In this episode, R&D Community Lead Jan Meissner sits down with our CEO, Matt Welle, for a behind-the-scenes look at how Mews evolved from whiteboard wireframes to a leading hospitality platform used by thousands. From launching a PMS with zero lines of code to learning what it really takes to set up a product team, Matt shares how deep hospitality pain and constant iteration shaped Mews’ tech DNA. One moment that might surprise you: Matt didn’t go for the obvious choice when asked which R&D team he’d join as an engineer. You’ll have to listen to find out.
00:00 – Intro
00:20 – Joining new hire orientation & the Mews origin story
01:03 – Early days & joining the team
02:54 – Career path before Mews & jumping into tech
05:20 – First steps at Mews and learning the ropes
06:57 – Building the product from scratch & early development days
11:44 – Collaboration with Richard & shaping the company vision
13:25 – Remote work culture & thoughts on our offices
16:05 – Staying hands-on with product & setting priorities
19:54 – Personal branding: LinkedIn presence & experimenting with TikTok
24:40 – View on R&D, who inspires, and future direction for Mews
28:01 – Daily routines, staying grounded, and maintaining balance
28:40 – What R&D really means here & the power of customization
31:02 – What developers should know about working at Mews
34:15 – Beta testing, customer feedback, and staying innovative
37:49 – Features, open APIs, integrations & how it all connects
41:50 – Approach to security & what keeps us up at night
45:36 – Exploring AI, ChatGPT & the role of new tools
48:07 – Ideal spot in R&D, unlimited budgets & wild ideas
52:05 – A Mews Hotel? And what might come next
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To learn more about Jan and Matt, go to:
Jan Meissner
Matt Welle