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 2026

In cooperation with Hospitality Pioneers, the 196+ forum Munich celebrated the tenth edition of the Hospitality UPGRADE Award for start-ups. The award was presented on 7 October 2026 as part of the renowned industry conference at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof with the support of Mews.

More visibility, more exchange, more opportunities

In 2026, the competition continued to offer enhanced presentation and networking opportunities for innovative start-ups. From a total of 24 applications, an interdisciplinary committee of 26 decision-makers from hospitality, real estate, technology and investment selected 10 start-ups to participate in the exclusive Advisory Board meeting on 9 September at the EUREF-Campus in Berlin. Out of those 10 start-ups, five qualified for the final on 7 October 2026 in Munich. Over the past years, this platform has become an important forum for exchanging innovative ideas in the hospitality sector, connecting start-ups with leading experts and decision-makers.

The competition brought together 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 2026 goes to… PROTABO!

Congratulations to PROTABO for winning the Hospitality UPGRADE Award 2026 and impressing the jury with their innovative solution.

PROTABO offers an all-in-one digital platform that simplifies compliance, occupational safety, food hygiene and waste management for hotels, restaurants and other hospitality businesses. Through intuitive checklists, automated documentation and digital monitoring, the software helps operators meet legal requirements while reducing administrative work.

The platform covers essential processes such as HACCP documentation, temperature monitoring, cleaning schedules, employee training and workplace safety. Automated reminders and predefined workflows help businesses stay on top of important tasks and deadlines, while reducing paperwork and saving valuable time.

With its user-friendly approach, PROTABO enables hospitality operators to improve efficiency, minimise compliance risks and focus more on their guests. By combining digital innovation with practical solutions for everyday operations, PROTABO addresses both operational and economic challenges in the hospitality sector.

Feray Özcan (MEWS), Amir Pourirani, (Protabo), Christian Fiedler (Hospitality Pioneers).

Amir Pourirani, Co-founder and Managing of Protabo, is delighted with the award: "One day, every hotel and restaurant will run Protabo as naturally as it has tables and chairs. Hoteliers and restaurateurs want to be hosts, not administrators. That’s why we’ve built a compliance platform for occupational safety, medicine and food safety that organises and monitors everything from A to Z. It combines software and e-learning, hardware and sensors, backed by our expert teams on site. For hosts, that means one platform, one place, one click, instead of seven separate providers, seven interfaces and countless hidden risks. This award shows the industry is ready. Now we’re taking the next step, together with the operators, owners and developers we met in Munich."

The finalists in alphabetical order

ecomates: A sustainable solution that transforms food waste into renewable energy directly on-site through compact, automated biogas systems, helping hospitality businesses reduce disposal costs and their environmental impact.

Läkkerai: An AI-powered digital sous-chef that supports professional kitchens with automated production planning, recipe management and step-by-step guidance to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

UniqueGreet: A guest communication solution that uses personalised voice messages to enhance the guest experience, encourage reviews and increase upselling opportunities through automated communication.

Vinoteqa: A digital wine cellar management platform for hotels and restaurants that simplifies inventory management, automates wine lists and provides valuable insights to optimise wine sales and operations.

We would like to thank all applicants and especially our finalists, who pitched their solutions on 7 October 2026 at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in front of the renowned jury. Each of them presented remarkable ideas with the potential to revolutionise and innovate the hospitality industry.

The jury members in alphabetical order

Carina Antic, Scandic München Macherei
Stefan Ćatić, PKF hospitality group
Harro Grimmer, ProjektPuls
Fabio Hoffmann
Denis Mair, Blue & Red Water Hospitality Solutions
Feray Ozcan, Mews
Dr. Michael Toedt, dailypoint
Marco Weishaupt, b_smart selection

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Mews for their invaluable support in powering the Hospitality UPGRADE Award 2026.

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 2027. Here, the top 10 start-ups will be selected for the intermediate round in September 2027.

Intermediate round

In September 2027 the top 10 will present their solutions to the selected curators. On 6 October 2027 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 in October 2027
Full-day ticket to the 196+ forum Munich including an exhibition space and participation in the gala evening on 6 October 2027
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 (2028) free membership in the AK (Arbeitskreis) Hotel Real Estate Association, including access to all four annual (2028) meetings along with networking dinners in the D.A.CH. region
Invitations to exclusive industry events such as the 196+ forum Vienna 2027 and a 196+ roundtable of their choice in 2027/28

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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