Mews vs OpenTable

Mews launches Guest Messaging and Automations: GMs set the workflow, front desk staff get back to hosting

Mews launches Guest Messaging and Automations, a new product release. Also, Mews selected by Accor to standardize F&B technology across global portfolio.

Mews launches Guest Messaging and Automations; Mews Selected by Accor to Standardize F&B Technology Across Global Portfolio

Mews launches Guest Messaging and Automations, is selected by Accor to standardize F&B technology, and partners with Boutique Hotels of California. Also, Mews POS now live in North America, secures first e-money license in EEA, and appoints Kirupa Pushparaj as Chief Legal Officer.

Mews launches Guest Messaging and Automations

Mews, the hospitality operating system, has launched two native features: Guest Messaging and Automations. Guest Messaging centralizes guest conversations from channels like SMS, WhatsApp, Booking.com, Expedia, and the Mews Guest Portal into a single thread tied to the guest profile. Mews AI, trained on property data, answers 80% of routine questions instantly. Automations is a no-code workflow engine that lets hoteliers automate loyalty moments, such as personalized welcome messages and room upgrades. During beta, 47,000 automations ran, and at selected Strawberry properties, up to 60% of upgrades for Gold & Platinum guests were automated. The features aim to reduce repetitive work for front desk staff and ensure consistent guest experiences.

• Mews has launched Guest Messaging and Automations, two native features.
• Guest Messaging integrates SMS, WhatsApp, Booking.com, Expedia, and the Mews Guest Portal.
• Mews AI answers 80% of routine guest questions instantly.

TikTok Launches 'Must Eat' Restaurant Guide Feature

TikTok introduced a new feature called 'Must Eat' on Wednesday, a community-driven restaurant guide that aggregates recommendations from over 40 million posts and comments. The feature allows users to browse restaurants by city, filter by cuisine, price, rating, and location, and is divided into 'Everyday Eats' and 'Elevated Dining' categories. Select restaurants can be booked directly through OpenTable. The launch is initially in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, accessible via the search bar, Local feed, restaurant pages, and location links on videos. This move intensifies competition with Yelp and Google Maps by leveraging TikTok's strength in user-generated content and social recommendations.

• TikTok launched 'Must Eat' on October 28, 2026.
• The feature aggregates recommendations from over 40 million posts and comments.
• It includes categories 'Everyday Eats' and 'Elevated Dining'.

Yelp launches AI voice agent 'Check for Me' for restaurant wait times

Yelp is introducing 'Check for Me', a new feature that uses an AI voice agent to call restaurants on behalf of users to check wait times. The feature is available on restaurant pages in the Yelp app, where users can enter their party size and phone number. The agent then calls the restaurant and sends the results via text message. This follows the trend of personal assistants like Instinct, Fo, and Muse enabling users to call businesses for customer support. In addition, Yelp is updating its AI assistant with an OpenTable integration for booking, better personalization, chat history, custom reminders, and a new lists feature with 'Been Here' and 'Want to Go' lists. The company is also launching 'Smart Lead Reply', a paid product for business owners at $30 per month, which uses AI to reply to customers and qualify leads.

• Yelp launches 'Check for Me' feature that uses an AI voice agent to call restaurants and check wait times.
• Users enter party size and phone number; the agent texts them the results.
• Yelp updates its AI assistant with OpenTable integration for booking restaurants without leaving the app.

Meta's AI Spending Payoff with Muse and Enterprise Push

CNBC Pro contributor Stephanie Link argues that Meta's heavy AI investments are beginning to show returns, highlighting the rapid adoption of its new personal AI agent, Muse, with over 5 million downloads in its first 22 days. The article also notes Meta's expansion into enterprise AI, marked by the hiring of CJ Desai as chief enterprise platform officer, and partnerships with companies like OpenTable, Walmart, Best Buy, Spotify, and Ticketmaster. Link believes these developments, alongside Meta's existing user base of 4 billion, position the company for future monetization beyond advertising. Despite substantial capital expenditures projected at $145 billion this year and rising to $240-260 billion in coming years, Link sees the stock as undervalued, trading at roughly 20 times forward earnings. She concludes that Meta has the scale and resources to make these investments pay off over time.

• Meta's AI assistant Muse reached over 5 million downloads in 22 days, faster than ChatGPT (56 days), Grok (103 days), and Claude (492 days).
• Meta has partnered with OpenTable, Walmart, Best Buy, Spotify, and Ticketmaster for Muse integrations.
• Meta hired CJ Desai as chief enterprise platform officer to lead its enterprise AI push.