Matthijs Welle

EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2026 finalist, The Netherlands
CEO, Mews

Matthijs Welle is helping hotels reinforce the power of human connection through smarter technology.

For Matthijs Welle, hospitality has always been about people, but too often, technology got in the way. After nearly a decade with a global leader in full-service hotels and resorts, he saw how outdated, fragmented systems slowed innovation, frustrated staff and limited guest experience. Rather than accept those constraints, he joined Mews founder Richard Valtr to transform how hotels operate and serve guests.

Mews provides a cloud-native property management system designed around flexibility and openness. The platform streamlines hotel operations end-to-end, from reservations and check-in to reporting, enabling operators to run more efficient, scalable and personalized businesses. Today, Mews supports more than 15,000 customers across over 80 countries with a connected ecosystem spanning payments, integrations and automation.

Under Matthijs’ leadership, Mews has become one of the fastest-growing companies in hospitality technology, guided by a clear purpose: to make hospitality more human. By eliminating repetitive tasks and connecting fragmented systems, Mews allows staff to focus on what matters most: creating exceptional guest experiences. The company is also at the forefront of applying AI to operationalize guest data and drive smarter decision-making in real time.

As a vocal advocate for innovation in hospitality, Matthijs is helping to shape a more agile, data-driven future for the industry that delivers long-term value for operators, employees and guests.