Mews is raising $33 million to accelerate the expansion of hospitality and launch in the U.S.
Mews designs cloud-based property management software to help hotels, hostels and apartment groups automate their operations so that they can focus on their guests.
Mews, the technology company that is re-imagining worldwide hotel operations and guest experience management, announced it has raised $33 million in financing. The Series B round was led by Battery Ventures, a global investment firm, with Battery Principal Sanjiv Kalevar joining the Board of Directors of Mews, and Battery General Partner Michael Brown as an observer on the Board. The company will use the funds to further accelerate its ability to fundamentally transform how hotels operate and serve guests, as well as enable entirely new players in technology to find creative ways to provide hospitality experience. In addition, the funding will support the expansion of the company in the United States and the imminent launch of its New York City office, where Richard Valtr, Mews Founder, will be based.
In contrast to traditional hotel technology, the Mews platform has been designed to create new revenue channels and branding opportunities for hotels as well as give guests more flexibility to create and manage their ideal stays. With the new funding, Mews will bring additional first-of-its-kind features to hotel operations to set a new standard of hospitality excellence.
The hospitality industry has been slow to adapt to the expectations of today's guests, to make their stays easy, pleasant and memorable. Mews was created to help hotels run much more efficiently so they can switch their focus back to the guest altogether, "Valtr said. "Mews is building technology that enhances human capacity to elevate the design and curation of experiences as hospitality's primary business, away from repetitive data entry.
Mews has already developed an open hospitality API for its platform to unlock the industry into the wider technology world and bring innovative solutions to the full range of spaces it helps manage-from niche alternative properties to hostels to large hotel chains-enabling all sorts of applications to enhance back office and guest experiences. Mews currently works with over 130,000 beds at more than 1,000 properties across 47 countries and enables its hospitality customers to transact more than $150 million in hotel and ancillary purchases each month.
From European-based global chain Accor to African hotel powerhouse Tsogo Sun to hip hostel group Generator, or new hospitality players such as the Collective or the LifeHouse Group, Mews' innovative approach to guest service has been adopted by a wide range of property types around the world, suggesting exciting opportunities for any space management business in the future.
Over the past 20 years, the ~$8 trillion global travel and tourism industry has undergone substantial change as both businesses and consumers continue to adopt digital and, now, increasingly cloud-based software. As hotel and other hospitality property owners look to tackle the challenge of competing from peer-to - peer platforms such as Airbnb, Mews provides hoteliers with the tools they need not worry about the day-to-day running of the business, but instead focus on improving guest experience and helping travelers have a lifetime trip, "according to Battery Kalevar .
