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.

Start-ups are eligible to take part:

✅ which were founded within the past five years
✅ that can demonstrate a scalable business model
✅ 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 2025

In cooperation with Hospitality Pioneers, the 196+ forum Munich was announcing the ninth edition of the Hospitality UPGRADE Award for start-ups. The award was presented on 8 October 2025 as part of the renowned industry conference at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof with the support of Mews.

More visibility, more exchange, more opportunities

In 2025, the competition was stepping up its game with enhanced presentation opportunities for applicants and an exciting new highlight: For the first time, 11 selected start-ups – chosen from a total of 28 applications - were invited to take part in the exclusive curators' meeting with a networking dinner in early September on the EUREF-Campus in Berlin. Out of those 11 start-ups, 5 start-ups qualified for the final on 8 October 2025 in Munich. Over the past years, this platform has become an intensive forum for exchanging innovative ideas in the hospitality sector – with leading experts and decision makers from hospitality, real estate, tech, and finance. Involving the start-ups in this dialogue in 2025 raises the bar and fosters direct, curated exchange with mentors from the network.

The competition is looking for European start-ups offering smart, sustainable, and market-ready solutions across the entire hotel value chain – from development and construction to hotel and accommodation operations.

And the Hospitality UPGRADE Award 2025 goes to… GREENJET!

Congratulations to GREENJET for winning the Hospitality UPGRADE Award 2025 and impressing the jury with their outstanding innovation.

GREENJET: GREENJET stands out with a patented, TÜV-certified water-saving nozzle that uses Venturi technology to mix air into the water stream. This increases water pressure while reducing consumption. According to the company, it can save up to 66% of water and energy - without affecting the shower experience.

The installation takes just a few seconds and requires no tools, making it suitable for both existing buildings and new constructions. The savings potential is particularly substantial for hotels: in a property with 100 showers, more than two million liters of water can be saved annually - in addition to reduced energy costs for hot water generation. This means that GREENJET addresses not only ecological goals but also delivers significant economic benefits for operators.

Feray Özcan (MEWS), Niklas Al-Deek, (GREENJET), Christian Fiedler (Hospitality Pioneers).

Niklas Al-Deek, founder and CEO of GREENJET, is delighted with the award: "Our mission has been clear from the outset: sustainability should not compromise comfort. GREENJET enables efficient reductions in water and energy consumption – without the user even noticing. We are delighted that this pragmatic solution has impressed the jury of the Hospitality UPGRADE Award. The award is an important milestone for us and opens new doors in the international hotel industry."

The finalists in alphabetical order

Bounti: A mobile platform that supports operational workforces and internal communication by offering features such as training, motivation, checklists and audits.

MATR: „Mattress-as-a-Service“: A circular economy company offering an innovative mattress-as-a-service solution to hotels which saves them time, money and CO2, all whilst providing their guests with a premium sleep experience.

Menoovo: A multilingual, talking menu which brings restaurant menus to life digitally and tells the stories behind drinks, dishes and allergens in short video clips.

Onsai: An Agentic AI, which answers inquiries, accepts bookings, and makes decisions independently – around the clock, natively in 25 languages, and in your brand's tone of voice.

We would like to thank all applicants and especially our finalists, who pitched their solutions on 8 October 2025, at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in front of the renowned jury. Each of them presented remarkable ideas with the potential to revolutionize and innovate the hospitality industry.

The jury members in alphabetical order

Claudia Beck, GIATA
Stefan Catic, PKF hospitality group
Petra Emmerlich, Scandic Hotels
Harro Grimmer, ProjektPuls
Feray Ozcan, Mews
Henning Schneekloth – Plöger, Lindner Hotels & Resorts
Olaf Steinhage, Holler Hospitality
Anika Tammling, Union Investment

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Mews for their invaluable support in powering the Hospitality UPGRADE Award 2025.

Your path to the award

The application process is structured in several stages, guiding start-ups from initial submission to the grand final. Below, you will find a step-by-step overview of how the competition unfolds and what to expect at each stage.

Application phase

Apply with your complete documents and submit them on time. Only fully submitted applications can be considered.

Preliminary round

If documents are complete, applicants will be invited to present virtually in August 2026. Here, the top 10 start-ups will be selected for the intermediate round in September 2026.

Intermediate round

In September 2026 the top 10 will present their solutions to the selected curators. On 7 October 2026 the best 5 start-ups will get a ticket to the grand final and will pitch live in front of a jury to win the Hospitality UPGRADE Award. As in previous years, both the curators and the jury will consist of interdisciplinary experts from various industries.

Finalists will receive:

Invitation to the PKF hospitality group’s Expo Real Dinner at Seehaus Munich on 6 October 2026
Full-day ticket to the 196+ forum Munich including an exhibition space and participation in the gala evening on 7 October 2026
Visibility across all communication channels of the organisers
Podcast features with Hospitality Pioneers

The winner will receive:

The "Hospitality UPGRADE Award"
Free participation in the 196+ forum Munich 2027 including gala dinner and exhibition space
One-year (2027) free membership in the AK (Arbeitskreis) Hotel Real Estate Association, including access to all four annual (2027) meetings along with networking dinners in the D.A.CH. region
Invitations to exclusive industry events such as the 196+ forum Vienna 2026 and a 196+ roundtable of their choice in 2026/27

Christian Fiedler, Managing Director of Hospitality Pioneers and spokesperson for both the curators and expert jury, says: “The hospitality industry thrives on passion, transformation, and bold ideas. The Hospitality UPGRADE Award showcases exactly these qualities – it brings innovation to life and offers young visionaries a real chance to shape the future of our industry. We were especially excited to have Mews on board – a true thought leader – as a partner supporting this award and sending a strong signal for the innovative power of our sector.”

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