-Skift and Mews reveal how guest-first strategies drive hotel revenue and long-term hotel growth
New Industry Report Shows How Guest- and Community-Focused Models Drive New Revenue and Long-Term Asset Value
/PRNewswire/ — A new joint report from ShiftyMews“Why hotels and their investors are leaving millions on the table“, challenges one of the oldest assumptions in hospitality: that success should be measured by rooms sold.
For decades, occupancy rates, average daily rate (ADR), and revenue per available room (RevPAR) have been the industry’s performance benchmarks. But according to the report, this “room first” mentality no longer reflects how value is created in modern hospitality. Today, guests expect meaningful experiences, flexibility, and connections, and hotels that only optimize bed accommodations are missing out on major growth opportunities.
“Hospitality is no longer just about rooms, it’s about relationships,” said Matt Welle, CEO of Mews. “When you shift your mindset from maximizing room revenue to maximizing guest value, you unlock new sources of revenue, loyalty and long-term growth.”
From rooms to relationships
The report highlights a growing shift from room-based performance metrics to more guest-centric measures, such as revenue per available guest (RevPAG), which captures the total value of every guest interaction, whether staying overnight, dining, working or socializing.
Lifestyle brands like Ennismore, for example, now generate more than 60% of their revenue from non-room sources such as food and beverage, coworking and events, proving that experience-based hospitality can be more profitable and more resilient.
Unleashing community value
Forward-thinking operators are reinventing their properties as community spaces that serve locals and travelers alike. Examples include Staypineapple Boston, where a popular neighborhood bar, the Trophy Room, has transformed the hotel lobby into a lively public hub, and Paradise Resort Gold Coast, which increased revenue and satisfaction by offering experiences such as water park access and spa bookings around unified guest profiles.
Almost a third of hotels on the Mews platform now offer additional bookable services, such as parking, coworking or memberships. Between 2024 and 2025, the number of hospitality businesses using Mews Spaces, which drives these non-room bookings, almost doubled from 1,179 to 2,223. In the same period, bookings increased more than 230%, highlighting the industry’s accelerated shift toward diversified and experience-based revenue.
Measure what matters
Traditional KPIs capture only a fraction of a property’s potential. By focusing on the total guest journey and connecting operational, marketing and financial systems, hotels can better understand overall guest value, deliver more personalized experiences and tap into new revenue streams.
Technology as an enabler
Technology underpins this transformation. Integrated solutions make it possible to anticipate guest needs, personalize experiences, and seamlessly manage multiple revenue streams.
The report features Swiss Hotel Apartments, which connects guest data across departments to provide personalized service across 48 properties, and Strawberry, which uses flexible systems and AI tools to streamline check-in, housekeeping and communications while maintaining personalized service.
“Technology doesn’t replace hospitality, it reveals it,” said Richard Valtr, founder of Mews. “When digital systems handle complexity, staff have more time to focus on what guests really remember: feeling seen and cared for.”
A new era for hotel investment
The Skift x Mews study concludes that hotels focused solely on room sales are leaving millions in potential revenue on the table. Guest-centric and community-based strategies not only improve the guest experience but also strengthen long-term asset value.
Download the full report:Why Hotels and Their Investors Are Leaving Millions on the Table.
About Mews
Mews is the leading platform for the new era of hospitality. Serving 12,500 customers in more than 85 countries, Mews Hospitality Cloud is designed to optimize modern hoteliers’ operations, transform the guest experience and create more profitable businesses. Clients include BWH Hotels, Strawberry, The Social Hub and Airelles Collection. Mews was named Best PMS (2024, 2025)and is listed among the best places to work in hotel technology (2021, 2022, 2024, 2025) by Hotel Tech Report. Mews has raised $410 million from investors including Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Kinnevik and Tiger Global Management to transform hospitality. For more information, contact the Mews press team:[emailprotected]
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