Overview

The Mews voice brings our brand to life inside the product. It reflects our mission to transform hospitality and is shaped by the people we serve: hotel staff, operators, and guests. 

Think of our voice as a seasoned concierge: professional, warm, and always ready to help.

Whether you're managing a property or checking in as a guest, our voice should feel like someone you trust.

• The Mews voice is clear, inclusive, and accessible by design. It reflects our commitment to making hospitality technology usable and welcoming for everyone—regardless of language, background, or ability.

 

• We write for clarity. Our content is crafted at an 8th-grade reading level to ensure it’s easy to understand, even in high-pressure moments. We avoid jargon, overcomplicating, and filler. 

 

• We write for a global audience. Our users include non-native English speakers, so we favor plain language, consistent structure, and culturally respectful phrasing in every locale. 

 

• We write with accessibility in mind. We avoid visual or physical metaphors like “See more” or “Walk to…” and instead use neutral, action-oriented phrasing like “More” or “Go to…”. Our content supports users with visual, cognitive, and physical impairments by being direct, structured, and screen-reader friendly. 

Voice: Who we are in the product

Our voice is consistent across all product experiences. It’s how we build trust, reduce friction, and make complex tasks feel simple. 

Always aim to be clear, concise, and human.

These are the four pillars of our voice: 

1. Professional – Clear, confident, and competent.
2. Accommodating – Helpful, empathetic, and solution-oriented.
3. Human – Natural, warm, and easy to understand.
4. Composed – Calm, steady, and quietly in control. 

Professional

We know what we’re doing, and we write like it. Our users are busy professionals managing real-world hospitality operations and travelers, so we don’t waste their time with fluff or filler.  

Do:  

• Use direct, active language. 
• Prioritize clarity over cleverness. 

Don’t:

• Use filler, jargon, or vague formulations. 

✅ Good: 

• “Rate plan updated.”
• “This action affects all linked reservations.” 

❌ Bad: 

• “We’ve gone ahead and successfully updated the rate plan for you.”
• “Just checking if maybe you’d like to try again?” 

💡Ask yourself: Would this give someone the confidence to act right now? 

 

Accommodating

Hospitality is built on care, and so is our voice. We meet people where they are—whether they’re checking in guests at midnight or troubleshooting a payment issue during peak hours.  

Do:  

• Offer solutions. 
• Be empathetic without being overly emotional

Don’t:

• Blame the user or the system.
• Leave the user stuck.

✅ Good: 

• “We couldn’t process the payment. Try again or choose another method.”
• “Need help? A staff member is nearby.” 

❌ Bad: 

• “Error: Payment failed.”
• “Something went wrong.” 

💡Ask yourself: Does this sound like someone who’s here to help? 

 

Human

We write like people, not systems. Our tone is warm, clear, and easy to follow. We use natural phrasing, contractions, and active voice.  

We avoid jargon, passive constructions, and anything that sounds like it came from a legal document or a robot.  

Do:  

• Use contractions — but do not contract “not” (will not, do not, etc.).
• Write like you talk.
• Use short sentences.
• Use active voice

Don’t:  

• Sound robotic, overly formal, or scripted.
• Use passive constructions or long-winded explanations. 

 
✅ Good: 

• “Let’s check you in.”
• “Next, choose a payment method.”
• “Tap to confirm.” 

 
❌ Bad: 

• “Initiating guest onboarding.”
• “The following steps must be completed to proceed.”
• “Confirmation is required before proceeding.” 

 
💡Ask yourself: Would this feel natural if I said it out loud to someone I like working with? Or to a guest in guest-facing screens?

 

Composed

We stay calm, clear, and confident—especially when things get complicated. Our users rely on us in high-pressure moments, and our voice should help them feel grounded and in control. 

Do:  

• Anticipate needs. 
• Be steady and reassuring. 
• Guide without overwhelming. 

Don’t:

• Sound panicked, rushed, or reactive. 
• Use negative exclamations like “Oops", “Uh oh”, “Warning”, etc.

 

✅ Good: 

• “You’re reconnected. Try your last action again.”
• “We’re working on it. You can continue using other features in the meantime.” 
• “If deleted, it will not be applied to future reservations. Existing reservations will not be affected.”

❌ Bad: 

• “Oops! Something went wrong”
• “Uh-oh. That didn’t work. Try again?” 

💡Ask yourself: Would this help someone feel calm and capable in a stressful moment? 

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Tone: How we adapt to context

Tone is how our voice flexes depending on the situation. It’s not static—it shifts based on:

• Where the user is in their journey.
• How experienced they are.
• What their intent is.
• What their mood might be.

Our tone adapts to each moment to guide, reassure, and support. Use this guide to apply the right tone for the context.

These are the five tones:

• Positive – Used when confirming actions or celebrating milestones.
• Reassuring – Default tone. Calm, confident, and helpful.
• Supportive – Used when something goes wrong but is recoverable.
• Cautionary – Used when the user is about to make a significant or irreversible change.
• Serious – Reserved for system-level issues or data loss risks.

Positive

We celebrate progress without overdoing it. This tone works best when confirming actions or completing milestones.

Do:

• Be affirming and encouraging.
• Focus on what was done.
• Be more celebratory for new users, more efficient for experienced ones.

Don’t:

• Use “successfully”—it’s implied.
• Over-explain or add unnecessary flair.
• Overuse “please”. Save it for when we are truly requesting something from the user.

✅ Good:

• “Booking confirmed”
• “Guest added to reservation”
• “Now you can apply this policy to rates or rate groups.”
• “Nice work! You’ve completed all the tasks assigned to you.”

❌ Bad:

• “Booking successfully confirmed”
• “Your action has been processed successfully.”
• “Woohoo! Now you can create rate groups!”

💡 Ask yourself: Does this feel clear and affirming without being over the top? And does it fit the action or context you’re writing for?

 

Reassuring

This is our default tone. It’s calm, confident, and helpful.

Use this tone for most operational flows, tooltips and helper texts, informational banners or instructions, etc.

Do:

• Keep it clear and steady.
• Provide guidance without overwhelming.
• Use short, direct phrasing.

Don’t:

• Add noise or filler.
• Overwhelm with too much information at once.

✅ Good:

• “You’re almost there. Confirm the guest’s details.”
• “Changes will be applied to all future reservations.”
• “Complete the required fields to continue.”

❌ Bad:

• “If you save these changes, all future reservations will be affected, but not any existing ones.”
• “You still need to fill out all the required fields.”

💡 Ask yourself: Would this help someone feel capable and informed?

 

Supportive

When something goes wrong but the user can recover, we show empathy and focus on solutions.

Do:

• Lead with what the user can do next.
• Be kind, clear, and constructive.
• Use calm and inclusive language.

Don’t:

• Assign blame.
• Use technical jargon or error codes unless essential.
• Use negative exclamations like “Oops", “Uh oh”, “Warning”, etc.

✅ Good:

• “The selected room is already booked on those dates.”
• “You can update the policy anytime in your property’s settings.”
• “Unable to complete payment. Check your card details or choose another method.”

❌ Bad:

• “Payment failed”
• “Unable to assign reservation”
• “Unexpected request method”
• “Oops! Something went wrong.”

💡 Ask yourself: Am I helping the user move forward confidently?

 

Cautionary

When a user is about to take a serious or irreversible action, or we need to highlight potential risks, our tone becomes serious but respectful, thoughtful, and clear.

Do:

• State the consequences clearly.
• Confirm the user’s intent.
• Use a firm, professional tone—never cold
• Use a more serious tone for destructive actions (deleting), and a more reassuring tone for constructive ones (editing, saving).

Don’t:

• Use vague prompts like “Are you sure?”
• Sound dramatic or panicked.

✅ Good:

• “This will cancel the booking and remove all charges.”
• “If you leave now, your changes will not be saved.”

❌ Bad:

• “Caution: All changes will be lost.”
• “Are you sure you want to proceed?”
• “Warning!”

💡 Ask yourself: Is the risk clear and the tone composed?

 

Serious

When something serious happens—like system outages or data risks—we keep things clear, direct, and minimal.

Do:

• Be honest and concise.
• Be specific about consequences where possible.
• Focus on the impact and what’s next.
• Stay direct and to the point.

Don’t:

• Speculate or over-apologize.
• Scare with exclamations like “Warning!” or “Oops!”
• Try to soften the message too much.

✅ Good:

• “Deleting this rate will affect 247 reservations.”
• “Some features may be unavailable due to system outages.”
• “You’re canceling 55 bookings. This cannot be undone.”

❌ Bad:

• “Are you sure you want to delete this rate that is applied to 247 reservations?
• “Oops! We’re having some small issues with system outages at the moment. Some of our features might be affected.”
• “Confirm cancellation of bookings.”

💡 Ask yourself: Would this help someone understand the situation fast and stay calm?

 

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B2C vs. B2B: Adapting for audience

Mews has a variety of products aimed at two very distinct audiences: the property’s staff and the property’s guests or customers. There are important differences about how we talk to those audiences.

B2C (property guests or customers) 

• Tone: Friendly, simple, and positive. Extra-supportive in stressful moments.
• Voice: Empathetic and clear, aimed at making them feel welcome and supported.

B2B (property staff) 

• Tone: Can be slightly more technical, direct, and action-oriented. 
• Voice: Still personable, but assumes familiarity with hospitality workflows and aims to help to accomplish their task. 

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Brand vs. product voice 

The Mews brand voice is bold, visionary, and marketing-driven. For operational use of the product, we’re focused on clarity, usability, and trust.

Make sure you adjust the voice to the context you’re writing for.

Examples: 

There are places in the B2B product that might be appropriate for branding, but use sparingly.

If the user is trying to complete a task, don’t sell. If they’re exploring or learning, you can inspire.