DarkLight Collection selects Mews for four-property launch

DarkLight Collection will open bookings Nov. 10 for a 2027 grand opening, with all four initial properties set to run on Mews before the luxury glamping brand welcomes its first guest.

DarkLight, which announced the selection Nov. 5, is developing four properties and building its technology stack alongside them. That puts reservations, revenue management, housekeeping and the guest portal on one platform before operations begin, rather than adding disconnected systems to a business already running.

What does one platform change for the operator?

DarkLight evaluated every major hospitality platform while still building the brand, then selected Mews as its single operating system for the hospitality side of the business. Mews brings property management, revenue management, housekeeping and the guest portal together, reducing the need to manage multiple systems.

Founder Derek McMurtry said: “We analyzed every major system on the market, and Mews stood out because it runs the whole business, not just reservations. We get property management, revenue, housekeeping, and the guest portal in one place.”

For the operator, that means one set of core workflows rather than a patchwork of separate tools. Pre-opening deployment also lets DarkLight test those workflows and standardize the model before adding more properties.

How does the system reach the suite?

Mews’ open API connects the platform with technology DarkLight built into its properties: Salto smart locks, in-room lighting and projection. A reservation can therefore continue into the physical arrival, with a personalized welcome triggered when the guest opens the pyramid door.

Onboarding began in October, ahead of the Nov. 10 bookings launch. Before the first guest arrives, DarkLight can build, test and standardize workflows, then reuse that operating model as it adds properties. McMurtry said the system has been straightforward to pick up, even before onboarding formally starts.

Mews President Mike Coscetta said: “This is exactly the kind of operator we built Mews for: someone starting four properties at once who wants everything running on one core system instead of patching five vendors together.”

Coscetta said DarkLight uses the open API to extend the core system into the physical experience it designed. He added that the foundation can scale with the brand toward 10 locations and beyond.

DarkLight’s first two destinations are near Bryce Canyon, Utah, and Glacier National Park, Montana. Both certified dark-sky locations were chosen because the night sky drives the experience rather than serving as a backdrop. Each private glass pyramid suite maximizes interior space and frames expansive views under Bortle 2 and 3 skies, conditions suited to stargazing and astrophotography.

Two additional properties in Montana and California are secured, expanding the initial portfolio to four across three states. The brand targets around 10 locations over the next few years, largely across the western United States.

Mews describes itself as an AI operating system for hospitality, spanning property management, point of sale, revenue management, housekeeping and payments. The company reports 15,000 customers across 85 countries.

Hotel Tech Report named Mews Best PMS in 2024, 2025 and 2026, and Best POS in 2026. It also listed the company among the Best Places to Work in Hotel Tech for six consecutive years.

If DarkLight can carry its tested workflows into Montana, California and future western U.S. openings, the platform choice could support its goal of roughly 10 locations. The announcement discloses neither software fees nor projected savings, leaving the platform’s cost effect unquantified ahead of the 2027 opening.