Gastfreund and luca overlap on the digital guest directory but reach different distances. Gastfreund from Kempten is, by its own account, the most-used guest app in the German-speaking region, focused on information and communication. luca is a guest experience platform that also covers online check-in, payments and a point of sale. This page helps you decide which approach fits your property.
Both providers are German companies with a DACH focus and both work in line with GDPR. The difference is the span of the guest journey, not origin.
The full guest journey versus the guest app
Gastfreund concentrates on the time inside the property. The guest app shows information about the house and the region, the Infokanal plays content onto screens, and the Hotelboard combines guest and team communication. For arrival and departure there is no online check-in flow.
luca starts at arrival and ends at payment. The guest fills in their details and payment method before arrival, checks in online and skips the queue. At checkout they review the bill by email and return the key. Up to 69% of guests use pre-check-in according to luca, and check-in time drops by up to 80%. The digital guest directory is one building block here, not the whole product.
More on digital check-in with luca
Payments and point of sale in the guest flow
This is where the systems part ways. Gastfreund offers no integrated payments and no point of sale. Upsell runs as offer and booking forwarding, without capturing payment directly.
luca captures payment in the same flow. luca Pay runs on Adyen, with less than 1% card fee on all cards and no subscription. For food and beverage there is a point of sale, QR code payment at the table and card terminals from €19 a month. The Isla Brown Corinthia Resort (Curio Collection by Hilton, 165 rooms) created 180 additional order points with QR ordering at the pool, beach and rooftop, and generated €12,500 in extra F&B revenue in one month.
One platform from arrival to payment
Gastfreund is strong on information, content distribution and team communication. The Hotelboard connects guest and internal coordination in one system, a genuine mark among DACH guest apps.
luca puts the weight on the transactional steps of the guest journey. The Vienna House by Wyndham Andel's Berlin (550+ rooms) runs the full stack: check-in at the lobby terminal with key issue, integrated payment with automatic invoicing, mobile ordering in the conference area and lounge, one-tap upgrades and a 24/7 self-service shop with age verification. For properties with their own food and beverage and a self-service ambition, that is a daily difference.
Digital keys as part of check-in
At the door, both work with lock-system integrations. The difference sits in the flow before it: with luca, the digital key is tied to online check-in. The guest checks in ahead of arrival and opens the room door by smartphone, with no stop at the front desk. Gastfreund lists Salto as an integration, and the product has no online check-in flow in front of it (as of July 2026).
When Gastfreund is the better fit
Some properties and facilities are better served by Gastfreund.
- Digital guest information with low effort comes first. Gastfreund is, by its own account, the most-used guest app in the DACH region with 7,000+ properties and drag-and-drop content. If you mainly want to present information, region and offers cleanly, you get a mature product.
- Clinic, rehab or senior care. Gastfreund has its own Health and Care line with a Klinik-App, patient portal and digital resident support. luca does not cover this second market.
- Content reach and team communication matter. The Infokanal, the Hotelzeitung, the Erlebnis distribution to 150+ channels and the Hotelboard are strengths when communication and marketing are the focus.
- Campgrounds and holiday flats. Gastfreund addresses these property types explicitly with the guest app approach.
