More conversion
More of the travellers who find you book directly through your own channels.
AskWhispervs
AskWhisper vs Runnr.ai
Runnr.ai is a Utrecht platform that answers guests on WhatsApp, OTA inboxes, SMS and webchat, and acts on what they ask: upsells, check-in links, payment links, mobile keys. It works alongside your website. AskWhisper builds the website itself, then runs the messages, upsells and emails that follow from the same facts. Here's where each one is stronger, checked against Runnr.ai's own website.
The short answer
Runnr.ai is a guest messaging platform from Utrecht, founded in 2022 by former Booking.com colleagues, that answers guests on WhatsApp, OTA inboxes, SMS and webchat and acts on what they ask: upsells, check-in and payment links, mobile keys and housekeeping requests. Its own site says it works alongside a hotel's website rather than replacing it. AskWhisper starts with the website: you describe your hotel, the platform builds the site, then runs the messages, upsells and emails from the same facts, so a change made once is right on your website, your chat and your emails. Runnr.ai is the stronger fit when you want WhatsApp and OTA messaging live within the hour. AskWhisper is the stronger fit when you want the website in the same place as everything after it.
Last verified 7 October 2026 against Runnr.ai's own website. Every source is listed under the table.
Choose them if
You want WhatsApp and OTA-inbox automation running today with no setup fee, and you're keeping your current website and guest app.
Choose AskWhisper if
You want the website rebuilt in the same platform as the messages, the guest app and the upsells, so an opening hour changed once is right everywhere a traveller looks.
Where each one is strong
Both are real products with real customers. Here's the honest read on each.
What Runnr.ai does well
- Quick to try and quick to start: you can test its bot on WhatsApp from its website, and its pricing page says most properties are live within 60 minutes
- It takes action as well as answering: it triggers upsells, sends check-in and payment links, issues mobile keys and creates housekeeping requests
- The Booking.com, Expedia and Airbnb inboxes on its Pro plan, next to WhatsApp, SMS and webchat
- Upsells land straight in the PMS and on the guest's invoice, with a fulfilment task created for your team
- No setup fee, and a first-month trial on its 12-month plans
- Founded in 2022 by a team that previously worked together at Booking.com
What AskWhisper does well
- The website is part of the platform. Describe the property and the first version comes back from that description
- Change an opening hour once and it's right on your website, in your chat and in your emails
- A branded guest app with stay details, local tips and house rules that opens without a download
- Digital keys through Salto. Runnr.ai's support pages name Flexipass and Hotek as its key providers
- Commission-free upsells targeted on booking data, carried by journey emails written from the same facts as the website
Capability by capability
Researched from public sources. Where we couldn't verify something, the cell says so rather than guessing.
| Feature | AskWhisper | Runnr.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Platform scope | ||
| How much of the traveller journey it covers | Discovery to post-stay | Website chat to post-staySource: How much of the traveller journey it covers |
| Hotel website you build and manage yourself | Yes | NoSource: Hotel website you build and manage yourself |
| One change updates your website, chat and emails | Yes | NoSource: One change updates your website, chat and emails |
| Guest messaging | ||
| AI replies on WhatsApp | Yes | YesSource: AI replies on WhatsApp |
| AI replies on webchat | Yes | YesSource: AI replies on webchat |
| AI email drafts | Yes | Their site says bothSource: AI email drafts |
| AI answers guest phone calls | Yes | Their site says bothSource: AI answers guest phone calls |
| Automated guest journey messaging | Yes | YesSource: Automated guest journey messaging |
| Unified inbox (all channels) | Yes | YesSource: Unified inbox (all channels) |
| Broadcast messaging | Yes | Not verifiedSource: Broadcast messaging |
| Segmented messaging by guest type | Yes | YesSource: Segmented messaging by guest type |
| AI capabilities | ||
| Multilingual AI (auto-detect language) | Yes | YesSource: Multilingual AI (auto-detect language) |
| Languages the AI handles | Any language | 100+Source: Languages the AI handles |
| Smart routing (AI to staff escalation) | Yes | YesSource: Smart routing (AI to staff escalation) |
| Central knowledge base | Yes | YesSource: Central knowledge base |
| Check-in & keys | ||
| Self-service check-in | Yes | Check-in linkSource: Self-service check-in |
| Digital key delivery | Yes | YesSource: Digital key delivery |
| Upselling | ||
| Automated upsells | Yes | YesSource: Automated upsells |
| Commission-free (no OTA fees) | Yes | Not verifiedSource: Commission-free (no OTA fees) |
| Offer targeting by booking data | Yes | YesSource: Offer targeting by booking data |
| Guest app | ||
| Branded guest app (no download) | Yes | Not verifiedSource: Branded guest app (no download) |
| Local tips & recommendations | Yes | In chat answersSource: Local tips & recommendations |
| Operations | ||
| Guest satisfaction flows | Yes | YesSource: Guest satisfaction flows |
| Automated review nudges | Yes | YesSource: Automated review nudges |
| Operational notifications | Yes | YesSource: Operational notifications |
| Integrations | ||
| Salto access control | Yes | Not verifiedSource: Salto access control |
| Pricing & setup | ||
| Pricing published on the website | Yes | YesSource: Pricing published on the website |
| No setup fee | No | YesSource: No setup fee |
| Go live in days, not weeks | Yes | Within an hourSource: Go live in days, not weeks |
Last verified 7 October 2026. Each Runnr.ai cell links to the page on Runnr.ai's own website it was checked against. Where that page didn't settle a question, the cell says so rather than guessing. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll correct it.
Sources on Runnr.ai's website
- runnr.ai/solutions/proactive-messaging
- runnr.ai/solutions/ai-virtual-concierge
- runnr.ai
- runnr.ai/integrations
- runnr.ai/solutions/unified-inbox
- runnr.ai/features-library
- runnr.ai/support/can-i-connect-to-a-room-key-provider
- runnr.ai/solutions/automatic-upsell
- runnr.ai/pricing
- runnr.ai/about-us
- runnr.ai/privacy-policy
Where AskWhisper goes further than Runnr.ai
- 1Your website is in the platform. Describe the property and the first version comes back; Runnr.ai works alongside the site you already have.
- 2One change reaches your website, your chat and your emails.
- 3A branded guest app with stay details, local tips and house rules that opens without a download.
- 4Salto digital keys in the same platform as check-in and the guest app.
What you get out of it
More revenue
More earned per stay, without anyone chasing it or asking the awkward question.
More time
Less copying and switching between tools, more time for hosting.
Questions hoteliers ask
What is the best Runnr.ai alternative for independent hotels?
AskWhisper is the Runnr.ai alternative for a hotel that wants its website in the same platform as its guest messaging. Runnr.ai answers guests on WhatsApp, OTA inboxes, SMS and webchat and works alongside the existing website. AskWhisper builds the website from a description of the property and runs the messages, upsells and emails from the same facts.
Does Runnr.ai replace my hotel website?
No. Runnr.ai's own FAQ says it doesn't replace your email, guest apps or website and works alongside them, adding an AI chat to the site you already have. AskWhisper builds the website itself from a description of the property, and the same facts feed the chat answers, the guest app and the emails.
Where is Runnr.ai stronger than AskWhisper?
Runnr.ai is quicker to try and lighter to start. You can test its bot on WhatsApp straight from its website, its pricing page says most properties go live within 60 minutes, and it charges no setup fee. Its Pro plan also answers inside the Booking.com, Expedia and Airbnb inboxes.
How much does Runnr.ai cost?
Runnr.ai publishes its plans. On 7 October 2026 its pricing page listed Pro from €100 a month, Plus from €200 and Enterprise from €400, each on a 12-month agreement with a first-month trial, plus messaging fees charged on usage and no setup fee. AskWhisper's prices are on its own pricing page.
Can I switch from Runnr.ai to AskWhisper?
Yes. Both sit on top of your PMS rather than replacing it, so switching means describing your property, reviewing the website and answers that come back, and connecting the same PMS. Your reservations, booking engine and payments are not touched at any point, and most properties go live within a few days.
Is AskWhisper a booking engine?
No. AskWhisper sits on top of the systems you already run, including whichever booking engine you use. It reads your live data, puts it everywhere a traveller looks, and sends travellers into that engine with the room and dates they were looking at. The payment never moves through AskWhisper.
Do I have to replace my PMS?
No. AskWhisper reads live data from your PMS and writes back to it, and your reservations stay exactly where they are. It is a layer on top of your existing stack, not a replacement for it. The same goes for your channel manager and your key system.
Can I keep my own booking engine?
Yes. AskWhisper is not a booking engine and never takes the payment. Your site sends travellers into whichever engine you already use, with the room and the dates they were looking at, so the transaction happens exactly where it happens today.
Which PMS systems does AskWhisper integrate with?
AskWhisper integrates with Mews, Cloudbeds, Lighthouse, RoomRaccoon, Apaleo, protel, Clock PMS+ and MyTourist. Every one of them covers two-way reservation sync, traveller profile sync and messaging triggered by reservation events. The integrations page lists what each supports, and new connections are added in the order customers ask for them.
What if I don't have a PMS?
Most of AskWhisper works without one. The website, the webchat, the knowledge base, the AI receptionist and the journey emails all run on the facts you give us. Connecting a PMS adds the reservation-aware parts: the shared inbox, and digital check-in and keys.
How does AskWhisper work for hotel groups with multiple properties?
Hotel groups manage all properties from one platform. Set your brand standards once and roll them out everywhere. Guest communication, check-in flows and upselling then stay consistent across every property. Each property can still customise its own content while following group-wide templates.
How much does AskWhisper cost?
The AskWhisper Suite is €99 a month with your first 10 rooms included, then €7 per extra room, plus a one-time €399 setup fee. A hotel website starts at €99 a month, digital room keys are €99 a month with 10 rooms included, and Voice AI is priced on call volume. Groups can arrange a custom partnership.
Is there a minimum contract period?
Yes. AskWhisper contracts run for a standard term of one year. Pricing is published, so you know the cost before you sign: the Suite is €99 a month with 10 rooms included, then €7 per extra room, plus a one-time €399 setup fee. Your PMS, booking engine and reservations stay where they are.
How long does setup take?
Most properties go live within a few days. You describe the property, the first version of everything you switched on comes back from that description, and connecting your PMS is a matter of approving access. There's no migration and no data-entry project to work through first.
Comparing something else?
Want to see it on your own hotel?
Just Ask Whisper.
Describe your property and see what comes back.