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Hi Mews crew,  

We’re excited to introduce you to Multicurrency by Mews Payments – a brand-new feature dedicated to driving revenue into your property. 

Let’s take a look at how this could be a game changer for your business. 

 

🔎 What is Multicurrency? 

Cross-border transactions can be confusing and stressful for international guests. They’re often presented with one price at purchase but then incur hidden bank fees further down the line. 

Multicurrency has been built to solve that. International guests are given the option to make payments, both online and in-person, in their home currency – with fees being presented transparently. 

Plus, your property boosts revenue by retaining a portion of markup fees that are usually kept by the banks. 

So, you can elevate your guests’ experience and, at the same time, create a revenue stream for your business. 

That’s a win-win. 

If you’d like to learn more, we’d encourage you to check out this webinar we recently hosted where we share: 

  • How Multicurrency works 

  • Insights from the early access program 

  • An interview with a Mews hotelier who is already benefiting from Multicurrency 

  • A Q&A with product experts who delve deeper into the feature

 

😍 Why you will love it 

Multicurrency is designed to ensure your property can offer an elevated service and boost your profitability. You’ll be able to: 

  • Optimize your revenue stream: we’re offering a super simple way to capture fees that are usually kept by banks. 

  • Grow your global customer base: enhance your appeal to international guests by offering a premium, guest-focused payment experience that encourages loyalty and repeat bookings. 

  • Elevate your payment offering: guests easily understand how much they are paying as it appears in a familiar currency. 

"I’d recommend Multicurrency to other hotels because it’s easy to use, improves guest experience, and generates extra revenue." – Rosalie Jansen, Front Office Manager, Hotel Arena 

"It was a no-brainer to activate Multicurrency – staff didn’t even need training because the process is so automated." – Linus Bihn, Head of Digital Processes & Customer Journey, Hey Lou Hotel 

 

⚙️ How it works

Step 1 : When making a payment to your business, both online and in-person, an international guest will be offered the choice to pay in their home currency. 

Step 2: If they opt to use their home currency then they will be charged a markup fee.   

Step 3: Your business will retain a portion of that markup fee as shown below. 

Payment touchpoint 

Guest to pay 

Your property to retain 

Online  

(Booking Engine or Payment request) 

3% above exchange rate 

1% markup 

In-person 

(Mews Terminals S1 or S2) 

4% above exchange rate 

* Percentages are approx. and may change in future  

In these short videos, a member of our product team further explains how Multicurrency works.

Online payments

In-person payments

 

 

➡️ What’s next  

Multicurrency will roll out gradually to select customers in Europe in the next few weeks, with global expansion starting in the second half of the year. We will be in touch to let you know how to enable the feature early or opt out. 

Thanks for your time, we’re really looking forward to seeing the positive impact Multicurrency can have on your business.  

Team Mews  

 

Can this feature be switched off or is it automatically active for everyone?

We do not use Mews Booking Engine, will this still work for us?.

Can this feature be switched off or is it automatically active for everyone?

Multicurrency is being gradually introduced across Europe, ahead of a planned global rollout. You'll receive an email with a 30-day notification ahead of the launch date at your property.If you are eligible then the feature is enabled automatically, however you can opt out on the configuration page of the PMS.

 

We do not use Mews Booking Engine, will this still work for us?.

 

Yes, if you are using Stripe as PSP.  It will work in Payment Links and Terminals S1 and S2.

Do I read it correctly that Mews earns 2% or 3% on average of the revenue every time someone pays in another currency than the hotels currency? 

That is additional to other fees that are also charged. 

I understand that Mews and the hotel wins, but most guest will lose (except for when exchange rates change for more than 4% within a short time, which is very unlikely). 

Hey Georg, thanks for the question!


Do I read it correctly that Mews earns 2% or 3% on average of the revenue every time someone pays in another currency than the hotels currency? 

 

Not actually, that portion of the Guest Markup is used to cover potential costs on currency conversion and processing that may occur on cross-border transactions (that the guest usually pays on their bank as they charge them too, depending on the bank of course).

 

I understand that Mews and the hotel wins, but most guest will lose (except for when exchange rates change for more than 4% within a short time, which is very unlikely). 

 

This point is quite key - and the proper answer is that it depends on the guest bank rates. If they don’t have a bank that allows multi-currency they probably are incurring extra fees from their bank, and not ideal exchange rates on top, which sometimes can actually represent +5% on extra fees for them - with this solution we’re aiming to have a competitive Exchange Rate and also a markup that is transparent and fair with the market.

I would just like to reassure you, the guest will always have the option to decide in which currency to pay - is never forced to them.

Let me know if you have any further question!

Thanks ​@Bastian Zamorano!

My guess is: In 99% or more of the cases it will be better for the guest to pay in the hotels local currency. From what I read so far, this aligns with what people of knowledge suggest. I am sure you know this.

Most banks will charge much (!) less than the 3-4% markup. Some banks charge nothing at all for paying in a foreign currency. 

I just think that this new feature is no “true” innovation, because it doesn’t produce a win-win situation. It’s a way to squeeze some money out of guests who are not familiar with this topic. 

Thanks a lot for this ​@Georg Gaag 


You're right that for some guests—especially those with premium cards or from markets with low FX fees — it might be more cost-effective to pay in the local currency. And yes, some banks do offer fairly competitive rates nowadays it depends on the country and currency associated of course, I wouldn't say is the large majority.

That said, we also see a large segment of travellers who either:

  • Prefer the predictability and clarity of seeing prices in their home currency,
  • Aren’t fully aware of their bank’s fees (or how their currency conversion works),
  • Or simply feel more comfortable and in control when paying in their own currency.

The goal with Multicurrency by Mews Payments isn’t to trick anyone—it’s about providing optionality and transparency.
Guests always have the choice to pay in either their local or home currency at checkout, and they see the full cost before confirming. No surprises.

It’s true that not every guest will benefit financially, but we’ve seen from our Beta tests, that ~40% of international guests prefer to pay in their own currency, and businesses offering Multicurrency tend to see improvements in guest satisfaction and repeat bookings.

 

For properties, it's also a way to capture a share of the FX margin that banks typically keep.

I (and the whole team) truly appreciate you raising this Georg —it’s an important conversation to have, and it helps us ensure we’re designing features that add real value.

Happy to chat more!

Hello,

I am aware that this is currently only available for Stripe, but will it also be available for Adyen terminals in the future?

Hello,

I am aware that this is currently only available for Stripe, but will it also be available for Adyen terminals in the future?


Hi Robin

Yes we expect to enable it for Adyen in a not so-far future too. We will keep you posted.

Hello,

I am aware that this is currently only available for Stripe, but will it also be available for Adyen terminals in the future?


Hi Robin

Yes we expect to enable it for Adyen in a not so-far future too. We will keep you posted.

Hi Bastian! 👋
That is great news! 😀

Hi,

 

we were BETA Tester with our Hey Lou Properties and can highly recommend it to all Mews customers offering a better service and also receive a small cashback

 

Best

Linus

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