The verdict in three sentences
For a multi-site hotel and restaurant group in London, a PMS SaaS at 6-18 GBP/room/month covers the basics but scatters your data across booking, POS and accounting. Custom software at 60 000-150 000 EUR pays off once you need to centralise several properties, push direct booking and consolidate RevPAR. The real win isn't the software: it's OTA commission moving from ~18 % into your net margin.
What hospitality software costs in 2026
The 2026 market splits into three families: subscription PMS SaaS, integrated custom builds, and hybrids (SaaS plus bespoke connectors). Here are the orders of magnitude seen in London.
| Solution | Entry cost | Recurring cost | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| PMS SaaS (per room) | 0-2 000 GBP setup | 6-18 GBP/room/month | 2-6 weeks |
| Restaurant POS SaaS | 0-1 500 GBP | 45-100 GBP/POS/month | 1-3 weeks |
| Channel manager | 0-1 000 GBP | 30-70 GBP/month/hotel | 1-2 weeks |
| Integrated custom build | 60 000-150 000 EUR | 12 %/yr maintenance | 6-9 months |
| Hybrid SaaS + connectors | 20 000-45 000 EUR | subscriptions + 10 % maintenance | 3-5 months |
For a group of 3 hotels totalling 120 rooms, PMS SaaS alone runs 8 600-25 900 GBP/year before POS and channel manager. Over 5 years, stacked SaaS modules often exceed amortised custom.
Custom builds: what the budget covers
A 60 000-150 000 EUR custom project is priced around a day rate of 470-760 EUR by seniority. Maintenance at 12 %/yr covers fixes, evolutions and security.
| Work item | Indicative effort | Budget (2026 order of magnitude) |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping + multi-site UX | 10-15 days | 6 000-11 000 EUR |
| Direct booking engine | 25-40 days | 15 000-30 000 EUR |
| POS + card payment | 20-30 days | 12 000-23 000 EUR |
| RevPAR consolidation / reporting | 15-25 days | 9 000-19 000 EUR |
| Connectors (channel, accounting, PMS) | 15-25 days | 9 000-19 000 EUR |
| Testing + rollout | 10-15 days | 6 000-11 000 EUR |
The booking engine is the highest-return item: every direct night sold avoids the 15-22 % OTA commission.
Mini case study
Mark, director of a 3-property hotel-restaurant group in London (120 rooms, average RevPAR 78 EUR, 65 % occupancy), books around 2.1 M EUR of room revenue/year, 55 % via OTAs at 18 % commission, i.e. ~208 000 EUR of commissions/year.
Investing 95 000 EUR in a custom platform with a direct-booking engine, he aims to shift 20 points of bookings from OTA to direct. Gain: 0.20 x 2.1 M EUR x 18 % = ~75 600 EUR/year saved, less ~4 % direct payment fees. The project pays back in under 18 months, including maintenance (11 400 EUR/yr).
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FAQ
Is a PMS SaaS enough for a single hotel?
Yes: below 40-50 rooms with no multi-site consolidation need, a PMS SaaS at 6-18 GBP/room/month is the best cost/speed ratio. Custom becomes relevant beyond 2-3 properties.
Does custom replace the restaurant POS?
It can integrate it, but many groups keep a certified market POS (VAT anti-fraud rules) and connect it. Expect 45-100 GBP/POS/month for POS SaaS.
What does annual maintenance cost?
Maintenance sits around 12 %/yr of development cost, i.e. 7 200-18 000 EUR/year for a 60 000-150 000 EUR project, covering security, evolutions and support.
What is a realistic multi-site rollout timeline?
Expect 6-9 months for a full custom build, or 3-5 months for a hybrid SaaS + connectors approach. Piloting one hotel before generalising reduces risk.
Are prices comparable in Lyon?
In Lyon, PMS SaaS trades closer to 5-15 EUR/room/month, with development costs 10-25 % lower given local day rates.
Let's scope your project. Share the number of properties, room volume and target connectors (channel, accounting, POS) and we'll price PMS SaaS vs custom. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
