What Is a Paymaster?
A Paymaster in Mews is a customer account used to manage group charges (e.g. for accommodation, catering, etc.) without being tied to a specific reservation. In Event Temple, Paymasters are stored as Contacts and can be synced to Mews if Contact Sync is enabled.
Additionally, Paymasters can only be designated during the creation of a contact. Existing contacts cannot be converted into Paymasters.
Ways to Create a Paymaster Contact
From the Contact List
Go to Contacts in Event Temple.
Search for the desired Contact.
Click Add New Contact instead of editing an existing one.
In the new contact form, enable the Paymaster Account checkbox.
Complete other required details and click Save.
From a Booking (If Contact Sync Is Enabled)
Open the Booking.
In the Mews section, click None under Paymaster.
Choose one of the following:
🔗 Link Existing Contact
Select Link Existing Contact.
Search and select a Contact (Paymasters and non-Paymasters are both shown).
Click Save.
➕ Add New Contact
Choose Add New Contact.
The Contact form will open with the Paymaster checkbox pre-selected.
Optionally edit the name.
Leave Create on PMS checked to sync with Mews.
Click Save.
Automatically Create Paymasters for Bookings (Admin Setting)
To enable the 'Automatically Set Booking Paymaster' feature, follow these steps:
Access the integration settings in Event Temple.
Open the Mews/PMS integration and click on the 'Edit' option.
Turn on the setting labeled 'Automatically Set Booking Paymaster.'
Once enabled, Paymasters will be automatically created whenever a booking becomes definite.
Admin users can enable automatic Paymaster creation when a Booking is marked as Definite, as long as no existing Paymaster is assigned.
Note: The 'Automatically Set Booking Paymaster' feature requires the Contact Sync feature to be enabled. Without Contact Sync, the setting will not appear in the MEWS integration settings.
Troubleshooting the 'Automatically Set Booking Paymaster' Feature
If the 'Automatically Set Booking Paymaster' option is not visible in the MEWS integration settings, it is likely because the Contact Sync feature is not active. To resolve this issue:
Ensure that the Contact Sync feature is enabled in the MEWS integration settings.
Once Contact Sync is active, the 'Automatically Set Booking Paymaster' option should appear and be available for use.
What Happens Automatically:
A new Contact is created in Event Temple:
First Name:
[Org Code] [Booking ID]Last Name:
[Booking Name] PM
(Org code is only included if you have multiple orgs in a chain.)
The Contact is synced with Mews and marked as a Paymaster.
The Paymaster is automatically assigned to the Booking. In Mews, the Booker may initially match the Paymaster unless the Booker field has previously been manually changed.
The naming convention ensures consistency by including specific details such as the organizational code, booking ID, and arrival date in the first and last name fields to uniquely identify the Paymaster.
Best Practice Tip: Booking & Paymaster Naming
We recommend naming bookings using the format Account Name _ Arrival Date.
When the Paymaster is created, it will then automatically be named BK + Account Name _ Arrival Date + PM and synced to MEWS and in turn, the POS.
This makes it easy for F&B or Front Office staff to quickly find the correct Paymaster when adding ad hoc charges - simply search by account name and confirm using the arrival date.
Additionally, for recurring bookings (for example, monthly stays), omitting the arrival date or using a contact name can make it difficult to locate the correct Paymaster, increasing the risk of charges being posted incorrectly.
Multi-Org Chains and Shared Paymasters (Important Info)
If your chain has Global Accounts & Contacts enabled, Paymasters created in one org will appear in all organizations across the chain. This is expected Mews behavior and may cause confusion if Paymasters use similar booking names or IDs.
💡 To help differentiate Paymasters across orgs, Event Temple includes the organization code in the first name when auto-generating the Paymaster.
If you’re unsure whether this is enabled or if the names don’t look right, feel free to contact support.
Final Tips
Make sure Contact Sync is enabled in your Organization settings to use this feature.
You can always confirm whether a Contact is synced to Mews by looking for the ✅ green check mark on the Contact record.
If something isn’t syncing or behaving as expected, double-check your default settings or reach out to support.