Hospitality software has long been stuck in the past. For decades, building B2B software was expensive and slow.
Most property management systems (PMSs) were created over 10 years ago, and they’ve grown into complex, lumbering beasts. With technical debt piling up and countless dependencies holding them back, these systems struggle to innovate.
They can’t simply offer an easy, self-service experience.
Instead, they require consulting (branded as “implementation and onboarding”) just to get users started.
This human-heavy onboarding process makes it impossible for these systems to be free or affordable. High prices lead to sales teams, and tech salespeople in Europe or the U.S. aren’t cheap.
To sustain this, PMS companies go “up-market,” targeting large hotels and enterprises while ignoring the needs of small hospitality businesses.
It wasn’t always this way. In the days of abundant venture capital, PMS companies burned cash on unprofitable customers just to inflate their user numbers. But those days are over. Hospitality tech isn’t as attractive for new investments, and outdated platforms are now struggling to keep up.
Today, we’re in a new era. AI makes it easier and cheaper to build sophisticated tools like dynamic pricing—but only if you have a clean, modern tech stack. Unfortunately, old systems can’t keep up.
Meanwhile, small business owners, like the operators of glamping sites, hostels, or vineyard parking, want simple, affordable solutions. They pay $10 a month for Google Suite and expect the same kind of value and user experience from a PMS.
But affordability is about more than price. Imagine charging $150 a night for a hotel room versus $20 for a vineyard parking spot that’s closed half the year. The latter can’t afford a subscription model priced per unit, yet that’s exactly how today’s tools operate. This mismatch leaves a massive, fragmented market underserved—small businesses hungry for a tool that truly meets their needs.
Direct bookings have surged over the past few years, with business owners looking for ways to reduce their reliance on platforms like Airbnb and Booking.
We’re here to change the game. We believe small businesses deserve better.
Whether it’s a small hostel, a daily coworking space, or a stellplatz site for RVs, they need software that’s modern, free, and easy to use.
It’s time to ditch the bloated systems of the past and create a tool that empowers small hospitality businesses to thrive... without the complexity, without the overhead, and without the unnecessary costs.
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Author: Peter Fabor
Peter is the founder of Pingotel and a hospitality entrepreneur with 15+ years of experience building niche hospitality businesses. He writes about booking software, small hotel operations, coliving, and practical tech for independent hospitality operators.
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