- Only about a third of Australian messaging-app users use WhatsApp, compared with about 97% in India and Italy.
- Australian hotels serving mostly domestic guests need SMS; those with many international guests benefit from WhatsApp too.
- Local favourite Myma.ai integrates natively with RMS Cloud and OPERA Cloud and publishes plans at $199 and $399.
SMS vs WhatsApp in Australia
In a cross-country survey, only about 33% of Australian messaging-app users said they used WhatsApp, the lowest share among the countries measured, against about 97% in India and Italy[1]. Another dataset ranks WhatsApp as Australia's fourth most popular platform, used by 48.3% of people[2].
Source: Statista / eMarketer, survey of messaging app users, April 2022.
Options for Australian hotels
| Platform | Channels | Good fit for | Price (public) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myma.ai[3] | WhatsApp, SMS, web chat, voice | Hotels on RMS Cloud or OPERA Cloud | $199–399/month |
| Runnr.ai[4] | WhatsApp, SMS, OTA inboxes, webchat | Hotels and holiday parks with 10+ rooms | Per unit; WhatsApp fees extra |
| Akia[5] | SMS-first, plus WhatsApp and OTA | Front-desk operations | Around $200+/month |
| Conduit[6] | Voice, SMS, WhatsApp, OTA | Groups wanting one AI agent everywhere | From $649/month |
| HotelPing | Hotels with many international guests that want staff routing and SLA timers | From A$299/month |
Check your PMS first
Many Australian hotels and holiday parks run on RMS Cloud. Myma.ai lists native integration with RMS Cloud and OPERA Cloud[7]. Whatever you choose, ask for a live reference on your own PMS.
Where HotelPing fits in Australia
HotelPing is WhatsApp-only today, so it suits Australian hotels with a high share of international guests, or hotels whose main pain is staff follow-up: routing requests to departments, timing them and escalating overdue ones. SMS fallback is on the roadmap; if most of your guests are domestic, an SMS-first tool may fit better for now.
Frequently asked questions
Some do, especially international visitors, but WhatsApp use in Australia is far lower than in Asia or Europe. SMS remains the safest way to reach domestic guests.
Myma.ai lists a native RMS Cloud integration. Ask any vendor for an RMS reference customer.
It depends on volume and provider. SMS is charged per message by carriers, while WhatsApp charges per message by category. Compare both for your guest mix.
Sources
- Statista: WhatsApp penetration among messaging app users by country
- Esendex: WhatsApp statistics (Meltwater data)
- AI for Hoteliers: Myma.ai pricing
- Runnr.ai
- Visito: AI concierge tools (Akia)
- Conduit: AI guest communication platforms 2026
- Myma.ai: hotel guest messaging platform
Prices and features are taken from each vendor's public website or the sources above as of 2 October 2026, and may change. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners and are used only to identify them. Spotted something out of date? Tell us through our contact form and we will correct it.