Mews-powered Marston’s Inns turns operational efficiency into higher RevPAR

With Mews, one of the UK’s most recognisable pub and inn brands has simplified training, improved automation and delivered a more intuitive guest journey from booking to check-out. 

About Marston’s Inns 

Marston’s Inns is the hotel arm of Marston’s PLC, operating a mix of city and rural inns alongside one of the UK’s largest pub estates. With over 1450 pubs across England, Scotland and Wales (each typically paired with an inn) the group manages more than 1800+ hotel rooms, with 16 hotels also offering meeting and event space. 

The business operates across managed, franchised and leased models, with teams that often prioritise pub operations over traditional hotel workflows. Marston’s Inns wanted a PMS that was intuitive for non-hoteliers, quick to learn and designed to evolve continuously rather than stand still. They’ve since onboarded 95+ properties on Mews. 
 

What was the reason behind switching PMS? 

Challenge 

Guestline had become too complex and inflexible for the group’s scale and staffing model. Manual admin, payment handling and reporting created inefficiencies and operational risk. Direct bookings plateaued at around 13%, with heavy reliance on OTAs. Guest communications were fragmented, and channel management required significant manual effort. High staff turnover compounded the problem: teams rarely attended in-person training due to cost, leading to inconsistent system use and bad habits spreading between sites. 

Solution

Marston’s selected Mews for its automation-first design and ease of use, particularly important for a pub-led workforce where hotel experience can’t be assumed. Mews replaced manual processes with automated workflows for payments, reporting and guest communication, while offering centralised control over user access to improve security and compliance. Crucially, Mews supported Marston’s commercial ambitions: enabling a more intuitive guest journey, stronger direct booking performance and consistent operations across a mixed estate, all without increasing the training burden. 

Result 

• 12% YoY growth in direct bookings at pilot site 
• 19% RevPAR increase (2025 vs 2024) 
• Improved operational efficiency across the group 

Ease of staff training cuts cost and improves consistency 

Challenge 

Previously, teams had to visit training centers for face-to-face training, impacting pub P&Ls and consuming valuable management time. One-size-fits-all training didn’t work for teams with a different learning style, and many staff ended up self-teaching, leading to inconsistent usage. 

Solution 

Mews University enabled Marston’s to shift PMS training fully online for the first time. Teams received access to a demo environment and structured, role-based training modules around two weeks before go-live, typically completing 4–5 hours of learning at their own pace. Managers could track completion centrally, reallocate training hours and intervene where needed. Training was deliberately staged: practical, “non-perfect world” scenarios before go-live, followed by reporting and billing once teams had real experience using the system. This approach reduced pressure on teams and improved confidence from day one. 

Result 

• Lower training costs and reduced travel 
• Faster, more consistent system adoption 
• Clear visibility of training progress across sites 

Automated payments and financial oversight at enterprise scale 

Challenge 

Manual payment handling and fragmented reporting limited efficiency and distracted teams from guest-facing work. As costs increased, Marston’s Inns needed tighter financial control without adding admin. 

Solution 

Mews Payments automated the entire payment lifecycle – from booking through to pre-arrival and checkout – removing the need for manual card handling. Mews Terminals supported secure, consistent processing across properties, while centralised chargeback management reduced risk. 

Marston’s Inns also participated in Mews BI and ledger betas, improving access to data and enabling clearer financial oversight at group level. Regular business reviews and feedback loops ensured the partnership with Mews continued to evolve in line with their enterprise needs. 

Result  

• 100% automated payments 
• Improved cancelation revenue 
• Reduced admin and stronger financial visibility 

Automated check-in built for pub-led operations 

Challenge 

Inn teams often balance hotel and pub duties, with many staff not trained as career hoteliers. Managing check-in alongside bar and restaurant operations required simplicity and flexibility. 

Solution 

Online check-in and check-out reduced front desk pressure, while automated workflows made it possible for non-hotel staff to manage arrivals confidently. The guest journey was mapped to reflect real pub operations – supporting upsells, flexible rates and property-specific rules without forcing a rigid process. Marston’s team can now create and customise product rates, as well as apply their own rules to tailor them to each property’s needs. 

Result 

• 23% average online check-in rate, with some properties achieving 50%+ completion 
• Smoother arrivals with less staff intervention 

Turning one-time guests into loyal regulars 

Challenge 

Marston’s Pub Group needed to strengthen its direct share and improve the end-to-end guest journey across its pub and accommodation portfolio. A fragmented booking experience and limited post-stay engagement made it difficult to drive repeat visits and long-term loyalty, reducing direct revenue potential and guest lifetime value. 

Solution 

They implemented Profitroom to create a seamless, end-to-end guest journey. By integrating Profitroom’s booking engine, guest communication tools and loyalty functionality, Marston’s was able to: streamline the direct booking experience, personalise guest communications before, during, and after the stay, and introduce a loyalty programme fully embedded into the booking journey. This approach ensured guests experienced a consistent, frictionless journey while incentivising them to book direct and return more frequently.