From friction to flow: Hey Lou leaps into the future with Mews
The economy hotel group from Germany was ready for a digital revolution and found an equally visionary partner in Mews.
Hey Lou customer story
Check-in
< 2 mins
via Welcome Desk (Mews Kiosk)
Payments
50%
faster through Mews Payments
Manual work reduced by
1-3 hours
daily through automated room assignments
About Hey Lou
Founded by long-time industry experts, Hey Lou is an innovative and sustainable hotel concept that operates seven economy hotels across Germany: Frankfurt Airport, Friedrichshafen, Hildesheim, Karlsruhe, Monheim am Rhein, Nördlingen and Piding. A central pillar of the Hey Lou concept is integrating AI into daily hotel management.
The team is focused on comprehensive digitalization and creating a seamless 360° digital guest journey tailored to individual needs. Both guests and staff benefit from simplified processes and time savings, thanks to the unique networking of systems within the hotel's own software and hardware landscape.
“Our partnership with Mews allows us to elevate the guest experience to a new level through the digital Welcome Desk with Mews Kiosk and seamless transactions via Mews Payments. All our systems – from the booking platform to the check-in process to the payment terminal – communicate perfectly with each other.”
Long check-in queues? Long gone
Challenge
Staff shortages made it essential to streamline operations, aiming to reduce front office tasks and guide guests towards self-service.
Solution
Mews Kiosk was the perfect solution for Hey Lou. By replacing traditional front desks with Welcome Desks, the team created a more welcoming environment, encouraging natural interactions between guests and staff. These self-check-in stations have become a signature feature across all Hey Lou hotels. With large screens and a user-friendly interface powering quick check-ins, long queues are a thing of the past, earning high praise from both guests and staff alike. Plus, all payments are cashless and effortless. By proactively anticipating guest needs, Hey Lou ensures that every stay is as seamless as possible.
Result
• <2 minutes to check-in via Welcome Desks powered by Mews Kiosk
“The onboarding and onsite training were incredibly smooth and personal, making the transition effortless. We've been able to focus more on our guests and less on figuring out the software.”
Increased revenue with Multicurrency by Mews Payments
Challenge
Paying in a foreign currency can be stressful for international guests as they often encounter unwelcome surprises. Banks may apply hidden currency conversion fees, causing the price at sale to differ from the amount shown on their bank statements. The lack of transparency results in a poor customer experience for guests, while hotels also miss out on revenue opportunities as markup fees are usually retained by banks.
Solution
As a hotel group serving international travelers, Hey Lou Hotel believes Multicurrency is a "no-brainer". Global guests can choose to pay in their preferred currency and are presented with exchange rates and markup fees instantly. That transparency builds trust and enhances their relationship with customers. The process is fully automated and embedded in Hey Lou Hotel's current operation and is so intuitive that staff don't even need training on the new feature. Multicurrency also drives additional revenue as Hey Lou Hotel now retains a share of markup fees that banks were taking.
Result
- Effortless revenue increase and enhanced guest experience
"Mews Multicurrency is exactly what we expected - easy to use, fully automated and seamlessly integrated into our payment processes. We created an additional revenue stream, and guests appreciate seeing familiar currency options."
Payment revolution and a seamless flow of transactions
Challenge
Before switching to Mews, Hey Lou struggled with a fragmented payments system. They had difficulties integrating the payment acquirer's API with their PMS, so their accountants often had to manually fix errors and even reverse payments.
Solution
Mews Payments streamlined and connected all transactions, helping Hey Lou go 100% cashless. Guests can settle their bills with a quick card swipe, and for staff, everything is automated, eliminating manual work. Hey Lou is also using Mews Terminals, a fully integrated payment terminals that save time, reduce paper waste and eliminate the risk of mistyping card numbers. Plus, they’re avid users of Mews POS, an all-in-one solution for back-of-house that connects inventory and ePOS, letting the team track, analyze, plan and order with confidence. The team loves that they can take orders and payments directly at the table, saving time and simplifying the process for everyone. They’re also using digital ordering with Mews POS at Hey Lou Hotel Frankfurt Airport that has its own brewery, where guests can simply scan a QR code, pull up a digital menu, order and pay.
Result
• 50% faster payments through Mews Payments
• Staff use mobile phones with the Mews app, making bulky tills and cash handling a thing of the past
Seamless onboarding and staff training
Challenge
Onboarding and training staff in hospitality can be challenging due to high turnover rates. New hires need to learn quickly and adapt fast, which can be hard without clear and easy-to-follow training materials and support.
Solution
Hey Lou thoroughly enjoyed their onboarding and onsite training provided by Mews.
The personal approach made it easy for their staff to get up to speed, easing the inevitable stress of changing PMS providers. The team found Mews University especially useful, particularly the billing training, which is crucial in Germany. Role-based courses gave them the confidence and the know-how to create remarkable guest experiences. Plus, spending less time figuring out the software means more time with guests.
Result
• Seamless onboarding and ongoing customer support
• Staff training via interactive live courses, walk-throughs, videos, quizzes and hands-on practice
"We’ve worked with several PMS providers, but Mews University offers the best training portal. It’s so straightforward that our staff had almost no questions and combined with a short personal training they are ready to start."
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Make it remarkable.
Ready to take the first step towards a more efficient, flexible, guest-centric approach to hospitality?