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Every new interface costs extra

Channel manager, CRM, door locks, POS: every connection is its own contract.

Typical for: properties on a PMS base package without interfaces · operations that want to connect a new tool and stall at the price · hotels with four vendors blaming each other

Documented by Hospis

Updated: 8 November 2026

How you recognize it

  • The channel manager costs again at the PMS vendor although it is already paid for
  • A newsletter tool was bought and never connected because the interface costs extra
  • Both sides say the other one has to deliver the connection
  • There is no list of which interfaces are active and what they cost per year
  • The interface works, but only in one direction
  • Setup and “certification” of the connection cost more than the tool itself

Matching Hospi

Josef Walch

Josef Walch

Digitalisation · AI in operations · Systems · Lech am Arlberg
Works with protel · Mews · Mews POS · Smart Host
AdviseImplement

Knows partner directory and interface costs of a cloud PMS from connecting POS and tools at Rote Wand.

Mapped to root cause
Interfaces in the quotePartner directorySystem map
View profilePersonally vetted · independent match

Matching software

Tools appear here next to the problems they solved, marked as partners, with honest limits and the person who runs the rollout. No ranking.

Partner slot

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No partner has documented a solution for this problem yet. A partner profile shows the problems your tool solved, its honest limits, and your implementation person as a Hospi.

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Which path fits your situation?

01

Diagnosis

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02

Urgent support

Acute situation? Your case is reviewed with priority, with a response within 48 hours.

Cause fields and how to tell them apart

For many vendors, interfaces are a business model, not a feature. Those who don't know that at purchase pay again with every new tool.

These fields are complete, and many properties get there on their own. That is what this page is for. The cost simply does not appear on an invoice: internal hours, a few attempts, and a season that keeps running in the meantime.

01

The base package was bought without interfaces

How you spot it

The quote showed an attractive base price. That channel manager, POS and door locks are each a paid add-on was in the small print. Some vendors ship no interfaces at all in the base package.

The way out

Before any purchase, walk the list of systems that must be connected through with the vendor: what is included, what costs once, what yearly. The sum belongs in the quote comparison, not in the surprise after signing.

02

Open doesn't mean free

How you spot it

“Open API” is in every brochure. In practice it needs developer access, partner certification and often an annual fee per connection. The hotel sits between two vendors who both earn on the access.

The way out

Ask the vendor for the partner directory: which tools are already certified, what activation costs, who is the contact in case of faults. Tools from the directory connect in days, all others in months.

03

Nobody has an overview of the connections

How you spot it

Interfaces were set up over the years by different people. Some run, some no longer do, some are still being paid for. Every fault starts the search from scratch.

The way out

One page system map: every system, every connection, direction, cost per year, contact. Created once, checked every quarter. Connections nobody needs any more get cancelled.

Frequently asked

What is a fair price for an interface?
A one-off setup fee is understandable; an annual fee per connection is negotiable. It becomes unfair when both sides charge for the same connection. That is an argument against one of the two.
Better everything from one vendor?
Saves interface costs, increases dependence. Often the right choice for small houses, rarely for houses with special requirements (spa, restaurants, groups). The system map shows how many connections are really needed.
And if the interface only works one way?
Then it is worth half as much. Bookings come into the PMS, guest data does not flow back into the CRM. Before activation, clarify which data flows in which direction, and check it in the test run.

Describe your situation

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Problem
Every new interface costs extra

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