The project dashboard is a free tool that is only available to verified hoteliers to make adopting new technology easier by streamlining their research and simplifying their communication workflow.
TLDR
We analyzed 887 verified hotelier reviews, compared feature sets, pricing, and real-world case studies to break down where each platform delivers. The right choice depends on your property type and priorities:
Mews shines in ease of use — especially for independent properties (4.9/5) , with exclusive features like Guest CRM and Guest profiles.
Priority Software shines in ROI and onboarding , with exclusive features like On premise and Mobile Device Notes & Tasks (Voice-to-Text).
Side-by-side ratings based on 887 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | From $900/mo | Contact sales |
| Verified Reviews | 886 | 1 |
After analyzing 887 verified reviews, Mews users most value its customization and flexibility, automation and efficiency, onboarding and support experience, while Priority Software users highlight . Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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Customization and Flexibility
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Automation and Efficiency
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Onboarding and Support Experience
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Reservation and Front Desk Automation
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Billing Complexity and Reporting Limitations
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Revenue Management
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Pricing and Fees
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How each product ranks among Property Management Systems vendors for different property sizes, types, and regions — based on verified reviews from hoteliers in each segment.
By Hotel Size
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| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #3 329 reviews | — |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #1 397 reviews | #58 1 reviews |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | #3 45 reviews | — |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) ▾ | #3 49 reviews | — |
By Property Type
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| Boutique ▾ | #1 483 reviews | #78 0 reviews |
| Luxury ▾ | #5 220 reviews | — |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #2 170 reviews | #72 0 reviews |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #1 130 reviews | — |
By Region
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| North America ▾ | #8 106 reviews | — |
| Europe ▾ | #1 660 reviews | #53 0 reviews |
| Asia Pacific ▾ | #10 17 reviews | — |
| Middle East ▾ | #28 8 reviews | #20 1 reviews |
Choosing between Mews PMS and Optima PMS hinges on your hotel’s specific needs and priorities. Mews offers a highly-rated, user-friendly, cloud-native system with extensive integrations and a strong focus on automation and guest experience, backed by a large and recent review base. Optima, by contrast, is a more traditional, all-in-one enterprise solution with extensive global connections, suitable for large chains and resorts, but with fewer recent reviews and a less prominent user feedback profile.
Your decision should consider whether your hotel values modern design and flexibility or prefers a broad, integrated global platform. Can your team handle a more complex, enterprise-oriented system, or do you need a simpler, scalable solution that’s quick to adopt?
Mews and Optima both aim to streamline hotel operations, but they do so from different angles. Mews emphasizes a cloud-first, intuitive user experience, automation, and integrations, with a focus on improving guest satisfaction and staff efficiency. Optima offers a comprehensive, traditional PMS with extensive global connectivity, channel management, and a broad marketplace, suited for larger, multi-property management.
Given Mews' high overall rating and recent review count (758, with 98 in the last six months), it demonstrates strong current user satisfaction and ongoing innovation. In contrast, Optima's singular recent review and a focus on worldwide chains suggest a more conservative, enterprise model. Are you looking for a modern interface with quick deployment, or a broad, interconnected platform for multiple properties?
If your hotel is a boutique, independent, or mid-sized property looking for a modern, easy-to-use system with extensive third-party apps, go with Mews. Its user-friendly interface, quick onboarding, and automation tools suit hotels prioritizing guest experience and staff efficiency. For hotels that operate multiple properties and need a centralized, multi-region platform with GDS, OTA integrations, and global reach, Optima may be more fitting—though it has fewer recent user reviews to validate current performance.
Hotels seeking rapid deployment, high customization, and a vibrant marketplace should opt for Mews. Conversely, if your property requires a highly integrated global system, especially for resort or large chain operations, Optima’s broad connectivity might appeal — but be aware of its limited recent feedback.
Mews excels in usability, with a 4.7/5 rating for ease of use, and over 750 reviews, including 98 recent ones, affirming its user-friendliness. Many users praise its modern, intuitive interface, and straightforward onboarding, with comments like “Mews is very user-friendly and makes everything much easier,” and “Staff can log in from anywhere and work remotely.” Support and onboarding are rated 4.39/5, suggesting consistent, positive experiences.
Optima’s ease of use is less documented, with a 4/5 rating based on just a single recent review, which indicates a decent but less proven user experience. Its traditional architecture and wider feature set may require more training and onboarding for staff unfamiliar with enterprise PMS systems. Edge: Mews.
Mews offers 50 shared features plus 9 exclusive features like multi-lingual, multi-currency support, guest CRM, native email marketing, guest app, messaging, and employee messaging. These features focus on automation, guest engagement, and operational flexibility. Optima provides core functionalities such as guest management and reservations, along with 3 unique features like spa & wellness modules, on-premise capabilities, and voice-to-text tasks.
While Optima’s feature set covers broad operational needs for large-scale resorts and chains, Mews’ extensive integrations and specialized guest-centric features make it more adaptable for modern hospitality. Edge: Mews.
Mews maintains a support rating of 4.27/5 with 758 reviews, most recent within six months, highlighting active, responsive support. Users describe Mews support as “helpful, quick to respond,” and commend their onboarding process, despite some occasional bugs. The platform’s support is considered a key strength by current users.
Optima’s customer support is rated at 4/5, but with only one recent review, the current support experience is less clear. Given the limited recent feedback, Mews’ larger user base and ongoing positive reviews establish it as the more reliable support option. Edge: Mews.
Mews boasts 336 verified integrations, including shared partners like STR, Net Affinity, Lighthouse, TrustYou, and TripAdvisor, alongside unique partners such as Criton and Orange Hotel Marketing. Its extensive marketplace allows hotels to connect with a wide array of operational tools, revenue management, and guest engagement apps.
Optima’s ecosystem is smaller, with only 40 verified partners, including key integrations like Booking.com, Agoda, and Expedia, but fewer options for customization. For properties needing a flexible, interconnected tech stack, Mews provides a significantly broader integration network. Edge: Mews.
Mews receives an overall rating of 4.62/5 based on 758 reviews, with a high likelihood to recommend of 93%, and recent positive feedback across diverse hotel segments like boutique, city center, and hostels. Many hoteliers describe it as “the most user-friendly hospitality cloud,” with specific praise for its automation and support.
Optima’s rating stands at 0/5 with only a single review, which limits meaningful comparison. Its lack of recent ratings suggests less current user satisfaction data. Given the large, recent review pool for Mews, it clearly enjoys higher hoteliers’ approval. Edge: Mews.
Mews costs $900 monthly with no freemium or trial options, which is competitive given its features and support. Pricing for Optima is not publicly disclosed, and as an enterprise solution, it is likely tailored and potentially more expensive, especially for large multi-property setups.
Exact costs for Optima are unavailable; prospective clients must contact vendors for quotes. For small to mid-sized hotels seeking predictable costs, Mews offers transparency and clear value. Edge: Mews.
Not ideal if your hotel operates on a large, complex enterprise level requiring deep global connectivity, or if your staff prefers a traditional, more rigid system.
Not ideal if your hotel values rapid deployment, modern UI, or prefers a system with a large, active user community and recent reviews.
Mews stands out as a cloud-native, user-friendly PMS with a high review volume, recent positive feedback, and a strong emphasis on automating guest and staff workflows. Its extensive integrations and modern interface make it a preferred choice for boutique, independent, and mid-sized hotels.
Optima offers a broad, traditional enterprise system suited for large resorts and chains with complex distribution needs, but it lacks recent peer reviews for validation. Its feature set and global connectivity might appeal to large-scale operators who prioritize a centralized, multi-region platform.
If your hotel values agility, ease of use, and ongoing innovation, Mews is the clear choice. For large, multi-property operators with complex distribution and global needs, Optima may fit, but verify current support and performance first.
Property Management Systems pricing is rarely straightforward. Here is what we know from each vendor's public pricing data. Always request a custom quote for your property size.
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| Starting Price | From $900/mo | — |
According to HTR's product database, Mews PMS and Optima PMS share 50 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
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| Centralized Messaging | ||
| Guest CRM | ||
| Guest profiles | ||
| Mobile Device Notes & Tasks (Voice-to-Text) | ||
| Multi-currency | ||
| Multi-lingual | ||
| Native Email Marketing | ||
| On premise | ||
| Spa & Wellness Module |
We analyzed 8 verified case studies to compare what hotels actually achieve with each platform across four key business objectives.
"It was vital for us to find a hospitality cloud that would give us the freedom to innovate and move quickly with new technology – that’s one of the main reasons we chose Mews."
No published case study for this goal yet.
"Since moving to Mews, we can be so much more agile in how we operate, both in terms of how we engage with guests and testing out new integrations and tools through Mews Marketplace..."
No published case study for this goal yet.
"We want to provide the best hospitality for guests anywhere in the country, and Mews is definitely the right solution to help us achieve that goal."
No published case study for this goal yet.
What hoteliers love
Users value Mews for its customizable workflows and flexibility in adapting to diverse hotel types and operational needs. Despite this, some note that... Users value Mews for its customizable workflows and flexibility in adapting to diverse hotel types and operational needs. Despite this, some note that more advanced configuration options, particularly in report generation and billing, could enhance the platform’s utility further.
The system is praised for automating many routine tasks like billing and invoicing, which reduces manual errors and allows staff to focus on deliverin... The system is praised for automating many routine tasks like billing and invoicing, which reduces manual errors and allows staff to focus on delivering a superior guest experience. However, some reviews mention that while automation works well, the billing process can sometimes be complex.
The onboarding experience with Mews has been inconsistent, with some users praising the hands-on approach while others faced challenges with initial s... The onboarding experience with Mews has been inconsistent, with some users praising the hands-on approach while others faced challenges with initial setup efficiency. The support team's responsiveness has improved over time, enhancing problem resolution and user satisfaction.
Where hoteliers push back
While Mews automates billing, users report difficulties with its complexity and limitations in reporting and analytics. Enhancing these areas could pr... While Mews automates billing, users report difficulties with its complexity and limitations in reporting and analytics. Enhancing these areas could provide better insights and flexibility for users managing financial operations.
Mews provides a strong foundation for revenue management with its integration capabilities, but users indicate opportunities for improvement in dynami... Mews provides a strong foundation for revenue management with its integration capabilities, but users indicate opportunities for improvement in dynamic pricing tools and advanced analytics, especially in multi-property operations.
Ranks higher for
Unique capabilities
Ranks higher for
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Mews PMS and Optima PMS share many core Property Management Systems features, but each has unique capabilities. Mews PMS offers 336 verified integration partners, while Optima PMS offers 40. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Mews PMS leads in ease of use at 4.7/5 vs 4.0/5. Look for transparent pricing and a trial or demo option. Filter reviews on each product page by property size to hear from hotels like yours.
Mews PMS: No. Optima PMS: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Property Management Systems vendors offer demos or trials — request one from each to evaluate before committing.
The HT Score is a composite ranking that considers 4 criteria groups and over a dozen variables to help hoteliers objectively compare hotel technology products. Mews has an HT Score of 100 and Priority Software has 0. Here is how the score is calculated.
| Criteria Group | Weight | What It Measures |
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| Customer Ratings & Reviews |
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How highly do users recommend this product? Ratings Score, Review Volume, Share of Voice, Review Depth, Review Recency, Success Stories ▾ The most heavily weighted factor. Analyzes average satisfaction ratings (likelihood to recommend, ease of use, support, ROI), total review count relative to category peers, review recency (at least 20 reviews in the trailing 6 months), and share of voice across unique hotel clients to detect selection bias. |
| Partner Ecosystem |
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How highly do tech partners recommend this company? Partner Recommendations, Integration Quantity, Integration Quality ▾ Evaluates partner recommendations as expert votes of confidence, the number of verified integrations, and ecosystem quality — the average HT Scores of integration partners. Products with higher-quality integration ecosystems are more likely to deliver a connected tech stack. |
| Customer Centricity |
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How customer-centric is this organization? Certified Support, Review Consistency, Profile Completeness ▾ Assesses whether the company has earned HTR Customer Support Certification, maintains consistent review collection over time (an indicator of feedback-driven culture), and keeps product profiles complete with capabilities, screenshots, pricing, and features. |
| Reach, Staying Power & Resources |
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How extensive is this company's reach and resourcing? Geographic Reach, Staying Power, Company Resources, Trending Score ▾ Measures global presence (countries and regions served), years in business as a stability proxy, team headcount as a resource proxy, and a trending score based on trailing-twelve-month buyer inquiries, reviews, partner recommendations, and press activity. |
Customer ratings and reviews are by far the most important factor in the HT Score algorithm. HTR does not accept payment for higher rankings. All reviews are verified — only hotel industry practitioners with confirmed affiliations can submit ratings. View full HT Score methodology →
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