Hospitality technology firm Mews is cutting 15% of its global workforce, eliminating roughly 170 roles, as it shifts resources toward building an AI-native operating system for hotels. The company said the cuts span all teams and geographies, with customer-facing roles largely unaffected. Mews described itself as being in a strong position and growing, but said it wanted to act now before market changes forced a more difficult adjustment.
Founder Richard Valtr announced the decision on LinkedIn. "The world our customers operate in is changing faster than ever. Guest expectations are rising, the pace of innovation is relentless and AI is fundamentally changing the economics of hospitality," he wrote.
Valtr added that AI can now handle areas such as financial services, revenue management and procurement "more profitably" than traditional hotel returns. "We believe the hospitality operating system of the future is an AI-native one, and we intend to build it. But in order to help our customers be AI-native, we need to become that ourselves."
Workforce reduction and ongoing hiring
The layoffs affect approximately 170 employees. A spokesperson confirmed the cuts were across all departments and regions, though customer-facing teams were largely spared. Despite the reductions, Mews continues to hire for certain technical, commercial, and fintech positions. At the time of publication, the Mews website listed 36 open roles.
Recent funding and acquisitions
Earlier this year, Mews closed a $300 million Series D round at a $2.5 billion valuation. The company said the capital would support AI development, fintech capabilities, and expansion into new markets. Mews also made strategic acquisitions: it bought natural language processing specialist DataChat in late 2025, and earlier that year acquired Clarity Hospitality Software Solutions, a provider of property and event management technology.
Why this matters for Hospitality and Events
Mews' move signals that even well-capitalized hospitality tech firms are restructuring to prioritize AI. For hotel and event professionals, the shift toward AI-native platforms means the tools they use for property management, revenue optimization, and event coordination will increasingly embed automation. Staying current with these changes is becoming a competitive necessity. Professionals can follow developments through resources like AI for Hospitality & Events.
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