The short answer
A PMS is built to run reservations, rooms and billing, and it does that well. Its lost and found tab usually works like a shared spreadsheet: a list of items with a few fields. Boomerang is purpose-built for getting things home: guests file and track claims themselves, AI matches, and shipping, payment and updates happen without the front desk.
Boomerang may suit you if
- Housekeeping and the front desk spend real time on calls, emails and shipping
- You run several properties and want consistent process and reporting
- You want lost and found to show up in guest reviews for the right reasons
At a glance
| Feature | Value | Boomerang | Your PMS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangGetting lost items back to guests | Your PMSReservations, rooms and billing |
| AI item intake | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangAI turns a simple description and a photo into a logged item | Your PMSNot listed |
| Matching | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangAI matching on photos, descriptions, dates, locations and venue context, confirmed by staff and then by the guest | Your PMSNot listed |
| Guest updates | ValueGuest | BoomerangCo-branded emails at every step, a guest account and Boo, an AI support agent, 24/7 | Your PMSUsually written by hand |
| Dedicated guest account | ValueGuest | BoomerangA dedicated guest account where guests sign in, manage their claim, take actions and see details. We have invested in it, and we keep investing | Your PMSUsually a call or email to the front desk. No dedicated guest account listed |
| Dedicated guest app | ValueGuest | BoomerangComing soon | Your PMSNot listed |
| Friendly, modern UI/UX | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangA friendly, modern interface for busy venue teams and for guests | Your PMSNot listed |
| Apple Find MyBoomerang exclusive | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangTrue Apple Find My integration, approved by Apple | Your PMSNot available |
Claim fraud protectionMore about this featureScammers sometimes file fake claims for valuables. Boomerang keeps inventory private, verifies the guest email before a claim is accepted, and checks every match twice: staff first, then the guest. Every decision is logged. | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangStaff and guest double verification, a verified guest email, and private inventory | Your PMSNot listed |
| Activity feed and audit log | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangActivity history and audit trail on every item and claim, with who and when for every edit, move and decision | Your PMSNot listed |
| Internal notes | ValuePartner | BoomerangInternal notes with rich text, attachments and pinning on every item | Your PMSNot listed |
| In-built guest messaging | ValueGuest | BoomerangInfo requests from the portal, co-branded emails, and Boo, an AI support agent, 24/7 | Your PMSUsually written by hand |
| Inventory privacy | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangPrivate inventory. Guests describe what they lost, and staff and the guest verify before anything is released | Your PMSNot listed |
| Revenue for the venue | ValuePartner | BoomerangMultiple revenue-share opportunities. Partners on average earn back upwards of 25% of annual contract value every year | Your PMSNot listed |
| Shipping and payment | ValueGuest | BoomerangGuest pays online, label bought for you, tracking sent | Your PMSUsually a card over the phone and a courier booked by hand |
| Reporting | ValuePartner | BoomerangReturn rate, turnaround, per-employee analytics, exports | Your PMSUsually a list of items |
Job by job
The guest who keeps emailing
A PMS is built to serve guests and the team generally, but lost and found is uniquely different. A guest who is desperate to get something back might email every day for weeks, and that can turn into 30 or more emails plus daily calls from one person, which leaves a bad taste.
Boomerang handles all of that for you: automated updates at every step, a guest account, an AI support agent, and claim status without staff chasing it. The guest files from your link, matching checks it against what housekeeping logged, and when staff approve, the guest picks shipping, pays and gets tracking.
Consistency across properties
Groups run every property from one Boomerang account with separate locations, storage, branding and reporting. A top-10 hotel management company runs a number of its 120+ properties this way. One resort raised an already strong 50% return rate by 22%, and another property tripled its return rate.
Keep your PMS
Every Boomerang partner still runs their PMS or venue management platform. What changes is lost and found: they trimmed that part of the contract where they could and put the budget toward a tool built only for it.
Switching to Boomerang
Nothing changes in your PMS. We bulk import your open items, set up storage per property and run a 30-minute kick-off. Groups can start with a few properties and add the rest.
What partners see
- on an already strong 50% return rate at a resort in a top-10 hotel management company
- +22%
- on an already strong 50% return rate at a resort in a top-10 hotel management company
- average return rate at a luxury, tech-forward hotel after a full year
- 92%
- average return rate at a luxury, tech-forward hotel after a full year
- of annual contract value that partners on average earn back every year through revenue share
- 25%+
- of annual contract value that partners on average earn back every year through revenue share
Questions
Do we have to replace our PMS?
No. Every Boomerang partner still runs their PMS or venue management platform. What changes is lost and found: they trimmed that part of the contract where they could and put the budget toward a tool built only for it.
Does Boomerang integrate with our PMS?
Boomerang runs standalone alongside your PMS with nothing to install. Tell us your stack and we will walk through options.
Can we bring our existing inventory over?
Yes. We bulk import your open inventory as part of go-live, so the whole back room is searchable on day one and nobody has to log it twice.
How do you stop the wrong person from getting an item?
Two checks. Your team reviews every match side by side and can ask the guest a question from the claim. Then the guest sees the same details your team logged, like photos and where it was found, next to what they described, and approves or declines before anything ships. Every decision is logged.
How is Boomerang priced?
An annual platform subscription sized to your venues and volume, with every new feature included as it ships. Guests pay fair shipping. Boomerang offers multiple revenue-share opportunities, and partners on average earn back upwards of 25% of their annual contract value every year. Book a demo and we will scope it with you.
About this comparison
Details come from public pages and listings as of November 2026. Products change, so check with each provider for the latest. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].