A hotel phone system handles guest room calling, reception routing, wake-up calls, housekeeping coordination, and integration with your property management system (PMS). In 2026, cloud-based hotel phone systems have largely replaced the on-premise PBX hardware that hotels traditionally relied on.
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With the PSTN switch-off retiring analogue phone lines by January 2027, hotels still running traditional systems face a mandatory migration. This guide covers what to look for in a hotel phone system, the best options for UK hotels by size, and how much you should expect to pay.
- Hotel phone systems cost £50-200 per room - depending on property size, features required, and integration complexity with existing systems
- Wake-up call automation saves 2-3 hours daily - reducing front desk workload while improving guest service reliability significantly
- Best for boutique hotels under 50 rooms - cloud-based solutions offering hotel-specific features without enterprise complexity
- PSTN switch-off affects 85% of UK hotel systems - forcing costly upgrades by 2027 for properties using traditional phone infrastructure
What Makes a Hotel Phone System Different?
Hotel phone systems require guest room management, wake-up call automation, PMS integration, billing per room, and the ability to activate and deactivate extensions as guests check in and out.
A standard business phone system handles extensions and call routing. A hotel phone system needs to do significantly more:
- Guest room management – automatically enable a room’s phone on check-in and disable it on check-out, clearing voicemail and call history
- PMS integration – sync with Opera, Mews, Clock PMS, or other property management systems so guest names display on the phone and billing is automatic
- Wake-up calls – automated wake-up service that guests can set from their room phone or via reception
- Call billing – track and charge outgoing calls to the guest’s room bill (less critical now that most guests use mobile phones)
- Do Not Disturb – DND status synced between the room phone, PMS, and housekeeping systems
- Housekeeping codes – staff dial codes from the room phone to update room status (cleaned, inspected, out of order)
- Emergency services – locate which room dialled 999, critical for multi-storey buildings
- One-touch services – speed dials for reception, room service, concierge, and spa from the guest room handset
Not every hotel needs all of these features. A 10-room B&B might only need basic room phones with reception routing. A 200-room business hotel needs full PMS integration, automated wake-up calls, and housekeeping codes.
Best Hotel Phone Systems by Hotel Size
Small hotels and B&Bs can use standard cloud VoIP systems like bOnline or RingCentral. Mid-sized and large hotels need specialised hospitality platforms with PMS integration from providers like Mitel MX-ONE or cloud-native solutions.
| Hotel Size | Rooms | Recommended System Type | Providers | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B&B / Guest House | 1-15 | Standard cloud VoIP with basic room extensions | bOnline, RingCentral | £7-£25/user/month |
| Small Hotel | 15-50 | Cloud VoIP with auto-attendant and voicemail per room | RingCentral, GoTo Connect, 3CX | £10-£25/extension/month or hosted 3CX |
| Medium Hotel | 50-200 | Hospitality-specific cloud or IP-PBX with PMS integration | Mitel MiVoice, NEC UNIVERGE, 3CX Hospitality | £10,000-£30,000 (on-prem) or £15-£30/room/month (cloud) |
| Large / Chain Hotel | 200+ | Enterprise hospitality PBX or managed cloud solution | Mitel MX-ONE, Cisco CUCM, Alcatel-Lucent OXE | £30,000-£100,000+ (on-prem) |
The most significant shift in hotel telecoms is that guest room phones are becoming optional. With virtually every guest carrying a smartphone, many boutique and mid-range hotels are removing room phones entirely, replacing them with a QR code or app for in-room services. This reduces phone system costs dramatically and improves the guest experience through a more modern interface.
Key Features to Look For
PMS integration is the most important feature for any hotel with 50+ rooms. For smaller properties, auto-attendant and voicemail-per-room are the essentials. Wake-up calls and housekeeping codes matter for full-service hotels.
| Feature | B&B / Small Hotel | Medium Hotel | Large / Chain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-attendant | Essential | Essential | Essential |
| Voicemail per room | Nice to have | Essential | Essential |
| PMS integration | Not needed | Essential | Essential |
| Wake-up calls | Manual via reception | Automated | Automated + guest self-service |
| Housekeeping codes | Not needed | Useful | Essential |
| Call billing | Not needed | Optional | Essential (for business guests) |
| E911/room location | Nice to have | Required by law (multi-floor) | Required by law |
| Mobile app for guests | Differentiator | Recommended | Expected |
If you are a small hotel or B&B, a standard business VoIP system from bOnline or RingCentral covers your needs at a fraction of the cost of hospitality-specific systems. You get auto-attendant, voicemail, mobile apps, and call routing – the only hospitality features you miss are automated wake-up calls and PMS integration, which small properties rarely need.
How Much Does a Hotel Phone System Cost?
A cloud VoIP system for a small hotel costs £100-£500/month. A hospitality-specific PBX for a 100-room hotel costs £15,000-£40,000 installed, plus ongoing maintenance. Cloud hospitality solutions run £15-£30 per room per month.
| Hotel Type | Cloud VoIP (monthly) | On-Premise PBX (year 1) |
|---|---|---|
| 10-room B&B | £70-£250/month | £3,000-£6,000 setup + £100/month |
| 50-room hotel | £500-£1,500/month | £10,000-£20,000 setup + £300/month |
| 100-room hotel | £1,500-£3,000/month | £20,000-£40,000 setup + £500/month |
| 200+ room hotel | £3,000-£6,000/month | £40,000-£100,000+ setup + £1,000/month |
Cloud VoIP is cost-effective for small and medium hotels. Large hotels (200+ rooms) may find that on-premise systems offer better per-room economics over a 5-7 year cycle, but the upfront capital expenditure is significant and the system will eventually need replacing.
The PSTN switch-off adds urgency: any hotel still using analogue phone lines needs to budget for migration before January 2027. Delaying increases the risk of service disruption and reduces the time available to properly test a new system before go-live.
The PSTN Switch-Off and Your Hotel
Hotels with analogue or ISDN phone systems must migrate before January 2027. Guest room phones, lift phones, fire alarms, CCTV, and door entry systems connected to phone lines all need replacing or adapting.
Hotels are particularly affected by the PSTN switch-off because they often have multiple systems connected to phone lines beyond just guest room phones:
- Guest room phones – must migrate to VoIP handsets or be removed entirely
- Lift emergency phones – legally required, must be converted to cellular or VoIP
- Fire alarm diallers – must be upgraded to cellular communicators
- Door entry/access control – systems that call a phone number for access must be upgraded
- CCTV remote monitoring – any analogue transmission needs IP conversion
- Card payment terminals – phone-line card machines need replacing with broadband or 4G terminals
Plan your migration as a single project covering all connected systems, not just the phone system. Many hotels discover additional analogue dependencies during the audit process.
Our Verdict
Small hotels should use standard cloud VoIP from £7/user. Medium and large hotels need hospitality-specific platforms with PMS integration. All hotels on analogue lines must migrate before January 2027.
For B&Bs and small hotels (under 30 rooms), start with bOnline (from £7/user) or RingCentral (from £12.99/user) – standard cloud VoIP with auto-attendant handles the essentials. For medium hotels needing PMS integration, 3CX’s hospitality module or Mitel’s MiVoice platform offer the best balance of cost and features. Large chain hotels should evaluate enterprise solutions from Mitel MX-ONE or Cisco.
Compare all UK business phone providers in our business phone systems guide or read reviews: Dialpad, Vonage, GoTo Connect, Google Voice. See also our guides to business switchboards and PBX phone systems.
