By Dustin Stone, HTN staff writer - 11.1.2025
Mews, a leading provider of cloud-based hospitality software, has acquired the U.S.-based artificial intelligence company DataChat in a move aimed at accelerating its development of data-driven automation tools for hotels. The acquisition, announced this week, adds natural-language and predictive analytics capabilities to Mews’ growing platform and underscores the company’s broader goal of creating what it calls an “agentic” operating system for hospitality.
DataChat, founded by engineers and data scientists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, specializes in “conversational intelligence”—technology that allows users to interact with data in plain English rather than through complex dashboards or coding. Its software has been used in data-heavy sectors such as financial services, retail, and telecommunications to help business users query, visualize, and act on information more efficiently. For hotels using Mews, the integration could enable staff to ask operational questions such as which distribution channels are underperforming or where labor costs are trending and receive clear, contextual answers in real time.
Richard Valtr, founder of Mews, said the deal is intended to help hotels turn their operational data into a more active decision-making resource. “Every guest interaction generates valuable data,” Valtr said. “With DataChat’s technology, we can help hoteliers unlock that data to drive smarter, more responsive operations.”
The acquisition follows a period of rapid expansion for Mews, which now serves more than 12,500 properties across 85 countries. Over the past two years, the company has raised more than $180 million in new funding and completed several acquisitions, including Flexkeeping, a housekeeping and task management platform, and Nomi, which focuses on guest personalization. Together, these deals reflect Mews’ effort to move beyond traditional property management systems toward a more integrated operations platform that unifies staff productivity, revenue optimization, and guest engagement.
The acquisition also comes as competition in the hospitality technology sector intensifies around artificial intelligence and automation. Oracle Hospitality, Shiji, and Cloudbeds have all expanded their AI capabilities over the past year, focusing on forecasting, pricing optimization, and guest engagement. Smaller innovators such as Canary Technologies and Duetto are developing machine learning tools to automate upselling, revenue management, and service recovery. Mews’ addition of DataChat gives it a more distinct position in this landscape, one centered on embedding conversational analytics directly into daily workflows rather than layering AI features onto existing reporting tools.
Analysts note that the success of this strategy will depend on execution. Conversational analytics promises to make data more accessible, but its effectiveness relies on clean integrations between systems and consistent data quality. There are also governance challenges to consider, particularly if Mews moves toward semi-autonomous “agents” capable of taking operational actions. For now, the company is expected to focus on decision support rather than full automation, providing human oversight as it tests and refines its AI-driven tools.
The deal will be managed under Mews Ventures, the company’s strategic investment arm, which focuses on acquiring complementary technologies that extend its platform’s reach. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
As hotels continue to modernize their operations and search for efficiency gains, technology providers are racing to deliver systems that not only collect and organize data but also help interpret and act on it. With DataChat, Mews appears to be positioning itself at the forefront of that shift, one in which property management software evolves from being a system of record to becoming a system of intelligence.
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