The Hospitality Newsletter
Today Sunday, August 23, 2026

procurement comparison

Avendra vs Craftable

In short

Choose Avendra if you run groups and chains. Choose Craftable if you run restaurants, bars and hotel F&B. Deployment: Group purchasing organisation versus Cloud.

Avendra Craftable
Best forOperators wanting negotiated group pricing rather than software — buying power, not a platform.Operations where beverage cost and invoice capture matter as much as food.
Best suited toGroups and chainsRestaurants, bars and hotel F&B
DeploymentGroup purchasing organisationCloud
Pricing modelGPO membership and supplier rebatesPer-location subscription
Where it is strongestNorth America, expanding internationallyNorth America-led
Known forThe largest hospitality GPO in North America; founded by five hotel companiesBeverage-heavy inventory with invoice automation
Our coverage0 stories0 stories

The companies

Avendra

Founded2001
FoundersMarriott, Hyatt, Fairmont, ClubCorp and IHG
HeadquartersRockville, Maryland
OwnershipWholly-owned subsidiary of Aramark

By the numbers

Acquisition value (2017)~$1.35B

How each got here

Ownership and funding history — it shapes roadmap, support and pricing more than any feature list does.

Avendra

  • 2001Founded by five hotel companies — Marriott, Hyatt, Fairmont, ClubCorp and IHG — to pool their purchasing power rather than buy separately.
  • Dec 2017Aramark completes its acquisition for roughly $1.35 billion, moving the industry's largest GPO under a food service group.

What has happened lately

From our daily desk, rebuilt on every publish — funding, launches, contracts and leadership moves at each company.

Avendra

No coverage yet.

Craftable

No coverage yet.

Frequently asked

+What is the difference between Avendra and Craftable?

Avendra — Group purchasing organisation, built for Groups and chains, known for the largest hospitality GPO in North America; founded by five hotel companies. Craftable — Cloud, built for Restaurants, bars and hotel F&B, known for beverage-heavy inventory with invoice automation.

+Which is better for a smaller property, Avendra or Craftable?

Avendra targets groups and chains. Craftable targets restaurants, bars and hotel F&B. Match the system to the property size before comparing features — it settles most of this decision on its own.

+How is Avendra priced compared with Craftable?

Avendra: GPO membership and supplier rebates. Craftable: Per-location subscription. Neither publishes list pricing, so both quote per property — any figure quoted elsewhere is a sales quote, not a price list.

Sources for the comparison table