Does CleanClac replace your PMS? No, and that's intentional

You spent weeks choosing your PMS, connecting your Airbnb and Booking listings, and setting up your automated messages. Now you hear about a cleaning management tool. Logical reaction: “Another piece of software? Does it overlap with my PMS? Do I have to choose?” The answer is simple: CleanClac does not replace your PMS, it plugs into it. The two tools do different jobs, and that’s exactly why they work so well together.

The short answer: no, and that’s by design

A PMS (Property Management System) is the central system of your rental business: it syncs your calendars across platforms, manages your rates, centralises guest communication, and prevents double bookings. CleanClac does none of that, and that’s on purpose.

CleanClac is a cleaning management app: it turns every guest departure into a scheduled cleaning job, assigned to a cleaner, guided by a visual checklist, and closed with timestamped photo or video proof. It’s the on-the-ground operations layer that sits above your PMS, never in its place.

This specialisation is a deliberate choice. The market is now too demanding for one tool to excel at everything: the EU recorded 951.6 million overnight stays booked via platforms in 2025, up 11.4% year-on-year according to Eurostat. Behind every stay, there’s a booking to manage (the PMS’s job) and a property to restore to perfect condition (CleanClac’s job).

Who does what: the dividing line between PMS and cleaning layer

The simplest test for overlap: list who owns which data and who performs which action.

What your PMS manages:

• Bookings: creation, modification, cancellation, real-time multi-platform sync.
• Rates and distribution: nightly prices, restrictions, channel connections (Airbnb, Booking, Vrbo, Expedia depending on the tool).
• Listings: content, photos, availability pushed to platforms.
• Guest communication: automated messages before arrival, during the stay, after departure.
• Payments: payments, deposits, invoicing depending on the PMS.

What CleanClac manages:

• Cleaning schedule: every departure automatically creates a cleaning at the property’s default slot.
• On-the-ground team: unlimited cleaners, always free, Manager role with delegated property scope, built-in messaging.
• Quality control: illustrated checklists per property, with a catalogue of around 200 tasks split into sections (cleaning, finishing touches, linen, restocking, comfort, guest extras).
• Proof: end-of-cleaning photos or video, timestamped by the server, with digital fingerprint and GPS location, impossible to backdate.
• Logistics: consumables stock with gauge and threshold alert, access box (codes, key box) sent to the day’s cleaner, property condition note on arrival.

The boundary is clear: the PMS talks to guests and platforms, CleanClac talks to your cleaning team. Neither tries to absorb the other. If you’re still hesitating between a channel manager and a PMS, our guide Channel manager, PMS, cleaning tool: who does what? sets out the definitions in detail.

Why your PMS isn’t always enough for cleaning

Let’s be fair: most PMSs offer something for cleaning, and some do it well. Beds24 provides custom housekeeping statuses and “Cleaner” role accounts (beds24.com). Guesty and Hostaway have built-in task modules that mark a property as “to clean” after each check-out. Lodgify offers a proper task management module with photo proof, but only on its most expensive plan. Superhote natively assigns cleaning tasks to teams and calculates contractor payments. Smoobu relies on read-only assistant accounts and partners with specialist cleaning tools.

These modules are helpful, but they remain general-purpose features in a tool whose core business is bookings. What’s often missing is the full on-the-ground experience: an app designed for the cleaner standing at the door, with a room-by-room illustrated checklist, geolocated clock-in, actual cleaning duration, property condition reporting, and timestamped photo proof that protects everyone in case of dispute.

This isn’t just cosmetic. 81% of guests consider cleanliness the most important factor when choosing accommodation, and 78% are more likely to leave a positive review when the property is clean, according to an AHLA study cited by Hospitable. Cleaning isn’t a side task of bookings: it’s a profession in its own right, with its own dedicated tools.

The 6 direct connectors, and iCal for all the rest

So, how do the two tools talk to each other? CleanClac offers direct connectors to 6 PMSs: Beds24, Guesty, Hostaway, Lodgify, Smoobu, and Superhote. The principle is simple: the connector pulls bookings from your PMS and every guest departure automatically creates the corresponding cleaning in CleanClac, at the default slot you’ve set for the property. No double entry: the PMS remains the source of truth for bookings, CleanClac deduces the cleaning schedule.

This choice of connectors covers a deliberately broad range:

• Superhote: the go-to French PMS for hosts and agencies, with unified messaging and direct booking engine (superhote.com).
• Smoobu: the Berlin-based all-in-one, loved by independent hosts with 1 to 5 properties, from around €29/month as of 6 August 2026.
• Beds24: the most customisable and affordable, from around €15.50/month pay-as-you-go, popular with growing portfolios.
• Lodgify: the direct booking specialist with built-in website builder.
• Guesty: the international platform for professional managers, present in over 80 countries.
• Hostaway: the heavyweight for structured agencies, with over 300 claimed integrations.

And if your PMS isn’t on the list, or you don’t have a PMS at all? iCal sync takes over: CleanClac reads Airbnb, Booking, and Vrbo iCal calendars and creates cleanings the same way at each departure. It’s the universal solution, explained step by step in our guide iCal sync: Airbnb, Booking.com and your cleaning rota.

Typical scenarios: the right combination for your portfolio size

The PMS + CleanClac duo isn’t justified in the same way depending on your portfolio. Here are three common profiles.

1 to 3 properties: iCal first, PMS when you need it

With 1 to 3 properties, many hosts don’t yet have a PMS: Airbnb and Booking are enough, synced with each other via iCal. In this case, CleanClac works fully independently: iCal sync creates the cleanings, your cleaner receives their jobs, you monitor progress remotely. From £9.99/month for 1 property (£14.99 for 2-3 properties), with a 14-day free trial and no card required, it’s a no-brainer compared to the cost of a single bad review for a missed clean. When you do adopt a PMS like Smoobu or Superhote, you just switch to the direct connector with no change to your cleaning routines.

5 to 15 properties: established PMS + dedicated cleaning layer

At this scale, a PMS is usually in place and cleaning becomes the first bottleneck: several cleaners, same-day turnovers, laundry to manage. This is where the connector really shines. The PMS continues to manage bookings and guests; CleanClac orchestrates the team: who cleans what, when, with which checklist, and with what proof. The Manager role already lets you delegate a set of properties. Our article Automate Your Airbnb Cleaning with CleanClac details this setup.

30 to 50 properties: agency setup with both tools

France has around 5,000 short-term rental agencies, with a typical portfolio of 30 to 50 properties, according to the 2026 Livret Accueil study. At this scale, a professional PMS (Hostaway, Guesty, Superhote) is essential for bookings, and cleaning becomes a matter of accountability: proving to owners that every clean was done, on time, to the expected standard. Server-timestamped photo proof with GPS location and property history meet this need exactly, without increasing team costs since cleaners are unlimited and always free: you pay per property, never per team member.

What the duo changes day-to-day

Once the connector is activated, everything runs itself. A booking arrives in the PMS: nothing to do. The guest leaves on Tuesday at 11am: Tuesday’s clean already exists in CleanClac, assigned as per your rules. The booking is changed or cancelled: the schedule updates. The cleaner clocks in on site, works through their checklist, flags a low stock, uploads end-of-cleaning photos, notes the property’s condition on arrival. You see it all, including the actual duration and a “Late” warning if the clean overruns.

The gain isn’t just time saved on coordination: it’s the end of double entry and missed jobs. The PMS never really knows if the property is actually ready; CleanClac does, with proof. And since booking data stays in the PMS, you’re not creating any new dependency.

One last point, important for international teams: CleanClac is available in 6 languages (French, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German), while several professional PMSs are English-first. Your cleaner uses the app in their language, whatever language your PMS is in.