After years of wrestling with legacy property management systems and disconnected systems, this fifth-generation, family-owned business switched to Mews for real-time inventory control and more efficient management.
“Mews allows us to transparently present our cottages and experiences through a seamless booking journey. Other systems had really struggled to do both because they were built for hotels.”
About Elmhirst’s Resort
Located in Keene, Ontario, Elmhirst’s Resort operates 30 lakeside cottages ranging from one to five bedrooms, alongside two distinct restaurant concepts, conference and wedding spaces, onsite spa, and a working farm supplying its kitchens. With 25-30% repeat guests annually and less than 1% OTA reliance, Elmhirst’s has built decades-long relationships with guests who return to the same cottage year after year.
The technology supporting their operations needed to be just as personal and flexible. However, legacy systems created operational friction, so a change was overdue. After switching to Mews, inventory visibility became crystal clear, manual work dropped and departments flowed seamlessly together.
Why Elmhirst’s Resort chose Mews
In previous systems, inventory was structured in a way that didn’t reflect how Elmhirst’s Resort sells cottages. Adjusting room categories meant moving every reservation one by one. With 17 different floor plans across multiple cottage classes, staff couldn’t easily present specific units to returning guests who had strong emotional ties to particular cottages or new guests who wanted to see different styles of a two-bedroom cottage. It didn’t allocate inventory properly, lacked detailed unit visibility and forced most reservations to be handled over the phone. Upsells like boat rentals couldn’t be inventoried or pushed through to the booking engine. Availability blocks for groups were difficult to manage – the result was manual work, fragmented data and unnecessary complexity.
Elmhirst’s implemented Mews PMS with its native Booking Engine and real-time inventory allocation. Cottages are now presented clearly at the unit level, allowing returning guests to book the exact space they want online. Availability blocks and booking links support both individual and group sales without workaround spreadsheets. The move to Mews also unified the wider tech stack into one cohesive ecosystem.
“Our previous booking engines couldn’t allocate rooms automatically at the time of booking. Mews has completely streamlined how we handle group reservations, for both our staff and guests.”
Staff training in under an hour
Challenge
Previous system’s complexity made training slow and frustrating. New team members hesitated to adopt the system, and onboarding absorbed valuable time in a business that runs year-round programming, weddings and conferences.
Solution
Mews’ intuitive interface and interactive dashboards make training fast and adoption seamless. System basics can be taught in 30-45 minutes, with workflows designed around daily operations. The full implementation was completed in just 81 days, with structured onboarding ensuring rapid adoption across all departments, allowing staff to spend more time enhancing the guest experience rather than troubleshooting.
Result
- New hires trained in under an hour
- Higher staff confidence
- Faster adoption across teams
“From a user interface standpoint, I can’t even describe the difference between Mews and our previous system. Mews is dynamic and searchable, giving users control over operations.”
Revenue management that finally reflects demand
Challenge
Before Atomize, Elmhirst’s really struggled to offer value as pricing wasn’t fully aligned with demand patterns, especially during slower periods. Packages were statically discounted and often sold during peak weekends, limiting revenue potential.
Solution
Atomize, a Mews company, brings dynamic, data-driven pricing to Elmhirst, giving the team an edge in a competitive market. Rate recommendations can be automatically accepted up to two years in advance, capturing demand in low periods and pricing it appropriately in peak ones. Even complex scenarios like property buyouts are reflected accurately, providing forecasts that match true demand patterns rather than skewed one-off bookings.
Result
- 25%+ ADR increase across September-November
“Atomize has done a good job capturing demand and offering value we weren’t pricing properly before. We’re seeing substantial pickup in occupancy, ADR and RevPAR.”
Embedded payments that eliminate weekend chaos
Challenge
With previous systems, payments were not embedded. Staff had to toggle between systems during check-in. On peak turnover days, system blackouts could halt operations for hours. Beyond downtime, manual reconciliation consumed significant administrative time each month.
Solution
Mews Payments has streamlined transactions across the property, making financial workflows effortless. Embedded directly in the PMS, it eliminates third-party handoffs during check-in, automates deposits and balances, and centralizes reporting. This unified approach not only reduces technical friction but also allows the team to provide a smoother, faster experience for guests from the moment they arrive.
Result
- 23 hours saved per month on payment processing
- Smoother peak check-in days
Group bookings and proposals without spreadsheets
Challenge
Group sales and conferences required manual proposal creation in Word and Excel. Previous systems lacked integrated pipeline visibility, and availability blocks were difficult to manage. Sales staff spent hours assembling proposals.
Solution
Through a real-time integration between Mews and Event Temple, proposals, group blocks and availability updates now sync instantly. Automated proposal templates and synchronized inventory drastically reduce manual effort and accelerate the sales cycle, allowing staff to engage leads immediately. By streamlining these processes, the team can focus on crafting personalized experiences for guests rather than getting bogged down in admin.
Result
- 20 hours per week saved by the sales team
- Faster response time to conference, group and wedding leads
- Full transparency starting at the proposal, through the detailing and final invoice
- Immediate inventory updates across systems
“Mews and Event Temple communicate instantly. I’ve never seen an integration that snappy before.”
Customer support that actually responds
Challenge
Customer Support in previous systems was slow and reactive. Responses could take weeks, often arriving after the team had already implemented workarounds.
Solution
Elmhirst Resort’s adoption of Mews Premium Support during its full tech stack transition has been transformative. The team used it to tackle backlog items, optimize configurations and upskill staff, benefiting from faster response times, dedicated guidance and structured follow-up. This hands-on support ensured the transition was seamless and gave the team confidence as they moved to a fully integrated property management ecosystem.
Result
- Timely responses and faster issue resolution
- Greater confidence during system transition
Looking ahead
For a property built on five generations of relationships, the goal is simple: match genuine hospitality with a digital experience that’s just as strong. Elmhirst’s Resort plans to explore memberships and expanded spa and recreational facilities to enhance their guest experience and incentivize local guests to visit more often. With a flexible, API-driven tech stack now in place, the resort is positioned to innovate without being constrained by legacy systems again.
“Mews Standard Support has been very quick, but the ability to access Premium Support when integrating new platforms and improving workflows has been incredible.”
