Richard Valtr is a Czech entrepreneur and former hotelier who founded the hospitality software company Mews in 2012.
The idea for Mews came while Valtr was serving as project manager for the development of the Emblem Hotel in Prague. He was dissatisfied with the hotel-management software available at the time.
Early life and career
Valtr moved to London at the age of 19 to study philosophy at University College London. He initially considered careers in writing and filmmaking. While in London, he attempted to establish an art gallery and later worked for a film-production company.
After returning to Prague, Valtr joined his family's property and hospitality business. One of the projects he worked on was the Emblem Hotel in central Prague.
While managing the development of the Emblem Hotel, Valtr was dissatisfied with the hotel-management systems available at the time. He began developing his own software for reservations, check-ins and other hotel operations.
Mews
Valtr founded Mews in Prague in 2012. Dutch hotelier Matthijs Welle later joined the company and became its chief executive officer. Mews developed software for hotel reservations, payments, check-ins and other operations.
In March 2024, it raised US$110 million in a funding round that valued the company at US$1.2 billion. Mews operated in more than 85 countries and had reached US$100 million in annualised net revenue.
In January 2026, Mews raised US$300 million at a valuation of US$2.5 billion.
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