Hotel events & F&B software,
without the enterprise contract.
Built for independent and boutique hotels with meeting space, weddings, conferences and group F&B. Quote and confirm without the multi-month implementation, PMS lock-in or per-property pricing model. from $39/month.
Honest fit check first.
LightCater is built for independent hotels and small chains (5–150 rooms) where the events team is 1–4 people. PMS and calendar sync come on the Professional plan, POS integration is an optional add-on, and multi-property runs on Enterprise. RFP management we leave to full enterprise platforms. If you don't, you're paying for them anyway. We're the alternative for the rest.
See LightCater with your events.
Leave your details and we’ll walk you through LightCater, set up for how your business works. It takes 30 minutes, online, with no commitment.
- 30-minute online walkthrough
- Your questions answered live
- No commitment, no credit card
Prefer to explore on your own? Start the free 14-day trial →
Scenarios the enterprise tools over-engineer.
If you're running an independent hotel with a small events team, here's where the big-property tools waste your time and money — and where LightCater fits instead.
20-room block + ceremony + reception + Sunday brunch.
The couple booked your ballroom for the reception, a Friday night welcome dinner in the lounge, ceremony space on the terrace, and a Sunday farewell brunch — plus a 20-room block at the group rate. Four events, one couple, one quote.
In LightCater: one customer record with four linked events. Each event has its own BEO and timing. The proposal shows all four with line-by-line pricing so the couple sees one total. Room block tracked in the customer notes (we don't replace your PMS — see below).
Tuesday breakfast, Wednesday lunch + breaks, Thursday cocktail closing.
A 40-person off-site retreat for a Toronto tech company. They need your boardroom for two days, three coffee breaks per day, breakfast and lunch each day, plus a cocktail reception Thursday night. Each meal has its own BEO requirements.
In LightCater: the conference is one customer record with linked sub-events for each meal. Your kitchen prints separate BEOs per service. Your sales coordinator quotes the whole thing in one proposal.
"What's our F&B minimum on a Saturday in October?"
Different rooms, different days, different minimums. Plus alcohol service usually has its own minimum. The salesperson who isn't on shift today doesn't have access to your pricing sheet.
In LightCater: save your room/day pricing matrix to the menu library. Pull, apply, send. Whoever's quoting tonight gets the same numbers as your senior salesperson.
Ballroom, boardroom, terrace, pool deck — all need their own BEOs.
Your hotel has 4 spaces. On a busy Saturday all four are booked for separate events. Each has its own setup style, AV needs, captain, vendor list. Coordinating across them with email is how you end up with the florist trying to load into the ballroom while a meeting's in there.
In LightCater: the calendar shows all four spaces. Each event has its own BEO with vendor load-in windows. Your captain hands them out at the morning briefing.
The breakfast count needs to match the room block.
If the group booked 20 rooms at double occupancy, you might be plating 40 breakfasts. Last-minute room cancellations should adjust the breakfast count, but they don't unless you're paying attention.
In LightCater: the headcount is editable up to the final guarantee deadline. The BEO recalculates instantly. We don't auto-sync with your PMS — you update the count when you confirm the actual room sell — but the workflow takes 30 seconds.
Sales books it. Events runs it. F&B feeds it.
The sales coordinator who closed the booking won't be there on event night. The events team setting up needs every detail. The kitchen needs the menu and timing. The bar needs the package. Email threads break.
In LightCater: one event record, one BEO. Everyone reads the same document. The audit log shows every change so the events team can see exactly what sales committed to.
What independent hotels actually need.
- Multi-space calendar — every booking and hold across every event room.
- Linked sub-events — wedding weekends, multi-day conferences as one customer record with multiple events.
- F&B & bar minimum tracking — by room and day, embedded in your menu library.
- Detailed BEOs per service — separate function sheets for each meal at multi-day events.
- Branded proposals + e-signature — accepted in the browser, no separate e-signature service fees.
- Audit log + multi-user editing — sales books it, events runs it, both see every change.
See the full lineup on the features page. Industry definitions in the glossary.
The honest fit check.
If any of these are dealbreakers for your hotel, LightCater isn't the right fit and we'd say so on a sales call.
- PMS & calendar sync — on the Professional plan. Included on Professional (not on Basic or Standard).
- POS integration is an optional add-on. Out of the box, F&B charges don't auto-post to guest folios.
- No RFP management. If you bid on large RFP or enterprise sales platforms, you'll still need a full enterprise tool.
- Multi-property dashboards are an Enterprise feature. The entry plans are built around a single property; larger groups run on Enterprise.
If you need all of that on day one, our Enterprise plan or a full enterprise tool is the better fit. If you'd rather start simple and add what you need as you grow, LightCater is the alternative.
from $39/month. No per-property fees.
1 user included on Basic — usually the events coordinator — with Standard covering 3 users, Professional 10 and Enterprise unlimited. Four plans: Basic $39, Standard $65 and Professional $99 per month, plus a custom Enterprise plan (contact sales); save 10% with annual billing. AI Agent add-on is optional, priced by team size on any plan. 14-day free trial, no card to start, cancel anytime.
Event & F&B software for independent hotels — common questions.
What's the best event software for an independent hotel?
Does LightCater sync with my PMS or POS?
Is it good for a boutique hotel with under 150 rooms?
Can it manage F&B minimums and multiple event spaces?
How much does it cost vs enterprise hotel event software?
Sharpen your banquet operation
Free, no-signup reads that pair with hotel banquet and catering work:
- Banquet Event Order template — the fields that keep front desk, kitchen, banquets and AV on the same page.
- Force majeure in event contracts — protect group blocks and banquet deposits when a date collapses.
- Plated vs buffet vs stations — choose the right service style, with real per-guest costs.
14 days. Try it on a real wedding weekend.
Set up your spaces, your packages and your F&B minimums. Quote your next group booking through the app. Decide. No credit card to start.