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Travel · head to head

BCD TripSource vs Little Hotelier

BCD TripSource logo

BCD TripSource

Travel

Traveller-facing itinerary and trip management app bundled with a BCD Travel programme

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Little Hotelier logo

Little Hotelier

Travel

SiteMinder owned front desk and distribution system for properties under twenty rooms

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: BCD TripSource it cannot be bought or used without a BCD Travel TMC contract, so it is not a genuine alternative to an independent app like TripIt for a company using a different agency.; Little Hotelier the product is capped by design at small properties, so a hotel growing past roughly twenty rooms faces a migration rather than an upgrade, usually into SiteMinder plus a separate PMS.
  • They diverge on capability: BCD TripSource covers Trip timeline, Little Hotelier covers Simplified front desk.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BCD TripSource and Little Hotelier actually diverge.

Attributes where BCD TripSource and Little Hotelier differ
AttributeBCD TripSourceLittle Hotelier

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Travel).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in BCD TripSource

  • Trip timeline
  • Real-time alerts
  • Entry requirement guidance
  • Itinerary sharing
  • Driving directions
  • Policy and booking links

Only in Little Hotelier

  • Simplified front desk
  • Channel management
  • Direct booking engine
  • Payments
  • Mobile app
  • Guest communication

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

BCD TripSource

  • A company already contracted to BCD Travel wanting a single itinerary view for travellersnot Little Hotelier
  • A travel manager needing entry requirement and flight alert information pushed automaticallynot Little Hotelier
  • An assistant or arranger who needs to share a travelling executive's itinerary quicklynot Little Hotelier
  • A duty of care programme that wants trip data visible without travellers logging into a separate portalnot Little Hotelier

Little Hotelier

  • A ten room guesthouse where the owner works reception and wants OTA sync without a separate channel manager contractnot BCD TripSource
  • A hostel needing reliable Booking.com and Hostelworld connectivity more than deep property management featuresnot BCD TripSource
  • A rural B and B replacing a spreadsheet and manual OTA extranet updatesnot BCD TripSource
  • A small property already comfortable with SiteMinder support and wanting one bill for distribution and front desknot BCD TripSource

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

BCD TripSource

  • It cannot be bought or used without a BCD Travel TMC contract, so it is not a genuine alternative to an independent app like TripIt for a company using a different agency.
  • Feature depth trails purpose-built consumer itinerary apps, and companies sometimes end up recommending a personal TripIt subscription alongside it for travellers who want more.
  • Because it is bundled, there is no separate pricing to negotiate down, and the cost is buried inside the overall BCD Travel service fee.
  • Manually forwarded bookings made outside BCD Travel channels are not always captured cleanly, leaving gaps in the trip timeline for off-channel purchases.
  • Switching TMC away from BCD Travel means losing the app entirely, adding a hidden switching cost beyond renegotiating the agency contract itself.

Little Hotelier

  • The product is capped by design at small properties, so a hotel growing past roughly twenty rooms faces a migration rather than an upgrade, usually into SiteMinder plus a separate PMS.
  • Reporting is limited to basic occupancy and revenue summaries, which leaves owners exporting to a spreadsheet for anything an accountant or lender asks for.
  • Rate and package logic is simple, so properties with seasonal packages, meal plans or complex tax handling end up adjusting rates manually.
  • The non-distribution integration list is short, so accounting, door lock, POS or CRM tools outside the small supported set have to be handled by rekeying data.
  • Pricing is banded by room count and paid monthly per property, so an operator with three small properties pays three subscriptions with no consolidated view worth the name.

Pricing, plan by plan

BCD TripSource

On request
  • BCD Travel programme (TripSource included)$undefined/year
    • Bundled into a BCD Travel managed travel contract
    • No standalone licence available
    • Traveller download is free once a company is a BCD Travel client

Little Hotelier

On request
  • Little Hotelier$undefined/month
    • Monthly subscription banded by number of rooms
    • Booking engine and channel manager included
    • Card processing charged per transaction

Which should you pick?

Choose BCD TripSource if

  • You need trip timeline.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want real-time alerts.
BCD TripSource review

Choose Little Hotelier if

  • You need simplified front desk.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want channel management.
Little Hotelier review

Questions people ask

Is BCD TripSource or Little Hotelier better?
Neither clearly leads. BCD TripSource starts at On request and Little Hotelier at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BCD TripSource or Little Hotelier?
BCD TripSource starts at On request and Little Hotelier at On request.
Does BCD TripSource or Little Hotelier run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is BCD TripSource best used for?
BCD TripSource is most often used for a company already contracted to bcd travel wanting a single itinerary view for travellers, a travel manager needing entry requirement and flight alert information pushed automatically, an assistant or arranger who needs to share a travelling executive's itinerary quickly, a duty of care programme that wants trip data visible without travellers logging into a separate portal. Of those, a company already contracted to bcd travel wanting a single itinerary view for travellers and a travel manager needing entry requirement and flight alert information pushed automatically are not what Little Hotelier is typically brought in for.
What can BCD TripSource do that Little Hotelier cannot?
BCD TripSource covers Trip timeline, Real-time alerts, Entry requirement guidance, Itinerary sharing. Little Hotelier covers Simplified front desk, Channel management, Direct booking engine, Payments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

BCD TripSource: Can we buy TripSource without using BCD Travel as our agency?

No. It is bundled with a BCD Travel managed travel contract and is not sold separately.

Little Hotelier: Who owns Little Hotelier?

SiteMinder. It is the small property product line of the same company that sells the SiteMinder channel manager.

BCD TripSource: Is the app free for travellers?

Yes, once the employer is a BCD Travel client, travellers download it at no separate charge.

Little Hotelier: What happens when the property outgrows it?

Most operators move to a fuller PMS and keep SiteMinder for distribution. Expect a data migration rather than a plan change.

BCD TripSource: Does it replace an online booking tool?

No, it is an itinerary and alert hub; booking happens through BCD Travel's separate online booking tool or agents.

Little Hotelier: Does it include a channel manager?

Yes, built on the SiteMinder network, which is the main reason to choose it over other small property tools.

Little Hotelier: Can one login manage several properties?

Each property is a separate subscription and the multi-property view is thin, so operators of more than two or three properties usually look elsewhere.

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