Mews Guest Messaging brings all your guest conversations, for example, SMS, WhatsApp, OTA inboxes, and the Mews Guest Portal, into a single inbox inside Mews. Before you can send or receive messages, you need to activate the channels your property uses. You activate channels as a property administrator in Mews, in the Guest messenger settings, when you first set up Guest Messaging or when you add a new channel to your property's communications mix.

 

In this article, you can learn about:

• How to activate a guest messaging channel

  • Available channels

  • Activate a channel

  • Confirm a channel is connected

 

How to activate a guest messaging channel

Available channels

Guest Messaging supports the following channels:

• Guest portal: connected automatically. Guests message your property through the Mews Guest Portal with no extra steps.

• Text messaging (SMS): reach guests reliably without asking them to download an app.

• WhatsApp Business: message guests through your existing WhatsApp Business account and save on long-distance charges.

• Booking.com: reply to Booking.com guest messages without switching to the Booking.com extranet.

• Expedia: coming soon. Manage Expedia guest messages in Mews when the channel launches.

• Email: coming soon. Send and receive guest emails in one place when the channel launches.

 

Activate a channel

1. Go to the main menu > Guest messenger.

2. Click Settings in the top right of the Chats page.

3. Open the Channels tab.

4. Locate the channel you want to activate, then click Connect on its card.

5. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the connection:

   • For Text messaging (SMS), choose a local sending number if one is available for your property. For example, a hotel in the United Kingdom can use a +44 number. Not every country supports local numbers, and the list changes often, so the connect flow itself tells you what is available for your property.

   • For WhatsApp Business, sign in to your existing Meta Business Account and grant Mews permission to send and receive messages on your behalf.

     Note: You need to have a Meta Business Account set up before you start this connect flow. Mews cannot create one for you.

6. Save the connection when prompted.

Note: You need administrator permissions in Mews to activate a channel. For WhatsApp Business, you also need administrator access to your Meta Business Account.

 

Confirm a channel is connected

Once a channel is activated, its card on the Channels page shows a green Connected status. Messages sent through that channel now flow into the shared Chats inbox in Guest messenger, where you and your team can reply in one place.

If a channel does not show as Connected, click its card to review the connection status and any error messages, then repeat the activation steps.

 

You can now start receiving messages from your guests through every channel you have activated, and reply to them from a single Mews inbox.