–staff, guests, and potential customers
- Large integration library: RingCentral has the largest number of integrations of any provider on our list. It connects with CRM applications, ticketing software, and some PMS platforms for hospitality services
- Multiple communication channels: Staff members can communicate via phone, chat, video meetings, and built-in walkie-talkie mode
Cons
- Unnecessary collaboration features: RingCentral has collaboration features like video meetings with AI transcription. While some teams may use these features, other teams may end up paying for bundled features they won’t use
- SMS limitations: RingCentral plans limit the number of texts a user can send to 25, 100, or 200 per month. These limits will be restrictive for teams that want to enable texting with guest extensions, which use the account’s monthly text allotment.
Nextiva
Nextiva’s VoIP phone system includes telephony, SMS texting, video conferencing, and team chat for internal collaboration. The platform supports hotels with ring groups to unify departments and an auto attendant to route inbound calls. Each account user can hold 10 or more extensions, which you can assign to guests.
Manage up to 500 contacts, which integrate with your CRM system to create profiles for guests. Nextiva supports unlimited calling in the US and Canada, enabling your staff and guests to make as many domestic calls as they want.
Top Features for Hotels
- Ring groups: Group users, such as the sales team or the cleaning staff, into departments to share inbound call responsibility
- Extensions: Each phone number can have at least 10 extensions. You can add more extensions per number by contacting Nextiva
- Multi-level auto attendant: Build a multi-level routing menu that directs calls to the front desk, specific departments, or extensions like guest rooms
Pricing
Nextiva offers four phone system plans:
- Digital: $20 monthly per user
- Essential: $30 monthly per user
- Professional: $40 monthly per user
- Enterprise: $60 monthly per user
For more information, see our detailed Nextiva pricing overview.
Pros
- Easy to set up: Nextiva’s admin portal makes it easy to track call activity, set up IVR menus, and manage extensions. The IVR menu uses a drag-and-drop call flow builder.
- Guest profile management: Create up to 500 profiles, which can serve as guest profiles to track information like payments and contact preferences. Nextiva connects with CRM platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot for in-depth contact profiles.
- Team collaboration: Team members can send direct messages for quick collaboration, and accounts can create up to three channels for large-group discussion
Cons
- Limited integrations: While Nextiva integrates with CRM platforms, the provider only offers 19 total integrations. This means it probably won’t support your company’s non-CRM software, hospitality solutions, or databases
- Limitations of Essential plan: Nextiva’s low-cost Essential plan does not support conference calls or SMS texting. Further, the plan only supports single-level IVR, with multi-level IVR available in the Professional plan.
Dialpad
Dialpad offers a VoIP phone system with team chat and unlimited calling across the US. Create ring groups, build a self-service IVR menu, and create hold queues. Build custom call routing flows, which can guide calls to the appropriate department.
The phone system has advanced features like call transcriptions and real-time analytics, which can help supervisors analyze trends in call activity and user performance. Dialpad works well for hotels of any size, but especially hotel chains and large hotels. The Enterprise plan lets you create as many ring groups and extensions as you want, with the ability for external callers to dial extensions directly.
Top Features for Hotels
- Ring groups and call queues: Create between 3 and unlimited ring groups, depending on your plan. Build call queues that organize inbound callers on hold.
- Real-time analytics: All Dialpad plans track analytics for all calls. View insights about call volume, channel usage, and user activity for all extensions.
- Call transcription: AI call transcription analyzes each call and provides running captions for each speaker. Supervisors, sales members, marketing staff, and other team members can use these transcripts for coaching, lead qualification, and other purposes.
Pricing
Dialpad offers three plans:
- Standard: $15 monthly per user
- Pro: $25 monthly per user
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
For more information, check out our review of Dialpad pricing.
Pros
- Enterprise plan great for chains: The Enterprise plan supports unlimited ring groups and unlimited office locations, making a great central phone system for hotel chains with multiple locations
- Unlimited SMS: While alternatives like RingCentral and Nextiva impose SMS limitations, Dialpad supports unlimited texting for all users. This enables unique use cases, like SMS-based marketing campaigns and texting-based communication with hotel guests
- Custom routing: With ring groups, IVR menus, call queues, extensions, and a custom routing setup system, the Enterprise plan lets you build as intricate a call routing system as you want
Cons
- Some key features require the Enterprise plan: The Standard and Professional plans limit the number of ring groups, extensions, and office locations. Large hotels may be forced to opt for the Enterprise plan, which can be expensive.
- Unnecessary features: Hotels seeking simple calling and routing capabilities may not use Dialpad’s advanced features, like analytics and call transcription
8x8
8x8’s business phone system supports unlimited extension-to-extension, enabling communication between the front desk and guestrooms assigned extensions. The platform includes a Frontdesk app designed to support receptionists. In addition to VoIP, 8x8 offers team collaboration tools like team chat, unlimited SMS texting, and video conferencing with up to 500 participants.
All 8x8 plans include essential routing features like multi-level IVR, ring groups, and call queues, plus call monitoring for supervisors to observe employees. Hot desking enables multiple hotel staff members to use the same VoIP phones, which is useful for departments with staff that interchange throughout the week.
Top Features for Hotels
- Extension to extension dialing: Assign as many phone line extensions as you want per user. Extensions within your phone system can dial other extensions, enabling hotel guests to make and receive calls from the front desk.
- Multi-level IVR with extension dialing: Build a multi-level IVR that routes inbound calls to the front desk, ring groups, call queues, or extensions. Outside callers can reach guest-room extensions through the IVR if they know the extension’s number.
- 8x8 Frontdesk: An 8x8 app view designed for receptionists. The dashboard is optimized for the receptionist to manage multiple calls, departments, and extensions. Front desk workers can view calls on hold, calls in queue, and search the directory for users or extensions.
Pricing
8x8 offers two VoIP phone system plans with custom pricing. For a more detailed examination, see our 8x8 pricing review.
Pros
- Unlimited SMS texting: While some alternative platforms limit the number of monthly texts per account, 8x8 supports unlimited texting–unlocking new use cases for sales, marketing, and hotel guest communication
- Custom routing: All 8x8 plans include the full suite of key routing features–IVR, queues, ring groups, and extensions. You can create an intricate routing system that connects callers with all departments and each guest room’s extension.
- Large unlimited calling area: 8x8’s plans support 14 and 48-country unlimited calling areas, respectively. Hotels with locations in multiple countries, or those who receive calls from around the world, may be able to reduce costs with this large calling area.
Cons
- Expensive: While 8x8 doesn’t publicize pricing, they have historically priced their VoIP phone system higher than competitors. I recommend getting detailed pricing info before deciding on a phone system.
- Potential for wasted features: For companies that won’t take advantage of the large calling area, large-capacity video meetings, or team chat, 8x8’s suite of features may be overwhelming and unnecessarily costly
Zoom Phone
Zoom Phone offers VoIP calling with unlimited texting, team chat, and routing features. Zoom offers metered plans or unlimited domestic calling plans in countries around the globe.
With the Opus codec, Zoom offers HD voice quality. Each plan includes unlimited auto attendants, automatic call distribution (ACD), call queueing, call monitoring, and call recording. Users can add extensions and connect them to IVR systems. The phone system connects to most VoIP hardware phones, with hot desking to support an in-person staff that changes throughout the week.
Top Features for Hotels
- Call distribution: Build ring groups and call queues, with automatic call distribution that routes inbound calls according to your rules
- IVR menu: Build an unlimited number of IVR menus to provide callers with self-service. Connect ring groups, queues, and extensions to IVR. Create as many IVRs as you want, including for multiple locations.
- Team chat: Zoom’s team chat rivals communication platforms like Slack. Users can participate in 1:1 video meetings or large-group channels, accessible on desktop or mobile. It offers file sharing and a button for video huddles.
Pricing
Zoom Phone offers four plans that vary by pricing style and calling area. Each plan includes the full suite of features: calling, team chat, routing and ACD, call monitoring, call recording, and more.
- Pro: Contact Zoom for pricing information
- Metered: $10 monthly per user with calling charged per minute
- US & Canada Unlimited: $15 monthly per user with unlimited calling in North America
- Global Select: $20 monthly per user with unlimited domestic calling in a country of your choice
For more information, check out our detailed Zoom pricing breakdown.
Pros
- Unlimited access to routing features: Each GoTo plan includes unlimited ring groups, IVR menus, call queues, and dial plans. Many alternatives place a limit on these features or reserve them for higher-tier plans.
- Unlimited calling area: GoTo Connect’s 50-country unlimited calling area is the largest of any provider on our list
- Unlimited extensions: Each GoTo phone number supports unlimited extensions. This allows hotels to provide virtual extensions to many guest rooms, even with a limited number of employee accounts.
Cons
- SMS limitations on the basic plan: GoTo’s basic Phone System plan caps each user’s monthly text allotment at 80 SMS
- Costly: While GoTo Connect offers an unparalleled calling area and unlimited access to routing features, it’s generally one of the pricier phone systems. It makes a good fit for hotels that plan to use those features but may be a little overpriced for organizations seeking a basic telephony solution.
GoTo Connect
GoTo Connect’s VoIP phone system includes unlimited calling to 50 countries, plus team chat, SMS texting, and video meetings. It supports companies in the hospitality industry with unlimited IVR menus, queues, and ring groups. Create smart routing systems with a ring sequence, to ensure that calls reach a live agent.
Choose local, toll-free, and vanity numbers around the United States and the globe, or port in the numbers your hotel already uses. Each number supports unlimited extensions.
Top Features for Hotels
- Dial plan editor and routing tools: Build a custom dial plan using a drag-and-drop designer. This call flow customization tool works for IVR menus, letting you incorporate ring groups, call queues, and extensions.
- Collaboration tools: Video meetings for up to 250 participants, team chat with file sharing, and SMS texting
- Customer engagement features: GoTo’s Customer Engagement plan adds some unique marketing, customer service, and sales features like automated SMS campaigns, customer surveys for feedback, and a shared multichannel inbox for hotel staff
Pricing
GoTo Connect offers two phone system plans with custom pricing. We cover their pricing in further detail in our GoTo Connect pricing review.
Pros
- Custom routing: Set up custom routing schedules with holiday and business hours routing. Custom routing schedules complement Zoom’s robust routing tools like IVR, queues, ACD, and ring groups
- High audio quality: Zoom uses the Opus codec, which offers HD audio quality for all users–including extensions in hotel guest rooms
- Integrations with Zoom and Google: If your staff already uses Zoom, Google Workspace, or Google Chrome, you’ll appreciate Zoom Phone’s seamless integrations with these products. The Zoom video interface plugs in smoothly alongside Zoom’s team chat
Cons
- Limited integrations: While Zoom offers strong integrations with Google and Microsoft, its only other integrations are contact centers, Salesforce, and Slack. This is a limited offering compared to other platforms.
- Learning curve: Zoom’s features and team chat have a learning curve for new users. Some employees may take several weeks to get used to the collaboration features.
Benefits of Using VoIP for a Hotel Phone System
To provide the necessary services to staff and guests, companies in the hospitality industry need a phone system with flexibility and unique features. Cloud-based VoIP phone systems offer a customizable solution for hotels to manage phone numbers, extensions, routing, and telephony for internal staff and the outside world.
VoIP phone systems offer several benefits for hotels:
- Easy setup and maintenance: VoIP business phone systems and UCaaS platforms are entirely cloud-based, requiring only an internet-connected device. Hotels can set up the system in just a few days and manage routing, setup, and call history from an online dashboard.
- Minimal hardware requirements: Cloud phone systems make calls from computers, mobile devices, tablets, and desk phones. No PSTN landline connection means VoIP requires no wires. You can convert your pre-existing guestroom phones to VoIP or purchase new VoIP phones.
- Scalability: Hotels can add new users and extensions on the provider’s website in minutes. This makes it easy for hotels to expand and reduce their staff and guest count.
- Custom call handling: Features like IVR menus provide self-service options for inbound callers to reach the right department or extension. Callers can reach the receptionist, kitchen, staff, or a specific guest. Call queues and ring groups help companies group staff members into departments.
- Internal staff communication: Staff can access VoIP from a computer or mobile, so a VoIP phone system enables staff to communicate anytime, anywhere. Tools like team chat and SMS let employees message each other.
- Guest features: Phone extensions enable hotels to provide a phone line for each guest room. VoIP SMS texting enables guests to text requests and room service orders, or to make payments.
- Integrations: Some VoIP services and UCaaS platforms connect with property management (PMS) systems, to enable things like guest profiles, phone-based bill pay, and other relevant capabilities.
- Sales and marketing support: VoIP systems connect with CRM platforms to support sales campaigns and lead-qualification efforts
VoIP phone systems offer several benefits for hotels seeking to implement a phone system. Each of today’s VoIP providers offers unique features and pricing options, letting you pick the right hotel or hospitality service plan.
