Opening with Urgency, Not Optimism
Mews Unfold 2025 opened with a different tone than previous editions. Instead of product features or welcome applause, Mews founder Richard Valtr and CEO Matt Welle spoke openly about the state of the world. In a time of political uncertainty and unpredictable travel patterns, they challenged the industry to stop asking why and start acting on the how.
Their message was clear: hotels need to become more agile. Not just through instinct, but with the help of data and technology that allow staff to adjust in real time. Richard used Netflix as an example of how companies can evolve rather than react. The same should apply to hospitality.
This is where Mews wants to position itself: as a tool not only built for hoteliers, but by hoteliers. The opening felt less like a keynote, and more like a shared conversation. No sales pitch. No demos. Just a call to embrace complexity, and move with it.
Technology Can Support, But Not Replace
One of the most anticipated sessions followed shortly after. Matt sat down with chef and presenter Monica Galetti. Known from BBC’s Amazing Hotels, Monica spoke openly about her journey, from Samoa to London’s fine dining kitchens.
What stood out was her reminder that hospitality starts behind the scenes. The joy and pride staff bring to their work makes the difference. Happy teams create better experiences. Monica emphasized that technology can be useful, but it cannot replace empathy or presence. Her advice: take your job seriously, but also take care of your own well-being.
The session felt personal, and perhaps that was the point. It reminded everyone that people remain the heart of hospitality.
Breaking Free from Scripts and SOPs
The next panel, led by Bashar Wali, explored how hotels can stay human in a world increasingly shaped by AI. What guests remember, Wali argued, are not checklists or brand standards, but when someone genuinely cares.
Panelists gave examples of how they are moving away from strict SOPs. One hotel chain encourages staff to simply “do the next right thing.” Others are building profiles not only for guests but also for staff, enabling real-time matches between people with shared interests.
They also discussed monetizing experiences, like charging for late checkout or offering tailored packages. But the goal, they made clear, is not to squeeze value out of guests, but to better understand what they actually want.
One consistent message was that good technology should stay in the background, helping to smooth the experience without diminishing the human touch.
Productivity Is Not Just About Efficiency
The final session before lunch shifted the focus to productivity. Moderator Seth Borko steered the conversation beyond buzzwords. The panel agreed: hotels do not lack tools, they struggle to use them fully.
Matt put it simply: “Hoteliers buy a Ferrari, but drive it like a Volvo.” In other words, the potential is there, but often underused.
What followed was a discussion on data, training, and AI. The message: AI works best when it removes boring tasks and frees staff for human interaction. Several panelists shared how they are training staff not just to use AI, but to trust it, and to know when not to.
One audience member asked whether tech should drive operations or the other way around. The answer was unanimous: start with your goals. Define what kind of guest experience you want, and work backward from there.
The session ended with a small but powerful point. If AI saves you one minute, use that minute to connect with someone. That, more than any dashboard or platform, is what will make the biggest difference.
After a morning filled with strategic reflections and stories about human connection, the afternoon at Mews Unfold shifted focus to practical application. In a series of breakout sessions and a closing presentation by the Mews leadership team, the spotlight turned to implementation, product innovation, and the realities of working with hospitality technology.
Focus on Real Impact
The first breakout session we attended, “Tech as an Enabler,” unpacked what it means for technology to truly support operations. What stood out here was not the tools themselves, but the mindset behind their implementation. Panelists discussed how reducing complexity, rather than adding features, can be a competitive advantage. One hotel group shared how they merged tech stacks after a recent acquisition, and instead of adding systems, focused on simplification and alignment.
Another example came from a newly launched hotel concept that skipped legacy systems entirely and designed the tech stack around the guest journey. This guest-first thinking guided every vendor decision. A third voice, from the vendor side, reminded the audience that the era of closed systems is ending. Open APIs, modularity, and ease of integration are now non-negotiables.
The panel agreed on a few key points: that tech should empower, not overwhelm; that staff adoption is essential; and that if a tool is too complex to test and explain, it probably does not belong in your operation.
Another session titled “Big Bets That Pay Off.”, was about hospitality leaders who dared to make significant changes. One hotel chain shared how they replaced seven systems across multiple properties in just eight weeks. Their reason? Small adjustments were not enough. They started from a blank page and reimagined the entire guest journey.
Another speaker focused on failure. After several failed startups, they found success by building a platform that solved real-life problems from their time as a hotelier. Instead of guessing, they built features in co-creation with users, with an open feedback loop. A third case study showed how an internal tech rollout at a large hotel group grew from one general manager’s idea to 40,000 active users.
What connected these stories was not only a willingness to experiment, but a shared belief that innovation should start with the needs of the guest and the experience of the staff. The most useful tech, we were reminded, is often the simplest to explain and easiest to use.
A few questions from the audience added depth. One person asked why anyone would risk changing seven systems at once. The answer was practical: when systems are connected, you cannot upgrade one without affecting the others. Another question asked what holds back innovation most in hospitality. The panel’s answer was straightforward: ourselves. Fear of change, and the habit of copying existing processes instead of rethinking them, often slows down progress.
What is Next for Mews?
The final session of the day was hosted by Mews’ senior product and engineering leadership. Rather than a traditional product roadmap, they focused on themes. What followed was a mix of updates, new features, and a clear direction for what Mews wants to stand for in 2025 and beyond.
The headline announcement was multi-currency payments. This allows guests to pay in their own currency while letting the hotel keep part of the conversion margin. A practical move, and a clear example of how financial systems can also create value for the guest and the operator.
Next was the integration of Atomize, the revenue management platform acquired by Mews last year. Beyond real-time pricing, what stood out was the simplicity of the interface. Every pricing decision comes with a clear explanation. Feedback from the user helps train the model, turning revenue management into a continuous learning process.
On the guest experience side, new personalisation tools were shown. These include smart tips for staff, merged guest profiles, and spend visibility across multiple properties. It means that if a guest stays at one property and dines at another, the system knows and the team can act on it. Even more promising were the future updates, like targeted upsells based on previous behaviour.
Security, too, received attention. With cyber incidents increasing across the industry, Mews is building protections into its platform by default. New features include passkey logins, anomaly detection, and a dashboard that shows properties where their current risks are. The message here was clear: strong security does not need to slow you down.
One of the strongest moments came during the closing remarks. The Mews team reminded us that tech is not the goal. It is a tool. And the value of that tool is measured by the time it gives back to staff, the ease it brings to guests, and the trust it builds with owners.
They closed with a reflection: in a time where hospitality often feels stretched between tech adoption and human delivery, the answer is not either/or. It is both. Technology should not replace people. It should help them do their best work.
This final session left us with a grounded but optimistic message. Mews is building towards a future that is not only smarter, but also more human. And that, perhaps, is the biggest takeaway from this year’s Unfold.
