AI Phone Receptionist for Independent Hotels: 2026 Price Comparison (9 Vendors, Real Numbers)
This page is for the owner of an independent hotel, motel, inn or bed and breakfast who wants to know what an AI phone receptionist costs before booking a single demo. Every price below was copied from the vendor’s own public page on September 2, 2026, and each row links to that page. Motel4 publishes this comparison and sells one of the products in it; the numbers are the vendors’ own, and if one is out of date, email support@motel4.ai and we will correct it.
The short version
Section titled “The short version”- Hotel-specific vendors price per room or by retainer and sell through demos. HelloShift is the cheapest of those for a small property because of its $50 monthly minimum.
- Horizontal AI receptionists (built for any small business) price flat, from $20 to $199 a month, and usually meter voice minutes.
- Motel4 sits between the two: built only for lodging, flat monthly pricing from $149, a free tier with 30 minutes a month, and no contract.
- For a 30-room motel the monthly bill ranges from $50 (HelloShift Guest+) to $700 plus a $2,500 setup fee (Anchor). See the worked example below.
2026 price comparison table
Section titled “2026 price comparison table”| Vendor | Built for | Entry price | What the entry price includes | Free trial | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HelloShift | Hotels | $1.25 per room per month on annual billing ($1.75 monthly), $50 monthly minimum | AI Voice bundled into Guest+, 40+ PMS integrations, no setup fee | 14 days | helloshift.com/pricing |
| Conduit.ai | Hotels | $18 per unit per month (Messaging tier) | Inbound and outbound voice AI, unified inbox, PMS and OTA integrations, 40 monthly credits; typical rollout 4 to 8 weeks | Not stated | conduit.ai |
| Anchor for Hotels | Hotels | From $700 per month plus $2,500 setup | Voice AI with PMS connection via Anchor Connect, scoped per property | No | anchorforhotels.com |
| SendSquared | Resorts, vacation rental portfolios | $500 to $1,500 per month base for 50 keys or fewer, plus usage | Hospitality voice AI with 15+ PMS integrations | No, demo only | sendsquared.com |
| My AI Front Desk | Any small business | Basic $20 per month with zero voice minutes; Business-in-a-Box $99 per month with 200 minutes | $0.25 per extra minute, no contract | 7 days | myaifrontdesk.com/pricing |
| Ringlyn | Any small business | Starter $49 per month with 50 minutes | Growth $99 with 120 minutes, Professional $199 with 300 minutes, overage $0.15 to $0.20 per minute, phone numbers $5 to $7 extra | 7 days, no card | ringlyn.com/pricing |
| Allo (withallo.com) | Small-business phone system | One additional Business seat: $32 per user per month annual, $45 monthly | AI receptionist added to the Allo phone system | 7 days | withallo.com/pricing |
| NextPhone | Law firms, contractors, real estate | $199 per month flat | Unlimited inbound calls, no setup fee | 7 days | getnextphone.com |
| Motel4 | Independent hotels, motels, inns, B&Bs | Free tier with 30 minutes per month; Starter $149 per month | 24/7 answering from the property’s own rates and policies, booking capture, call transcripts, 10 spoken languages; Pro $299, Business $599; $0.18 per minute over plan; no contract | 30 free minutes every month | motel4.ai/pricing |
Canary Technologies, the incumbent in hotel voice AI and winner of the 2026 HotelTechAwards for voice and call center software, does not publish prices (Hotel Tech Report), so it is not in the table.
Worked example: a 30-room independent motel
Section titled “Worked example: a 30-room independent motel”Assume 30 rooms, one phone line, and roughly 300 call minutes a month, which is about ten short calls a day.
| Vendor | Monthly cost at 30 rooms | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| HelloShift Guest+ | $50 | 30 rooms × $1.25 = $37.50, raised to the $50 minimum |
| Conduit.ai Messaging | $540 | 30 units × $18 |
| Anchor for Hotels | $700 plus $2,500 once | Starting price; varies with size and PMS scope |
| SendSquared | $500 or more plus usage | Base for 50 keys or fewer |
| My AI Front Desk Business-in-a-Box | $124 | $99 plus 100 minutes over the 200 included at $0.25 |
| Ringlyn Professional | $199 | 300 minutes included |
| Allo | $32 to $45 | Plus the underlying Allo phone plan per user |
| NextPhone | $199 | Unlimited inbound |
| Motel4 Starter | $149 | Flat, includes the plan minutes; overage $0.18 per minute |
Two things this table cannot show. First, whether the receptionist actually knows your property: room types, rates, pet policy, late check-in, parking. The hotel-specific vendors and Motel4 are built to answer from that data; the horizontal products answer from a general script you write. Second, what happens when the caller wants to book: some products capture the request and hand it to you, some push it into a PMS, some only take a message.
How to compare these fairly
Section titled “How to compare these fairly”- Convert everything to a monthly number for your room count and your real call volume. Per-room pricing looks cheap until the minimum kicks in; per-minute pricing looks cheap until a busy weekend.
- Ask what the setup fee is and how long rollout takes. Anchor charges $2,500 up front; Conduit says four to eight weeks to go live; Motel4 and the horizontal vendors are self-serve the same day.
- Ask whether a trial exists and whether it needs a card. HelloShift, My AI Front Desk, Ringlyn, Allo and NextPhone offer 7 to 14 days; Motel4’s free tier does not expire; Anchor and SendSquared are demo-only.
- Call the vendor’s own demo line before you call sales. An AI receptionist is a phone product; you can hear whether it handles “do you allow dogs” and “can I check in after midnight” in one minute. Motel4’s demo line is +1 415 650 0077 and answers 24/7.
- Check the contract. Month-to-month with no minimum is the norm for the flat-priced products; retainer products usually want a term.
FAQ: AI phone receptionist pricing for hotels in 2026
Section titled “FAQ: AI phone receptionist pricing for hotels in 2026”What does an AI phone receptionist cost for a small hotel or motel in 2026? Between $50 and $700 a month at 30 rooms, depending on whether the vendor prices per room, flat, or by retainer, plus any setup fee. The table above lists nine vendors with their published entry prices.
Is per-room or flat pricing better for an independent property? Per-room pricing wins below about 40 rooms if there is no minimum, but most per-room vendors set a minimum (HelloShift’s is $50) and hotel-specific retainers start at $500 to $700. Flat pricing wins when you want a known bill regardless of room count, which is why the horizontal products and Motel4 price that way.
Do any of these have a free plan? Motel4 includes 30 free minutes every month with no expiry. My AI Front Desk’s $20 Basic plan includes no voice minutes. The others offer 7 to 14 day trials or none.
Which vendors are actually built for hotels? HelloShift, Conduit.ai, Anchor for Hotels, SendSquared, Canary and Motel4. My AI Front Desk, Ringlyn, Allo and NextPhone are general small-business receptionists.
What is the cheapest way to hear one before buying? Call the demo number. Motel4’s is +1 415 650 0077. For the demo-only vendors you will need to book a sales call first.
Sources
Section titled “Sources”All prices retrieved September 2, 2026 from: HelloShift pricing, HelloShift AI Voice, Conduit.ai, Anchor for Hotels, SendSquared hospitality voice, My AI Front Desk pricing, Ringlyn pricing, Allo pricing, NextPhone cost guide, Canary AI Voice on Hotel Tech Report, Motel4 pricing.
Hear it before you decide: a real 30-second call to our demo line.