What Protel does

Protel is a Dortmund, Germany-based hospitality software company founded in 1994, employing 101-250 staff and now operating under the Planet brand following a 2025 rebrand. The company provides a cloud-based Property Management System (Protel Cloud PMS) that handles day-to-day hotel operations including guest management, inter-department communication, and billing/invoicing. The product portfolio is built around a platform-plus-modules architecture: the core PMS is complemented by a Hotel Booking Engine for direct reservations, an Integration Marketplace at store.protel.io that connects third-party hotel-friendly applications, and a Hospitality Network module covering enterprise Wi-Fi and in-room entertainment.

Through the Planet umbrella, Protel's offering extends well beyond a traditional PMS into a payments-led platform, adding online and in-person payment processing, Dynamic Currency Conversion, Multi-Currency Pricing, an Order Management System for retail, and a VAT Refund / Tax Free service. Revenue is generated through recurring software subscriptions for the PMS and booking engine, transaction fees on payment processing, and marketplace integration services. Distribution is sales-led, combining direct enterprise sales via the website and contact forms, a partner/reseller channel for mid-market customers, and the Integration Marketplace as an indirect ecosystem channel. The primary customer segment is full-service hotels, with bars/restaurants/QSRs, retail (e.g., Timpson), and travel as secondary verticals; named enterprise customers include Hotel Olden, Mangia's (unified payments across 15 properties), and Hotell Fjallheim Fridhemsgatan.

Name

Protel

Legal name

Protel (now operating as Planet)

Website

https://protel.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Protel is a Dortmund-based hospitality software company founded in 1994, now operating as Planet. It provides a cloud Property Management System, booking engine, integration marketplace, and hospitality network to hotels, restaurants, and retailers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Property Management Software

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821), All Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (561599)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Property Management Systems (PMS) (THALACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Security, Identity, Privacy & Compliance (incl. PCI, KYC where applicable) (THALACAO), Guest Experience & Engagement (CRM, Messaging, Loyalty) (THALACAF)

Keywords

• Hospitality software
• Property management system
• Hotel booking engine
• Payment processing
• Hotel network infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Dortmund

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Subscriptions (PMS, Booking Engine): Subscription-based access to cloud Property Management System and booking engine for hotel operations management.
2. Payment Processing: Payment solutions for hospitality including online and in-person payments, integrated with the PMS for seamless guest transactions.
3. Integration Marketplace Services: Revenue from marketplace integrations and third-party app deployments within the hospitality technology ecosystem.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Protel provides a cloud-based Property Management System (PMS) for hotels and hospitality operators, enabling day-to-day operations management, inter-department communication, billing and invoicing, and reservation workflows. Its portfolio extends to a hotel booking engine, an Integration Marketplace for third-party apps, enterprise Wi-Fi and in-room entertainment (Hospitality Network), and integrated payment processing capabilities now consolidated under the Planet brand.

Product overview

Protel, now operating under the Planet brand, offers a unified platform-plus-modules architecture for the hospitality and retail industries. The core product is Protel Cloud PMS (Property Management System), which provides hotel operations management including guest services, departmental communication, and billing. This core platform is complemented by the Hotel Booking Engine for direct reservations and the Integration Marketplace for connecting third-party hotel-friendly applications. The broader Planet ecosystem extends the offering with payments solutions (Online Payments, In-Person Payments), Dynamic Currency Conversion, Multi Currency Pricing, Order Management System for retail, and VAT Refund services. The hospitality network module adds enterprise Wi-Fi and in-room entertainment capabilities. These products work together to create a comprehensive hospitality and retail technology stack spanning operations, distribution, and payments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Protel Cloud PMS: Intuitive property management system for hotels that helps boost guest experience with seamless communication between departments and billing functions.
• Integration Marketplace
• Hotel Booking Engine

Products and services

• Protel Cloud PMS Intuitive Property Management System for hotels to manage day-to-day operations including guest management, seamless communication between departments, and comprehensive billing and invoicing functions to track every transaction.
• Hotel Booking Engine Online booking engine providing hotels with an efficient reservation system that enables potential guests to complete bookings through a streamlined journey, helping properties stay competitive on direct bookings.
• Integration Marketplace Marketplace connecting hotel-friendly applications with technology-friendly hotels, offering ready-to-deploy technologies that are seamlessly integrated into the Protel/Planet PMS technology stack with full customization capabilities.
• Hospitality Network Enterprise Wi-Fi, in-room entertainment, and fully managed hotel infrastructure solutions designed to enhance guest connectivity and experience across hotel properties.
• Online Payments Payment processing solution enabling businesses to accept payments on websites, mobile apps, or via secure payment links for online transactions, integrated with the hospitality PMS suite.
• In-Person Payments Payment processing solution for accepting in-person payments inside premises, outside locations, or on-the-go, providing flexibility for various hospitality and retail environments.
• Order Management System Software solution for retail operations that enables efficient fulfillment of online orders directly from physical store locations, part of the Planet software suite.
• Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) Service that localizes the checkout experience for international customers by offering real-time currency conversion at the point of sale, helping merchants serve global travelers.
• Multi Currency Pricing Solution that localizes the browsing experience for international customers by displaying prices in multiple currencies during online shopping.
• VAT Refund (Tax Free) Tax Free form issuing solution that enables merchants to process VAT refunds at scale, with near real-time tracking of the shopper refund journey across geographies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hotell Fjallheim Fridhemsgatan saves up to 4 hours per day with HotSoft PMS

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Third-party App Providers (Marketplace)coreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration marketplace connects hotel-friendly apps with tech-friendly hotels. Everything can be customized and integrated into the technology stack. The marketplace offers ready-to-deploy technologies seamlessly integrated with Protel PMS.
• Planet (Parent Company)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerProtel is now Planet, with the hospitality software continuing under Planet's integrated payments and software suite. Protel Cloud PMS and Planet's payments solutions work together to provide comprehensive hospitality offerings.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Maestro PMS: PMS and hotel operations software for independent hotels, resorts, and conference centers. Competes with Protel in the same full-service hotel segment with browser-based and cloud deployment options.
• Mews: Cloud-native Property Management System for hotels, hostels, and serviced apartments. Directly competes with Protel in the same mid-market and enterprise hospitality segment with a modern API-first architecture.
• Cloudbeds: All-in-one hospitality management suite combining PMS, booking engine, and channel manager. Targets the same independent and group hotel operators that Protel serves, with subscription-based pricing.
• Stayntouch: Cloud-based PMS focused on hotels and resorts with mobile-first operations. Competes head-to-head with Protel for full-service hotel operators seeking modern cloud PMS deployments.
• eZee Absolute (eZee Technosys): Cloud-based hotel PMS with integrated booking engine, channel manager, and restaurant POS. Directly competes with Protel across independent hotels and small chains globally.
• RoomKey PMS: Property Management System designed for hotels, resorts, and inns with integrated booking and revenue management. Overlaps with Protel's mid-market hospitality positioning.
• Hotelogix: Cloud hospitality platform offering PMS, booking engine, channel manager and POS for hotels. Targets a similar SMB and mid-market hotel customer base as Protel.

Broad incumbents

• Oracle OPERA Cloud (formerly Micros): Enterprise-grade PMS widely deployed across large hotel chains and global brands. The dominant legacy incumbent in the same Property Management System category where Protel competes.
• Shiji Group: Global hospitality technology platform offering PMS, POS, payment processing, and guest experience solutions. Overlaps with Protel/Planet across both PMS and integrated payments for hotels worldwide.
• Infor HMS (Hospitality Management System): Enterprise hospitality software suite including PMS, sales and catering, and revenue management. A larger incumbent offering overlapping functionality to Protel's enterprise hotel customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/protel-hotelsoftware-gmbh
• Xx.com/protel

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Protel