The hospitality industry is built on service, but the hotel experience has remained largely unchanged for decades.
Guests arrive at a front desk, provide identification, hand over a credit card for pre-authorization, and receive a room key, often on a printed piece of plastic.
However, as customer behavior shifts toward frictionless experiences, the hospitality industry can no longer afford to stand still.
“Most people now are pretty used to running everything through their phone,” Mews founder Richard Valtr told Karen Webster. “If you think about just boarding a plane, how easy it is… most of the time you don’t need to go to a desk. Hotels are still stuck in the same paradigm that was there maybe 30 years ago.”
Hospitality’s reluctance to embrace digital transformation is not for lack of incentive. The industry has long recognized the need for modernization, but fragmented legacy systems, complex operational workflows and cultural concerns have stymied progress.
Still, Valtr said he envisions a new era of hospitality and is working to build it. Mews announced March 4 that it raised $75 million to expand its hospitality management platform and scale its transformation of outdated industry processes.
“You want your arrival at a hotel to feel like a welcome, rather than a [know your customer (KYC)] process,” Valtr said.
The Hospitality Sector’s Guest-Centric Digital Revolution
One of the fundamental shifts Valtr said Mews is bringing to hospitality is moving away from room-centric operations toward guest-centric services.
“In every other hotel system, all charges go toward a room,” he said. “That’s why you’re constantly being asked for your room number. But [guests] are not a room number. [Guests] are actual people with needs.”
By using artificial intelligence, Mews enables hotels to recognize and cater to returning guests in ways that were previously impossible at scale, including by providing guests with the ability to check in digitally and unlock their rooms with a mobile key. Imagine checking into a hotel where you’ve stayed before and being welcomed back by name. The system already knows that you prefer a room with a view, enjoy sushi and typically order room service at 7 a.m.
“The best hotels operate so that you don’t even notice all the little things being done for you, whether it’s trying to find ways to surprise and delight a guest, or having something prepared that they weren’t expecting,” Valtr said.
This level of hyper-personalization, once the domain of only the most exclusive luxury hotels, is now within reach for independent properties and smaller chains.
Rethinking the Hotel Experience From Check-in to Welcome
A common concern about AI’s role in hospitality is that it will replace human staff, removing the personal touch that defines great hotels. Valtr said it is the opposite, as AI-driven systems free staff from administrative burdens like manually photocopying IDs, stapling receipts or rekeying reservations.
Instead, employees can focus on providing exceptional, human-centered service.
Still, some hoteliers remain hesitant.
“They’re curious but not convinced,” Valtr said. “The biggest concern I hear is, ‘Will this eliminate human interaction?’”
His response is simple: “There’s no rulebook that says you need a front desk to create a hospitality experience. There’s no rule that says you need a concierge. AI doesn’t replace hospitality, it enhances it.”
“If you think about a receptionist, they’re often just data entry fingers,” Valtr added. “Rather than using them for that, why not empower them to truly sell experiences and create memorable stays?”
Beyond improving the guest experience, AI-powered personalization can also present a revenue opportunity for hotels. By proactively anticipating guests’ needs and preferences, hotels can drive higher ancillary revenue, from dining and spa services to exclusive experiences.
“If we know that you like sushi, why not reserve you a table at the hotel’s Japanese restaurant?” Valtr said. “If you always order breakfast at a specific time, why not offer lunch reservations as well?”
“It’s not just about yield management — filling up rooms every night,” he added. “It’s about total revenue management.”
Another key trend is the shift toward remote and flexible work, which has changed travel patterns. The shift presents a new opportunity for hotels to reimagine their role not just as places to sleep, but as potentially dynamic hubs for work, leisure and community engagement.
“People have learned that they don’t need to be in the office every day,” Valtr said. “They can take five-day trips while still working remotely.”
“We all want consistency and predictability,” he added. “Technology provides the baseline to deliver that, ensuring that no matter where you stay, you feel welcomed, recognized and valued.”
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