Islander Inn: how an Ohio resort doubled ancillary revenue with Mews

OPERATIONS

This US resort transformed its workflows and now sees double ancillary revenue, faster check-ins and more personalized stays.

Why it matters: Islander Inn is a 110-room resort in the heart of Put-in-Bay, Ohio, a destination island known for its outdoor bars and endless summer weekends. The property offers the most amenities of any neighboring resorts: three pools, swim-up bars and two guest favorites: cabana and golf cart rentals, the island's primary mode of transportation. When new owners took over four years ago, the resort was ready for a serious operational reset.

After moving away from WebRezPro to Mews, the team reshaped how they manage reservations, payments, inventory and guest communication. Today, their lobby flows more smoothly, guests can book everything online and the business enjoys higher revenue and better reviews.

Top 3 Core Objectives: The Islander Inn set out to modernize its operations by replacing outdated systems, improving efficiency for staff, and creating a smoother, more automated guest experience. Their goal was to adopt a flexible, cloud-based PMS that could streamline processes and support future growth.

Operational Efficiency: The hotel wanted to eliminate manual, time-consuming tasks created by legacy systems. With Mews, staff gained automated processes, quicker workflows, and centralized access to key information, significantly reducing administrative work.
Modern Guest Experience: The Islander Inn aimed to offer guests a seamless and modern journey. Mews’ intuitive interface and automated communication tools helped simplify arrivals, improve communication, and enhance the overall guest experience.
Scalable, Future-Proof System: The property needed a PMS that could grow with them and easily integrate with other hospitality tools. Mews’ open ecosystem and flexible infrastructure ensured long-term scalability and adaptability.

Innovators Mentioned

Islander Inn

Mews

Derek Genzman

General Manager

Islander Inn

"Adding golf carts to our booking engine doubled our revenue on extras. Mews just makes it so easy to sell add-ons."

Derek Genzman

General Manager

👍 General Manager Derek Genzman said that Offering golf carts as an add-on through Mews led to a major boost in extras revenue.:

"Adding golf carts to our booking engine doubled our revenue on extras. Mews just makes it so easy to sell add-ons."

⚖️ The selection process: During their research process, Derek Genzman evaluated Mews's product differentiators, customer support, and holistic value as a strategic partner and ultimately decided that Mews was the best fit solution:

General Manager Derek Genzman said, about their decision: "We love having everything in one platform. Another major win was that our front lines now have more free time to socialize with our guests and customers and are no longer secluded behind a desk."

📈 The results: With Mews, the Islander Inn dramatically improved operational speed, reduced manual workload, and delivered a smoother, more satisfying guest experience. Automation and intuitive tools empowered staff to work more efficiently, while modernized processes contributed to higher guest satisfaction and future scalability.