How long does it take to deploy a hotel guest portal?

The deployment timeline depends on four factors: **1. PMS integration depth.** Standalone deployment is simpler than PMS-connected deployment. PMS integration is fastest with Apaleo, Guestivo's current reference connector. For Mews, Cloudbeds, KWHotel, Profitroom, NFHotel, or another PMS, we first confirm API access and scope the connector; reservation sync, folio posting, and webhook lifecycle timing depends on vendor access and property setup. This avoids promising a turnkey integration before your PMS vendor grants property-level API access. **2. F&B menu complexity.** A small single-language menu is faster to configure than a multi-language menu with modifiers, allergens, photos, and time-based availability. AI menu import creates a reviewable draft, but staff still need to check the catalog before publishing. **3. AI concierge knowledge configuration.** AI concierge quality depends on hotel-specific knowledge: operating hours, local recommendations, policies, services, and escalation rules. Plan time for writing, testing, and staff review. **4. Staff training.** Reception, kitchen, and housekeeping teams need admin-panel training and a supervised parallel-running period before retiring old workflows. For a 30-room boutique hotel without a PMS integration, with a moderately complex menu and AI concierge, the practical path is a phased rollout: guest portal and menu first, then staff workflows, then PMS-connected automations once integration scope is confirmed. Compare to a traditional native hotel app build, which usually requires custom development, app-store release work, and a persistent install barrier for one-time guests. A QR-launched web guest portal can be launched in phases and removes app-store friction from the first interaction.