Buyer's guide
What is the best maintenance software for a small UK hotel?
Chris Morgan, Founder of Fixray · Last updated
For most small UK hotels, the best maintenance software is a lightweight reporting app that every member of staff will use from their phone, not the most powerful system. A full CMMS (computerised maintenance management system) suits hotels with an engineering team and a large asset register. Start free, prove the habit, then upgrade.
What options does a small UK hotel have?
Hotels choose between five kinds of tool. They overlap, and plenty of hotels run two at once.
- Your PMS. Some hotel booking and front-desk systems include a task log or connect to an operations platform: Flexkeeping, for example, is distributed through the Mews PMS. Check how much maintenance it handles before relying on it.
- Hotel operations platforms. hotelkit covers operations and compliance for large hotel chains on custom quotes. Built for brand standards across many properties.
- A CMMS. MaintainX, Limble and UpKeep are built for maintenance teams, with asset records and planned maintenance. Maintainly and FaultFixers are lighter options for smaller teams: Maintainly has a free plan and QR codes for rooms and equipment, and FaultFixers is a UK app with a free trial. MaintainX has a free Basic plan; paid CMMS plans are typically priced per licensed user.
- Photo reporting apps. Snapfix and Fixray are built around a photo taken on a phone. Snapfix has grown into a full hotel operations platform, sold to hotel groups through a demo.
- WhatsApp groups and spreadsheets. Free, familiar and where most small hotels start. They work until a job gets buried in the chat or the sheet stops being updated.
What do hotel operators say they want?
The complaint is rarely a missing feature. It is too many steps, and paying for more software than the property can use.
“Way too many steps for 'room 305 toilet is running.'”
“there is no justifiable reason to be paying for such an expensive software that you can't even fully utilize due to the scale of the property.”
“If I ran a small hotel, I'd pay for less dropped context before I'd pay for another dashboard.”
How do you choose the right one?
Match the tool to how your hotel runs maintenance today, not to the longest feature list.
| If your hotel | Look at | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Runs maintenance through a WhatsApp group and has no budget yet | A free tier: Fixray Log, or MaintainX Basic | Whether the staff who spot faults can report without a paid login |
| Has one maintenance person and many people who spot faults | A photo reporting app where reporting is free | That reporting takes no more steps than sending a message |
| Wants simple work orders and QR codes on rooms and equipment, without a big CMMS rollout | A lighter maintenance app such as Maintainly or FaultFixers | Which roles need a paid login, and whether housekeeping can report without one |
| Has an engineering team, an asset register and plant on a planned schedule | A CMMS such as MaintainX, Limble or UpKeep | Setup time, and how paid plans price each licensed user |
| Belongs to a chain with a brand-wide system | The system the brand already runs, or a platform such as hotelkit | Custom pricing and rollout time |
| Runs two or more properties | A tool that keeps each site separate with one group view | Whether each site keeps its own list and targets |
What should you check before you commit?
- Can a housekeeper report a fault from their own phone in under a minute?
- Does every job sit in one list, with an owner and a record of when it was fixed?
- Is there proof of the fix: a photo, a time and a name?
- Does the price rise with the number of people who report faults?
- Can you start without a sales call, and run it alongside your current method for a week?
- Does it handle recurring checks such as fire alarm tests and Legionella flushing?
How do you stop maintenance jobs being done but not marked off?
Make marking the job done the last step of doing it, on the fixer's phone, so nobody has to update a list afterwards.
- The fixer closes the job where they stand, with a completion photo or a reason when there isn't one.
- Whoever reported the fault is told it's fixed, so the front desk isn't left guessing.
- A job waiting on a part goes on hold with a reason and an expected date, instead of sitting in progress.
- Fixray doesn't update your PMS room status today. PMS integrations are on our roadmap, so for now the front desk checks the job list before selling the room.
Where does Fixray fit?
Fixray is a photo-first maintenance app built for UK hotels and venues. Staff snap a photo and pick the location, managers see every issue in one list, and fixers close jobs with a completion photo.
The free Log tier covers one site with unlimited Reporters, unlimited issues, 2 Managers and 2 Fixers, one active guest QR poster and one active scheduled job. Track adds SLA tracking and unlimited scheduled jobs; Operate adds multi-site management. Every paid tier is priced per site and published.
If you run a large engineering team with a deep asset and planned-maintenance setup, a mature CMMS such as MaintainX goes further than Fixray does today.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there free maintenance software for a small hotel?
- Yes. Fixray's Log tier is free forever for one site, with unlimited Reporters and unlimited issues. MaintainX also has a free Basic plan. WhatsApp and a shared spreadsheet cost nothing, but they give you no job list with owners and no record of when each fault was fixed.
- Do I need a CMMS for a 20-room hotel?
- Usually not at first. A CMMS pays off when you have an engineering team, an asset register and planned maintenance on plant such as boilers. A 20-room hotel with one maintenance person mostly needs a quick way for staff to report faults and a list that shows what is still open.
- Can my PMS handle maintenance?
- Some can. Check whether housekeeping can attach a photo from a phone, whether each job has an owner, and whether you can see the fault history for a room. If the answer to any of those is no, pair the PMS with a dedicated maintenance app.
- How is maintenance software priced?
- Three ways, broadly. Free tiers (Fixray Log, MaintainX Basic). Per licensed user, which most CMMS paid plans use. Per site, which is how Fixray prices its paid tiers, with Reporters free on every plan. Count everyone who will report faults, not only the maintenance team.
- How long does setup take?
- A photo reporting app can be running the same day: add your rooms and areas, invite staff, and put up a QR poster for guests. A CMMS usually takes longer, because the asset register has to be built first.
- How do you stop maintenance jobs being done but not marked off?
- Make marking it done the last step of doing the job. In Fixray the fixer closes the job on their phone with a completion photo, or a reason when there isn't one, and whoever reported it is told it's fixed. A job waiting on a part goes on hold with a reason instead of sitting in progress. Fixray doesn't update your PMS room status today; PMS integrations are on our roadmap.
Try the free tier on one site
Fixray's Log tier is free forever for one site, with unlimited Reporters and unlimited issues. No credit card, no sales call.