Hospitality UPGRADE Award
The Hospitality UPGRADE Award is an award dedicated to start-ups from all over Europe which provide innovative and forward-thinking solutions contributing to the entire value chain, from hotel development to hotel operations:
✅ for process optimization
✅ for providing improved basis for decision-making
✅ for increased efficiency and conservation of resources
✅ for enhanced services and an elevated guest experience
Start-ups are eligible to take part, which were founded within the past five years that can demonstrate a scalable business model, and whose market activities are innovative and growth orientated.
Change will not happen without the courage, the visions and the perseverance of young people who are shaping the future. The ongoing transformation is affecting all sectors, and ours is no exception. This is where we want to make a difference with the prize that we are offering.
Hospitality UPGRADE Award 2024
The next Hospitality UPGRADE Award will be presented on 9 October 2024 at the 196+ forum Munich for the 8th time in collaboration with Hospitality Pioneers.
The prize will be awarded to the winner of the start-up pitch on the same day by a jury of hotel experts. Five finalists have the opportunity to pitch to an expert jury and to stakeholders from the hotel and property industry. An advisory board nominates in September up to five start-ups from among all applicants.
All finalists will be able to:
- attend the entire programme, including the gala evening;
- participate in a speed dating session attended by ten experts from the hotel and property industry;
- benefit from a place in the exhibitor area on 9 October 2024;
- to network with industry representatives in the Seehaus restaurant in Munich’s English Garden on the evening before, on 8 October;
- Hospitality Pioneers will publish podcasts with all five finalists.
The winner of the “Hospitality UPGRADE Award”:
- will be given a one-year membership of the Arbeitskreis Hotelimmobilien, providing access to 400 market players;
- will receive an invitation to attend next year’s 196+ forum Munich 2025, including the gala dinner and a stand in the exhibitor area;
- will receive an invitation to attend a 196+ roundtable event of their choice;
- will be able to attend the 196+ forum Vienna free of charge.
Registration is open until 16 August 2024 and free of charge.
Advisory board 2024:
Jannik De Winter, PT1
Madlen Dietrich, Werner-von-Siemens Centre
Petra Emmerlich, Scandic Hotels
Wolfgang Gattringer, Fairmas
Harro Grimmer, ProjektPuls
Olga Heuser, DialogShift
Joe Mezger, GlobalPoints Network
Nik Riesmeier, Founders Foundation
Henning Schneekloth-Plöger, Lindner Hotels
Tobias Siegel, PKF hospitality group
Anika Tammling, Union Investment Real Estate
Patrick Theis, Drees & Sommer
Holger Tielesch, Gira
Hilda K. R. Weit, little BIG hotels
The Hospitality UPGRADE Award 2024 is powered by GIRA.
Want to know more about the Hospitality UPGRADE Award 2024? Contact Stephanie Wende at stephanie.wende@196plus.com
Winner 2023
Congratulations to korbsauna® with Torsten Sauer, Managing Partner, for winning the Hospitality UPGRADE Award 2023 on this unique product!
korbsauna® is a combination of a beach chair with a sauna. The mobile innovation does not require building permits, so it can be set up anywhere. It is the first lounge furniture that offers maximum Finnish sauna enjoyment with minimal energy costs by using a 230-volt connection. It uses 2/3 less energy than a conventional outdoor sauna.
The prize was awarded together with Hospitality Pioneers and in cooperation with our industry partner GNERATOR powered by GIRA.
Other finalists in alphabetical order
From 31 applications, a 9-member board of trustees at PropTech.House selected the following other finalists (in alphabetical order), who competed for the Hospitality UPGRADE Award:
Avanera is a software platform for holistic sustainability management in the hotel industry. Cost efficiency is combined with sustainability. Sustainability is made accessible, plannable and measurable through AI-supported potential analyses, preliminary simulations of cost-benefit calculations and matching algorithms for the best measures. Sustainability as a service.
Remberg offers a CRM software solution that helps companies to manage equipment on the go and digitizes all surrounding processes in service, maintenance, etc. in one solution. All buildings and facilities in one hand.
Slooom is a design-led, modular sleep concept that transforms empty spaces into lively spaces of hospitality, using wood as a sustainable building material. The advantages are repurposing instead of building new ones, a healthy indoor climate, faster implementation times and more design freedom and possible uses.
Xingular offers a green button with which the guest can cancel room cleaning for the following day at the touch of a button. This information reaches housekeeping digitally and through integration into existing systems and without any renovation work. Advantages include decreasing housekeeping costs, automatic evaluations, incentives and upselling, green image.
Advisory Board 2023
Stefan Catic, Managing ConsultantI Head of Operator Search PKF hospitality group
Madlen Dietrich, Bereichsleiterin Digitalisierung und Startup-Wirtschaft Unternehmensverbände Berlin-Brandenburg
Markus Fromm-Wittenberg, Start-up Ambassador Gira
Harro Grimmer, Geschäftsführer ProjektPuls
Olga Heuser, Geschäftsführerin Dialogshift
Fabian König, Investment Manager PropTech1 Ventures
Erich Nagl. Vorstand ETL Unternehmensberatung AG | ETL ADHOGA
Andreas Martin, Managing Partner hotelforum
Zeèv Rosenberg, Präsident HSMA Deutschland |Head of Business Development der AMANO Group