Choice Hotels Taps Mews for Software to Boost Non-Room Revenue
Photo Credit: Strawberry Hotels, a Choice Hotels franchisee, featuring the Mews kiosk. Mews
Skift Take
The partnership signals a broader trend: Hotels are rethinking their technology not just to run operations more smoothly, but to sell a wider range of services.
Choice Hotels has selected cloud-based provider Mews as a property management system (PMS) for its franchisees outside the U.S., a move that could help the hotel chain capture more non-room revenue and reduce errors when setting rates.
The partnership integrates Mews's software with choiceEDGE, the reservation system Choice developed in-house.
Choice has 1,258 franchised properties outside of the U.S., representing about 142,000 rooms, according to its annual report.
Major hotel chains are increasingly looking to generate income from services other than overnight stays. Marriott and Hilton have tested selling day passes to pools and fitness centers, while Accor has expanded co-working spaces within its properties, as Skift noted in its megatrend: 'Hotels Will Start Selling So Much More Than Rooms.'
“Ancillary revenue is no longer a side note for hoteliers. It’s a core part of the guest experience strategy,” Margitte Verkruijsse-Reiner, senior director of ownership management at Mews, told Skift. “Mews Spaces unlocks the full potential of a property, not just the rooms. It allows properties to offer flexible booking options, from meeting rooms, co-working spaces, parking spots, and day beds in a spa.”
Choice has built its own software over the years, including its cloud-based central reservation system (CRS) and a voice-search optimized booking engine. But at the property level — especially across international markets — its systems have often lacked consistency.
"Today’s guests expect a seamless, intuitive experience, and hotel teams need tools that empower them, not hold them back," Verkruijsse-Reiner said. “Legacy tech is a massive barrier to both."
Hotel companies have been slow to update PMS systems, with many chains still using decades-old technology bolted together with newer applications for managing payments in different currencies.
Local Flexibility, Global Consistency
The integration with choiceEDGE ensures that reservations, rates, and inventory are consistent across all systems and channels.
"All reservations flow seamlessly from the CRS to Mews, with no manual entry and no data mismatches," Verkruijsse-Reiner said. "Availability, rates, and inventory stay perfectly in sync, reducing the risk of overbookings and missed revenue."
For Choice's international franchisees, like Sweden-based Strawberry and Japan-based Hoshino, this helps them to adapt more quickly to market demand, manage different sources of revenue, and support loyalty programs. Cloud-based systems like Mews also require less on-site hardware and can be updated centrally, reducing maintenance costs for franchisees.
The system allows properties to make local adjustments while maintaining brand consistency.
Amsterdam-based Mews has raised a total of $410 million in venture funding since its founding in 2012.
Staying ahead of the next wave of change.
June 4, 2025 - NEW YORK CITY
