Hostaway Review: Channel Management for STR Hosts

Company Overview

Hostaway is an all-in-one property management platform combining a property management system with a channel manager offering two-way API connections to major booking sites including Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, and Google Vacation Rentals.¹ It's built primarily for professional operators and property managers running multiple listings, not casual single-property hosts.¹

Pricing

Hostaway uses quote-based pricing with no public price page.² Third-party review sources report pricing typically ranging from about $25 to $50 per listing per month depending on volume, features, and contract terms, with add-ons for dynamic pricing, booking engine usage, and SMS messaging that can push costs higher.¹ Some reviewers describe the overall pricing structure as confusing, citing hidden fees and unexpected charges.³

What We Found in Customer Feedback

Hostaway rates well overall on independent review platforms — approximately 4.8 out of 5 on Capterra across more than 1,500 reviews, and roughly 4.8 out of 5 on G2 from several hundred reviews, with customer support specifically rated around 4.7 out of 5.¹ Many individual reviews specifically praise responsive, knowledgeable support staff by name and describe smooth onboarding.^4,5

That said, we found a real minority of serious complaints worth including. Reports on Capterra and third-party platforms describe unresponsive support during disputes, technical issues escalated repeatedly without resolution, and in at least one case, an account being locked over a disputed billing charge.^3,6 Other reviewers note a genuine learning curve with a dated user interface, and limited customization options for guest-facing elements like website branding, images, and layout.^1,3 Ease-of-use scores (around 4.6) run consistently a bit lower than support and satisfaction scores, which lines up with the learning-curve complaints.¹

Advantages

• Strong overall review scores across multiple independent platforms (Capterra, G2) from a large review sample.¹
• Genuine two-way API connections to major booking channels, not just one-way listing syndication.¹
• Highly-rated customer support in the majority of reviews, with dedicated onboarding specialists.^1,4,5

Drawbacks and Open Questions

• Built for professional multi-property operators — a single-tiny-home owner should confirm this isn't more tool than they actually need before signing up.
• Quote-based pricing with no public price page makes it hard to comparison-shop before contacting sales.²
• A real minority of serious complaints exist involving billing disputes and account lockouts — read the contract terms carefully, particularly around cancellation.^3,6
• Website and guest-portal customization is limited compared to some competitors.¹