Some forward-thinking, independent hotels in Canada are in the vanguard of improving guest experiences through partnerships with tech-enabler Mews. The Prague-headquartered company is now expanding its presence across the country, and Mews executives were recently in Vancouver to meet current customers, prospective clients and other stakeholders in the hotel hospitality sector. They gathered at The Parker Hotel to attend the “Hospitality for Hoteliers” cocktail party, to which Baxter Media’s Ted Davis was invited.

As part of the event, Mews assembled reps from a number of leading independent hotel brands and local chains, including The Listel Hotel Group, Samesun Hostels, Smithe House, Azur Legacy Collection Hotel, Coast Hotels, Nita Lake Lodge and The Annex, as well as the British Columbia Hotel Association. Some participated in a panel discussion, each describing tech-enabled strategies and opportunities to “create exceptional guest experiences” in this highly competitive sector.

With Mews, hotels can automate tasks to give their guests “a seamless and memorable tech-enabled guest journey,” said the event hosts. These can include self-service check-in and check-out, mobile room keys and in-room tablets for service requests, for example. Mews also provides hotels with the technology to allow bookings of daycation and staycation experiences, including pool-side cabanas, karaoke booths, spas, fitness centres, workspaces, day rooms and more.

Mews Hospitality Cloud is designed to streamline operations for modern hoteliers, transform the guest experience and create more profitable businesses, says the company. Mews comes onto the scene as guest expectations of having special experiences are increasing, said one of the panelists.

The assembled hoteliers described tech-enhanced guest services such as rooms that can be made available for use as work spaces, or as a place where guests can take business calls or do Team/Zoom meetings. “The platform can monetize an entire property,” said Adelle Rodriguez, head of field marketing in North America for Mews.

The panelists also noted that a successful guest experience is an integral part of a hotel’s marketing strategy, with social media posts confirming that a happy guest will be a return guest – and one who serves an ambassador for the brand.

Attendees also described some of the challenges they are facing, to which tech solutions may offer some relief. For the Annex Hotel in Toronto, Mews was a life-saver, said Ryan Killeen, the general manager at The Annex. “Covid forced our hand, and we had to streamline our operations. Mews gave us that opportunity.” The Annex has been partnered with Mews for three years, and “it is going well,” he said.

The panelists and the assembled hoteliers agreed that tools like AI are the means to helping enhance guest experiences, and should not be used to replace staff. Interaction between guests and “real humans” is still necessary, they said, pointing to examples of over-automation at some hotels in Las Vegas.

 Meanwhile, Mews is looking forward to adding new hotel clients in B.C., including in the Vancouver-Whistler region, and has already signed up the Adara Hotel in Whistler. The close Vancouver-Whistler tourism connection provides opportunities for the kinds of daycations and staycations that work well with the tools provided by Mews, said Tommy Kalita, the sales manager of Mews. mews.com