Skip to main content

Product best practice

Share your way of doing things and learn from others

  • 242 Topics
  • 700 Replies
242 Topics
B
BernieHelper
posted in Product best practice
Preventing Credit Card fraud on MEWS Kiosk

Good morning everyone, We have just been hit with a 3000 USD chargeback claim. It turns out a stolen credit card was used. A guest entered a false name for the reservation that matched the stolen credit card. They used the self check-in at the MEWS Kiosk, but they entered an incorrect passport number. (on purpose obviously) Unfortunately, the Kiosk does not validate passport information, so it depends on people being honest. I think it would help us enormously if we would be able to scan and save the passport copy from the MEWS Kiosk during the self check in. I understand there might be some hardware purchases (like a passport scanner) we’d need to do, but I’m just looking for a solution to this problem. Please note that whatever solution we need will need to be done in the self check in, as we are a hotel without a reception desk, just self check in stations. How do other hotels avoid credit card fraud during self check in?

250
B
j.spiess
Senior Guru
j.spiessSenior Guru
asked in Product best practice
Centrally updated Email HTML Footers

Hello everybody! I am currently in the process of setting up our system as a new customer. Is there a way to add a html snippet anywhere that is used as a footer in all outgoing emails to customers / guests? Since legally we are required to include certain company information on any official communication, that would by great. Because as of now it looks like I had to manually add and maintain this info in all email templates in all languages. A very tedious and inefficient work… Any ideas? Maybe a good idea for a new feature ? Best regards, JP.

1352
j.spiess
Senior Guru
j.spiess
Senior Guru
j.spiessSenior Guru
posted in Product best practice
Free open API access for Starter and Pro Package Subscribers, too

Dear community of users! Dear colleagues! There is a feature request for free Open API access for all subscribtion tiers on feedback.mews.com. What Do you think about it? If you would like to support it, visit the link below and vote it up! https://feedback.mews.com/forums/955688-connectivity/suggestions/46308967-open-api-for-starter-and-pro-package My personal view: the data belongs to us, the customers! Full API access should be the standard, no matter which tier your are on. It's useful for inidividual solutions if IT knowledge and capabilities are available in-house. Sometimes you just need a small tool to extract some data because MEWS doesn’t have the report built in, or whatever … what are your thoughts about it. Open and free API access is one of the major selling points for MEWS, so it should stick to it’s open approach and grant access to any property that likes to, not only third-party developers. Regards, JP.

610
j.spiess
Senior Guru
jesson.atherton
Mews Employee
jesson.athertonMews Employee
published in Product best practice
Seeking Insights: Are You Using Shared Logins for Mews?Feedback

Hello Mews Community 👋 I’m reaching out to our community to gather some insights into a specific practice – the use of shared logins for accessing Mews. Are any of you, perhaps within your front desk team or reservations department, utilising a common login for efficiency or convenience? The reason behind our curiosity is twofold. Firstly, we are deeply interested in understanding the various use cases for this practice. We recognise that every team has unique workflows and challenges, and sometimes shared logins can be a practical solution for certain scenarios. Secondly, we're looking to learn more about the challenges this practice helps you overcome. Is it primarily about saving time? Or maybe it simplifies training for new team members? Whatever the reasons, your insights are incredibly valuable to us. This information will play a crucial role in our ongoing product discovery process. By understanding your needs and the practical solutions you've devised, we can better tailor our

1173
mauritsbots
Senior Guru
S
Senior Guru
smehiaSenior Guru
posted in Product best practice
Housekeeping day to day planning

Hello everyone Having some issues (mainly time related) while doing the housekeeping planning I shared an idea with @MarketaOupi while giving her my feedback about our recent migration from Amadeus Idmps to Mews I would like for you all to give your insight about it if you have the time so here it is paste from the conversation itself : The main concern for now is towards the housekeeping service and planning organization I've seen already a lot of suggestions on the Mews Idea Forum and I think they really should be considered by the developping team Indeed, even if Mews is a fantastic tool, it is still build as if the proprety using it held a different department for each task requested day by day. What I mean is for a smaller structure like the one I'm working at, every operation or almost are processed by the reception/frontdesk staff. We cannot afford to lose time and that is not the cas when we are trying to assign the rooms to our housekeepers. I think there should be an extra pa

1572
Aldair Borges
Mews Employee
S
Senior Guru
smehiaSenior Guru
asked in Product best practice
Breakfast product setup mistake to be fixed

Hello everybody While setting up Mews and especially the breakfast products we put them as consumed “before night” and not “after night” as we should have. It escaped the vigilance of our account manager and ours...😩 The result is that now while printing our F&B breakfast list (using the products report) there is 1 day gap. Indeed the number of the breakfasts products for let’s say the 15th of November is actually the one of the 14th of November and so on (see below): We have tried to correct it of course by setting the concerned products to “after night”, but it does not seem to be updating everyhting that as already been registered in Mews. And there are already thousands of reservations and products registered... Do you know if there is way to do an automatic refresh/update, passing the products from consumed “before night” to “after night”, or are we screwed and must stuck with it as it is? 😅 Thanks for your help Regards S.

1618
S
Senior Guru
Ethros
EthrosHelper
asked in Product best practice
Expedia Package Rate vs. Standalone Rates

Hi all I’ve inheritied a bit of a mess and I see in Expedia I have “Standalone Rate” and “Package Rate”. When I’m doing the mapping from MEWS → SiteMinder → Expedia; I’m choosing the Standalone Rate. However in the Siteminder help file it says: Package rates Package rates are displayed with the word "Package". This type of rate is a price-bundle deal consisting of products, services, and extras — from flights, car rentals, and insurance, to tours and other activities. Their prices are calculated by Expedia, so our platform does not send pricing to Expedia. Restrictions are also frequently blocked by the channel. 💡 Like linked rates, these rates share availability with the “SellRate” and must be mapped. I don’t see how to map these? Any thoughts? Should I disactivate the Package rates in Expedia? Merry Christmas!

11822
david.womack
Mews Employee
marketa.oupicka
Mews Employee
marketa.oupickaMews Employee
published in Product best practice
TIP OF THE WEEK: Easily Manage Open Bills in Mews OperationsTutorial

Hey Mews Community! 🚀 Hope you all had a fantastic New Year! We're back, and we've noticed some questions floating around about handling open bills in Mews Operations. So, we've got you covered with a quick guide to make your life easier! Getting Started: Understanding Open Bills 📃 In Mews Operations, you have the power to assign multiple profiles to open bills. The Billing tab on both customer and company profiles provides a centralized hub to view bill owners and their associated profiles. This ensures quick retrieval of information, making your daily tasks a breeze. Quick View of Open Bills Finding open bills is a breeze. Use the search bar to locate your profile, head to Billing, and click on the specific bill. Mews gives you the details in the Owned by and Associated with fields. Bill Owners - Quick Peek The Owned by field reveals the primary bill owner. Click their name to see more. Want to change it? Click the edit button. Associated Profiles - Just a Click Away The Associated

830
marketa.oupicka
Mews Employee
Hendrik Renken
Hendrik RenkenHelper
asked in Product best practice
Benchmarking booking engine

Hey Community, We recently looked at out analytics of how people use our direct booking engine and figured that we loose more than 50% after people place their reservation into the busket. I wonder if there are some stats to see what causes this and how that looks like for other Propertys? Also wondering how to encourage people in the last step of the booking engine to actually make the booking. Happy to get some insights here :) BestHendrik

2353
Ethros
Ethros
EthrosHelper
posted in Product best practice
Looking for help with setting up Hotel Search, Ads, Analytics, etc.

Hi all, As I’m guessing some of you have been, I’ve been butting my head against the Google ecosystem wall for years now. I never seem to get the pieces working correctly with each other. ie. How do I tie my ads account to my Google Hotel Profile? I can see analytics, but not of the Booking Engine conversions I can see rates on Hotel Search, but not sure I’m doing it correctly. I can run and ad, but not track its results. How can I ensure my information is consistent across all needed data points to ensure we’re not flagged. What are best SEO practices as of 2023? Does anyone know an expert? Can point me to some good step by step tutorials? Thanks Ethan

841
Ethros
coline.poussiere
Mews Employee
coline.poussiereMews Employee
published in Product best practice
Unlocking Holiday Voucher OpportunitiesTutorial

Hello Mews community! 🎉🏨 With the holiday season upon us, it's time to talk about something festive—holiday vouchers! How are you creating enticing voucher opportunities for guests to celebrate the holidays at your property? Share your creative ideas and success stories! 🎇 Some properties can issue vouchers for stays or services. Let's explore the various ways vouchers can be utilized—whether it's for gifting a stay or enticing future bookings. What's your take on leveraging vouchers during the holiday season? Understanding Vouchers Vouchers offer a versatile tool for managing promotions and discounts. With Mews Operations, you can use vouchers to give special customers , companies, or travel agencies access to special rates. This flexibility allows you to tailor promotions, increasing revenue, enhancing customer loyalty, and opening up marketing opportunities. Types of Vouchers 🎁 Public Vouchers: Available to guests for use in the booking engine, such as a 'Valentine’s Day voucher

1630
coline.poussiere
Mews Employee
jrturner91
jrturner91Contributor
asked in Product best practice
Charitable Donations/Organizations

Hi Everyone, I wanted to see if anyone has ran some kind of charitable donation program through Mews where guests can donate an amount to a certain cause or organization when booking or during their stay? I know there is a Hotels for Trees integration/partnership with Mews, but is there any other organizations that there is a potential for a direct partnership?

271
marketa.oupicka
Mews Employee
gonzalo.cabre
Mews Employee
gonzalo.cabreMews Employee
published in Product best practice
TIP OF THE WEEK: Understanding ADR ImpactTutorial

Dear Mews Community, 🍀 In response to repetitive inquiries, this week's support tip sheds light on Average Daily Rate (ADR) calculations and how various reservation types may or may not impact it. Let's address some common questions: House use: When creating house use reservations, rest assured that it doesn't affect your ADR. ADR is the average price paid for rooms sold. Since house use is not a sold room and doesn't remove spaces from your inventory, it doesn't impact your ADR. Out of Service (OOS): Rooms marked as Out of Service (OOS) also have no effect on your ADR. These rooms remain available for sale, ensuring they are not deducted from your inventory. Office Spaces: We understand that some hotel rooms may be repurposed as offices. If these office spaces are still bookable by guests, they won't affect your ADR. As long as these spaces remain in your inventory and can be sold, your ADR remains unaffected. For more detailed insights, you can explore our comprehensive guide on "Wh

430
gonzalo.cabre
Mews Employee
hadley.odwyer
Mews Employee
hadley.odwyerMews Employee
published in Product best practice
Extending Corporate Rates: Best Practice for the New YearTutorial

Hey fellow hoteliers! 🏨✨ As we gear up for the holiday season, let's dive into a crucial topic that impacts many of us—expiring corporate rates. Negotiating rates with corporate giants or airlines is a norm, but the challenge arises when these rates are set to expire at the end of the year. 🎊🗓 A quick recap: Corporate rates are often negotiated in exchange for a set number of rooms or nights within a given period. For instance, a company might propose bringing 500 room nights in exchange for a sweet deal like £99 a night, including breakfast. These negotiated rates are usually booked through large travel agencies on behalf of the corporate clients. Now, here's the real kicker—although these rates are typically negotiated for the entire year, they're often only loaded into the system from January 1st to December 31st. The catch? Negotiations can continue well into the new year. This means that if discussions extend beyond December 31st, your corporate rate might suddenly disappear. P

440
hadley.odwyer
Mews Employee
alina.deanda
Mews Employee
alina.deandaMews Employee
published in Product best practice
TIP OF THE WEEK: Simplifying Rate Groups in MewsTutorial

TIP OF THE WEEK: Simplifying rate groups in Mews and how to organize and display rates effectively Rate groups are like folders that contain different rates with similar rules for settlements and cancellation fees. However, creating these groups needs more than just rates that look alike. When we group rates, we must think about how they appear in the Mews Booking Engine. Here's the thing: only the cheapest rate in a group will show up. So, if you have two rates in one group, only the cheaper one shows, and the more expensive one gets crossed out. Consequently, even if two rates share cancellation policies and settlements, they need separate groupings to ensure visibility. For example, let's say you have a "Fully Flexible" rate and a "Fully Flexible Breakfast Included" rate. Even if they have the same rules for settlement and cancellation, they need separate groups. This way, both rates will show up. This rule specifically applies to public rates within the Booking Engine. However, for

1220
alina.deanda
Mews Employee
ivica.antunovic
Mews Employee
ivica.antunovicMews Employee
published in Product best practice
Celebrate the Festive Season with Mews POS Smart SolutionsTutorial

Did you know that our Point of Sale (POS) system is your holiday helper for creating seamless and smart solutions? This Christmas, elevate your offerings and enchant your customers with customizable product bundles and promotions! 🍔 Introducing the £12 Christmas Burger Menu: Give your customers the joy of choice with our innovative product bundles. The Christmas Burger Menu, priced at £12, lets your patrons build their own festive feast. From savory toppings to mouthwatering sides, the possibilities are endless! 🌟 Effortless Navigation with Mews POS: Our POS system makes it a breeze for your staff to handle diverse menus and discounts. The Christmas Burger Menu takes up just one slot in the shortcut grid, ensuring swift navigation between various offerings. This not only accelerates service but also consolidates popular choices in one accessible place. 🧾 Visibility on Invoices - Your Choice: Tailor your invoices based on legal requirements and preferences. You have the flexibility t

440
ivica.antunovic
Mews Employee
hadley.odwyer
Mews Employee
hadley.odwyerMews Employee
published in Product best practice
Navigating the Negotiated Rate Loading SeasonTutorial

Greetings hoteliers! 🌟🏨 As we approach the end of the year, it's not just about holiday decorations—it's also the Negotiated Rate Loading season! 📊 With potentially over a hundred corporate rates to manage, the hustle is real. How do you handle this annual rate management push? A reminder from one of our experienced members: It's good practice to extend corporate rates beyond the end of the year. This ensures that even during ongoing renegotiations, your property continues to capture that lucrative corporate business. Share your thoughts on this strategy and how it has impacted your hotel's bottom line! 💰 Now, diving into the Negotiated Rate Loading season: Some properties may have in excess of 100 different corporate rates, catering to businesses in the surrounding area. Imagine the diverse corporate clientele—business travelers, tradesmen, workers—all contributing to your property's success. As the year-end approaches, there's a significant push to update and load these rates. Wi

500
hadley.odwyer
Mews Employee
dorothy.roland
Mews Employee
dorothy.rolandMews Employee
published in Product best practice
Navigating Mews: "To Be Paid" or "To Be Refunded"Tutorial

Hello Community, We have learned that a common source of confusion arises when users attempt to refund a charge from a bill marked "To be Paid" without applying a credit first. This can lead to unintended consequences, increasing the balance instead of reducing it. To maintain clarity and accuracy, follow these essential guidelines: 1. Refunds Only When "To Be Refunded" is Indicated 💸Process refunds only when the bill clearly indicates a "To be Refunded" status. Create a credit through a rebate or a direct adjustment on the open bill. 2. No Refunding on "To Be Paid" Without Creating Credit 🚫Avoid refunding charges directly onto a "To be Paid" bill without first creating a credit. This ensures the refund subtracts from the balance as intended. 3. Align Actions with Bill Status ⚖️Execute charges when the status is "To Be Paid" and refunds when the status is "To Be Refunded." Posting a charge creates a "To Be Paid" status, while posting a credit triggers a "To Be Refunded" status. 4. Un

580
dorothy.roland
Mews Employee
MatthiasH
Senior Guru
MatthiasHSenior Guru
asked in Product best practice
Pay-out for differtent valuta'ss

Hi Mewsers, I was wondering anyone would answer the following question. We’re debating whether to start accepting different valuta’s in Mews with the Exchange Rate integration. However, we were wondering how the pay-out is done for those payments. Is this in the foreign currency or will this be in the local currency of our property, together with all payments in our local currency. Thanks in advance, Matthias

1913
alzbeta skrabalkova
Mews Employee
marketa.oupicka
Mews Employee
marketa.oupickaMews Employee
published in Product best practice
Community Insights: Elevating Hospitality ExperiencesBlog

The Power of Modern POS High levels of stress can affect any hospitality setting, from restaurants to hotels. The solution? Embrace modern point-of-sale technology, like Mews POS, to alleviate stress and enhance guest experiences. Features like digital ordering, split bills, and online payments can expedite service and elevate guest satisfaction. 🛍️💳 Inventory Woes and Cloud Solutions Inventory management can be a challenge due to manual stock checks and guesswork. To resolve this, a digital solution with integrated inventory management, such as Mews POS, can help teams track, analyze, and order with confidence. This system also facilitates real-time ingredient updates, eliminating the need for manual stock management. 📊🍅 Streamlining Accounting Accounting can be a headache, but Mews POS has it covered. The system tracks deliveries, manages costs, streamlines purchasing, and integrates guest payments, eliminating the need for deciphering handwritten notes and streamlining the entir

260
marketa.oupicka
Mews Employee
alzbeta skrabalkova
Mews Employee
alzbeta skrabalkovaMews Employee
published in Product best practice
TIP OF THE WEEK: Company bills vs Bill with company attachedTutorial

In our community tip of the week, we're sharing a recent update to streamline company billing on our platform. Previously, you had the option to "Add company details" to a billing screen, which combined guest and company information on a single bill.Now, we have introduced a dedicated company bill feature for a more organized billing process. Here's how it works: Proper Company Bill: With the recent changes, a company bill only contains company details in the top part of the bill. To create a proper company bill, move the entire bill to the company profile. This ensures that only the company's information is displayed. Guest Bill with Company Attached: In the past, attaching a company to a bill also included guest information, which was referred to as a company bill. However, this has now been refined. If you attach a company to a bill but still have guest details on it, the system will notify you that it's not a company bill. This is a guest bill with the company attached. To make the

690
alzbeta skrabalkova
Mews Employee
P
patriceApprentice
posted in Product best practice
bravo

Bravo à Mews! Chapeau! respect! Avec les tarifs que nous payons, ne pas vouloir sortir un euro pour faire un service client à peu près convenable en demandant à ses propres clients de le faire eux même gratuitement, c’est du grand art!! Point positif: pour une fois, Mews ne nous fait pas payer pour ça.

911
Sarah.Masterton-Brown
Mews Employee
irene.mallafre
Mews Employee
irene.mallafreMews Employee
posted in Product best practice
Be part of our research on centralising guest information and communications in Mews.

We need your input to revolutionise how we manage guest profiles in Mews to supercharge your business. 🔍 About us: We are the Multi-property team. Our team is on a mission on understanding all the operations you need to perform cross-property related to your guests. We believe that centralising guest profiles within Mews can bring significant improvements to your guest services. 🤝 How you can contribute: Schedule a chat with us: Drop a reply to this post, and we'll coordinate a time that suits your schedule for a personalized one-on-one interview. This way, you can share all the current needs you're experiencing with us. Share Your Expertise: Don’t have time to have a chat? Simply drop in this post your feedback, ideas and wishes so we can collect them. Let's work together to revolutionise how hotels manage guest profiles and create memorable stays for everyone! Your insights can make a world of difference. 🚀

661
c.rex
S
samoanprincessSenior Contributor
asked in Product best practice
new kiosk app

Hi there! Today the new kiosk app has been uploaded on our tablet and since then the camera icon for scanning ID´s does not show up on the screen! This makes it very difficult for us to check-in people properly. Anybody else that suffers from this problem? Thanks for your answer. Christina

1877
james.taylor
Mews Employee
marketa.oupicka
Mews Employee
marketa.oupickaMews Employee
published in Product best practice
Get the Most from Mews Editable History WindowsTutorial

Hey, Mews Community! 😉 We've been getting some questions about Mews' editable history windows, so we wanted to provide a handy summary of how to make the most of them. These windows determine how far back in time you can modify reservations, ensuring you have full control over your property's operations. Here's what you need to know: The Editable History Window ⌛ The editable history window in Mews lets you check guests in with a date in the past. Note: Mews considers the check-in time displayed in each booking, not the check-in time in your property's General settings. The Operational vs. The Accounting Editable History Window Mews offers two types of editable history windows: one for accounting and one for operations. The Accounting window is stricter, limiting changes to bill items to within one day. The Operational window is more relaxed, allowing actions like canceling a house use up to five days ago. Setting Up the Accounting Editable History Window Go to the main menu > Setting

660
marketa.oupicka
Mews Employee
Community-widget-Referral-Program

Latest badge winners

Show all badges
Terms and ConditionsCookie settings

Cookie policy

We use cookies to enhance and personalize your experience. If you accept you agree to our full cookie policy. Learn more about our cookies.

 
Cookie settings