Moving from roomMaster to Mews: What Hotel Data You Need to Extract
It has been a month since I helped a client move from roomMaster Cloud to Mews. The transition went smoothly overall, but it exposed enough small complications that I wanted to document what we learned for other properties preparing to change their property management system.
This guide focuses on the information that needs to be extracted, rebuilt, transferred, or archived. It does not cover training, costs, project timelines, integrations, or guest messaging, all of which will depend on the property and the systems involved. I am also focusing on physical spaces such as guest rooms and meeting rooms rather than spa services or gift cards.
Although Mews is used throughout as the example, most of the process applies when moving from roomMaster to another PMS.
Start with four types of data
Not everything in roomMaster should be handled in the same way. Before producing any files, divide the information into four categories:
- Import: Future reservations, guest profiles, companies and travel agencies.
- Rebuild: Room types, accounting categories, rate plans and policies.
- Transfer manually: Group blocks, open balances, credits and certain deposits.
- Archive: Historical folios, account statements, audit reports and other records that will not be imported.
This distinction is important. A successful migration does not mean placing every old record in the new PMS. It means ensuring the new system has what it needs to operate while the property retains access to the records it may need later.
Keep an untouched copy of every file produced by roomMaster. Create a separate working copy for cleaning, mapping and formatting. Record the date of each export, the report or SQL query used, the filters applied and the original row count.
Physical spaces and room configuration
The physical structure of the property is usually one of the easiest areas to rebuild, but accuracy matters because reservations will depend on it.
Document every room type, room code, individual room number and the relationship between them. Include bed configurations, maximum occupancy, accessibility features and any rooms that are inactive or permanently unavailable. Repeat the process for meeting rooms, apartments, beds or other sellable spaces.
Keeping the existing room and room-type codes can reduce the complexity of importing reservations. If the property wants new codes, create a mapping table showing the roomMaster code beside the new code rather than relying on names alone.
Room descriptions, amenities and photographs may need to be collected from the existing booking engine or channel manager rather than roomMaster. Store images in folders by room type and name them in the order they should appear, such as DreamQueen-1.jpg.
Before continuing, compare the total room count and room count by type with roomMaster. One incorrect assignment can affect availability throughout the new PMS.
Accounting codes and financial configuration
In roomMaster, run:
Accounting → Account Listing
This provides the accounting codes, descriptions and general categories used by the property. Use it to build a mapping between roomMaster, the new PMS and the general ledger.
This is also an opportunity to improve the reporting structure. Mews, for example, can use more detailed revenue categories inside the PMS while mapping them to a consolidated room-revenue account for the accountant. A hotel might separate corporate and leisure room revenue for internal analysis while sending both to the same general-ledger account.
Work through taxation and payment methods as well, including credit-card types, cash, cheques, wire transfers and external payments. If they do not already exist, consider codes for Balance Transfer and Balance Credit. These provide a clear way to identify receivables or credits brought forward from roomMaster.
Cancellation policies, deposit requirements and payment policies should be documented separately and then attached to the appropriate rates in the new PMS. Write the policies out first; do not try to reconstruct them from memory while building the rates.
Rates, pricing and yield rules
Rates are usually the most time-consuming part of the setup. I created a custom roomMaster SQL report that exports the rates by rate type, room type and date period.
Start by building the rate plans and matching each one to its revenue category, cancellation policy and payment policy. Then add seasonal pricing, room-type differentials, derived rates, occupancy supplements, packages and restrictions.
Review more than the dollar amount. A complete rate record may also include:
- eligible room types;
- included products or services;
- minimum- and maximum-stay rules;
- closed-to-arrival and closed-to-departure restrictions;
- applicable companies, groups or memberships;
- booking windows and distribution channels; and
- whether the rate is commissionable.
If roomMaster Yield Management is in use, export both the yield rules and the dates and room types affected. Separate standard rate restrictions from occupancy-based adjustments and date-specific overrides. They may need to be rebuilt differently in the new PMS.
Mews groups rates that share cancellation and payment conditions. The lowest available rate in a group may be presented first in the booking engine or to reservation agents. Avoid placing a public Best Available Rate and a restricted membership discount in the same group without considering how they will be displayed.
Companies, travel agencies and group blocks
Import company and travel-agency profiles before reservations whenever possible. Reservations may rely on these records for negotiated rates, billing instructions, commissions or group associations.
For each business profile, capture the original account ID, company name, billing address, contacts, payment terms, negotiated rates, direct-billing status, travel-agency number and commission arrangements. I created a separate custom SQL export for these profiles.
Group blocks require additional attention because they combine inventory, rates, contacts, deposits and reservations. Capture the group name, shortcode, arrival and departure dates, blocked rooms by type, cutoff date, rates, billing instructions, pickup and attached reservations.
In the Mews migration I completed, Availability Blocks could not be imported and had to be recreated. The Mews block shortcode also needed to match the group identifier used in roomMaster so imported reservations could be connected correctly. Treat this as a Mews-specific requirement and confirm the process with your onboarding specialist.
Guest profiles and future reservations
roomMaster includes a prebuilt export, but it did not contain all the information needed for the migration I completed, particularly for reservations containing multiple rooms. I therefore created a custom SQL report for future reservations.
A useful reservation export should include the original confirmation number, status, booking date, arrival and departure dates, room type, assigned room, nightly rates, rate plan, occupancy, guest details, source, company, travel agency, group block, notes, deposits, payments and remaining balance.
Preserve the original guest and reservation IDs wherever the new PMS allows it. Names and email addresses are not unique enough to serve as reliable identifiers.
During the Mews import, reservations with the same guest name and arrival date could conflict when the profiles shared or lacked an email address. Reservations with assigned rooms and a shared confirmation number could also be separated. Sort the working file by guest, arrival date and confirmation number to identify these cases before import.
Your final import file must follow the template supplied by the new PMS. Rename and reorder the columns only in the working copy, leaving the original roomMaster export unchanged.
Reservation exports contain personal and financial data. Use the transfer method approved by the new PMS, restrict access to the migration team and do not include complete credit-card numbers or security codes. Do not upload identifiable guest data to an AI service unless the property has approved its privacy and data-processing terms.
Open balances, credits and account statements
Company profiles may import without their city-ledger balances. In roomMaster, two reports are particularly important:
- C/L Account Statements — print with folios and retain as PDFs.
- C/L Customer Account Listing — use to confirm the balances and credits that must be transferred.
When running the statements, include the supporting folios and print them as City Ledger folios so the original guest and stay information remains available.
In the new PMS, one practical approach is to create a separate transferred invoice for each outstanding folio. Use a Balance Transfer line with the roomMaster folio number, guest name and stay dates in the reference. Use Balance Credit for credits. Once entered, reconcile the combined balance with the C/L Customer Account Listing.
Also identify deposits on future reservations, guest credits, unapplied payments and in-house balances. These are separate liabilities or receivables and should not disappear inside a general reservation import.
Out-of-order rooms and current operational status
Transfer any room that is out of order or unavailable, including the start date, end date and reason. This is especially important when the new PMS assigns rooms in advance; missing an out-of-order record can create room-assignment or inventory conflicts.
Maintenance tasks can be transferred later if necessary, but anything affecting sellable inventory must be reflected before reservations are finalized.
Archive what will not be imported
Most properties will not import their complete roomMaster history. Before access ends, retain the historical information the hotel may need for accounting, tax reporting, disputes, guest service and performance analysis.
At minimum, consider historical folios, City Ledger statements, audit reports, tax and payment reports, deposit records, historical reservation details and revenue, occupancy and rate reports. Confirm the appropriate retention period with the property’s accountant and applicable legal requirements.
Compare record counts and financial totals before and after import. Check rooms by room type, reservations and room nights by arrival month, future revenue, deposits, city-ledger balances, group blocks and out-of-order dates. Then inspect a sample of individual reservations from beginning to end.
Plan for changes after the first export
The hotel will continue receiving reservations, cancellations, payments and modifications after the initial files are created. Establish a change log or produce a final export immediately before cutover. Every change made between the first export and go-live must be accounted for in the new PMS.
The exact cutover procedure should be agreed upon with the onboarding specialist, accounting team and payment provider. The goal is to begin operating in the new PMS with the rooms, reservations and balances matching roomMaster—not simply to complete an import without errors.
roomMaster migration checklist
☐ Save untouched copies of every roomMaster export.
☐ Create a mapping workbook for old and new codes.
☐ Confirm room types, individual rooms and other spaces.
☐ Export Accounting → Account Listing.
☐ Rebuild accounting categories, taxes and payment methods.
☐ Document cancellation, deposit and payment policies.
☐ Export rate plans, seasonal prices, restrictions and yield rules.
☐ Import companies and travel agencies before reservations.
☐ Recreate and verify group blocks.
☐ Clean guest profiles and identify duplicates.
☐ Export and validate all future reservations.
☐ Transfer deposits, credits and open balances.
☐ Save C/L Account Statements with supporting folios.
☐ Reconcile balances to C/L Customer Account Listing.
☐ Enter out-of-order rooms and inventory restrictions.
☐ Archive historical financial and operational reports.
☐ Track every reservation change made after the first export.
☐ Reconcile counts, room nights, revenue and balances after import.