Mews drives faster, smarter operations at Comfort Inn Sunset

About Comfort Inn Sunset

Comfort Inn Sunset, a Choice International Hotels property on New Zealand’s Thames Coast, is a budget-friendly, nine-room retreat. Designed as a peaceful escape surrounded by wildlife, it offers guests a serene stay overlooking the Firth of Thames. 

“What makes us unique is the feel,” says Owner Robert Davy. “Guests come here to relax. It’s quiet and different from a typical corporate property.” 

Operating on the coast, however, brings distinct challenges. Exposure to salty air requires constant maintenance. For a small team, balancing these environmental demands while delivering a seamless guest experience requires connected, efficient operations. 

When your PMS runs like an old Buick on a windy coastal road

Challenge 

For years, Comfort Inn Sunset relied on a PMS that couldn’t keep up with the needs of a lean, hands-on team. Reporting was limited, payments required manual handling and financial visibility was unclear, creating blind spots for the team. Essential features, like a city ledger and on-the-spot credit card charging, were also missing. 

“Our previous system was like an old Buick – clunky, cumbersome and with very little flexibility. If a guest didn’t pay, it could just disappear into Neverland. We had no visibility, no control,” Robert recalls. 

Solution

In November 2025, Comfort Inn Sunset switched to Mews to modernize operations, reduce manual work and improve the overall guest experience.  With guided onboarding, support from Mews University and an intuitive interface, the team was able to get up and running quickly. Mews also introduced greater flexibility for a small, multi-tasking team who can now run Comfort Inn Sunset operations remotely from Robert’s other property in Taupo. With cloud access, staff can access the system from anywhere, adjust reception coverage during quieter periods, and handle day-to-day tasks without being tied to a front desk. 

Result

• Intuitive system that is easy to learn and use
• Cloud-native platform enables system access from anywhere, anytime
• Greater operational efficiency, less manual work and more time for guests

Direct Mews + ChoiceEDGE CRS Connection

Challenge

Adopting a new PMS often comes with operational friction – manual configuration, duplicated data entry and the risk of inconsistencies between systems. For a small team, even minor mismatches in rates, availability or reservations can quickly create operational pressure. 

Solution

The integration between Mews PMS and the ChoiceEDGE CRS removes this complexity entirely through a direct, real-time connection. Rates, availability and reservations are synced across all channels, eliminating the need for manual updates or system switching. This ensures the hotel always operates with a single, accurate view of inventory. Operational processes that previously required manual oversight now run automatically in the background. Reservations update instantly, payments are processed in line with policy and guest communications are triggered without intervention. 

Result

• Real-time sync of rates, availability and reservations across PMS and CRS
• No manual updates and reduced overbooking risk
• Less admin work, more time for guests 

Automated payments save time, reduce admin and improve control

Challenge

Payment processing was previously one of the hotel’s biggest daily bottlenecks. Staff had to manually process transactions during busy check-in periods, increasing friction at a critical point in the guest journey. The previous system also lacked modern security standards, making PCI compliance more difficult and increasing risk. 

Solution

With Mews Payments, transactions are fully automated and aligned with booking policies, ensuring payments are triggered at the right time without any staff intervention. This removes the need to chase payments or handle manual processing during peak periods, saving valuable time. Simultaneously, tokenization ensures secure handling of card data, reducing compliance burden and risk, which has significantly streamlined arrivals. Most bookings are prepaid before guests arrive. Everything is already in the system, so check-in is seamless.  

Result

• 30–45 minutes saved per day on payment processing
• Fewer errors and missed transactions
• Faster, smoother check-in and check-out experience
• Improved PCI compliance through card tokenization

Data and real-time reporting drives smarter business decisions

Challenge

Previously, reporting lacked depth and granularity. The team couldn’t easily understand booking behavior, guest segments or revenue drivers, making forecasting more like guesswork. 

Solution

Mews introduced real-time reporting across revenue, reservations and market segments, giving the team clear visibility into business performance. They can now track revenue daily and see where it’s coming from – and even break it down by market segment, which they never had before. This shift has enabled the team to make more confident, data-led decisions and have a deeper understanding of demand and performance trends. 

Result

• More accurate forecasting and budgeting
• Clear visibility into guest segments and demand patterns
• Improved understanding of revenue drivers

Looking ahead

With Mews in place, Comfort Inn Sunset has shifted from a clunky, slow-moving system to a faster, more powerful and modern operation, like trading in an old Buick for a high-performance sports car. 

“Mews has helped us create a smooth, seamless operation,” says Robert. “We’re not chasing our tails with things like overbookings or failed payments anymore.” 

With automation handling the heavy lifting and real-time visibility across the business, the team can focus on what drives results: maximizing revenue, increasing occupancy and delivering a great guest experience. 

After seeing the impact firsthand, Robert is now hoping to adopt Mews at his other property in Taupo, scaling the same speed, control and efficiency across his portfolio.