Digital compliance solution for the catering and hospitality sectors impresses the jury and the audience
The winner of this year’s Hospitality UPGRADE Award has been announced: protabo came out on top against four strong competitors* in the final of the prestigious start-up competition at the 196+ forum in Munich. With its digital compliance platform, which helps businesses comply with legal regulations and automates administrative processes, the young company impressed both the jury and the audience.
The award is presented annually by 196+ forum Munich in collaboration with Hospitality Pioneers and with the support of mews, as well as aobis, dailypoint, Fairmas, ProjektPuls and Schneider Electric. The search was on for start-ups that provide fresh impetus through intelligent, sustainable and marketable solutions across the entire hotel value chain. This year, an interdisciplinary board of trustees chaired by Christian Fiedler, founder of Hospitality Pioneers, initially selected ten semi-finalists from 24 applications. Finally, on 7 October at the Bayerischer Hof in Munich, the five finalists presented their ideas to an industry audience on the forum’s pitch stage.
Digital solutions to free up more time for guests
protabo impressed with a digital compliance platform that helps businesses in the catering and hospitality sectors to efficiently implement statutory regulations and operational requirements. The offering combines software solutions, physical products and services. The focus is on the automated implementation and documentation of requirements relating to food hygiene (HACCP), health and safety, and waste management. In the catering and hospitality sectors in particular, regulatory requirements are stringent and the associated administrative tasks are time-consuming. This is where protabo comes in: by digitising and automating recurring processes, businesses can reduce the workload on their staff, streamline procedures and systematically ensure compliance with relevant regulations. The solution thus addresses a key challenge facing the sector: increasing demands for documentation and compliance, coupled with pressure on costs and staffing levels.
Amir Abbas Vazifeh Shenas Pourirani, founder and CEO of protabo, is delighted with the award: “Our aim is to relieve businesses of time-consuming administrative tasks and make compliance with legal requirements as straightforward as possible. In the catering and hospitality sectors in particular, staff need to be able to focus on what matters most: their guests. With our platform, we aim to create the conditions for this. The fact that this approach has won over the jury and the audience at the Hospitality UPGRADE Awards is a fantastic endorsement for us and an important step towards further establishing our solution within the industry.”
Christian Fiedler, founder of Hospitality Pioneers and Chair of the Board of Trustees: “With its solution, protabo addresses an issue that is often overlooked in the catering and hospitality sectors, yet is of central importance to successful operations. Compliance with legal regulations is essential, but it ties up considerable staff and time resources. protabo demonstrates how digital technologies can create tangible added value in this area. We were particularly impressed by the practical approach, which not only simplifies processes but can also ease the financial burden on businesses. It is precisely these kinds of solutions that we aim to highlight with the Hospitality UPGRADE Award.”
The winner will receive free admission to the 196+ forum Munich 2027, including the gala and exhibition space, as well as a one-year free membership of the Hotel Property Working Group (AK), including attendance at the networking dinner and the supporting programme at the four annual AK meetings from October 2026 to September 2027.
*The five finalists, listed in alphabetical order:
ecomates
Compact On-Site Biogas Plant: converts food waste directly on site into biogas, which is used to generate heat and hot water, as well as fertiliser, thereby reducing waste disposal costs and CO₂ emissions.
Läkkerai
Digital Sous-Chef: Läkkerai is the digital sous-chef for professional kitchens, covering everything from production planning and logistics to quality control – all in one system.
The protabo
compliance platform, comprising software solutions, physical products and services, automates the implementation of HACCP regulations (food hygiene), health and safety requirements and waste management for the catering industry, including hotels.
UniqueGreen
SaaS for hotels: automatically sends personalised, AI-generated voice messages to guests via WhatsApp or iMessage to boost Google reviews and sales of higher-category rooms.
Vinoteqa
software for wine cellar management in hotels and restaurants: stock is recorded digitally, and the wine list appears at the click of a button, complete with sommelier’s notes – including those from other establishments – based on a database of 1 million wines.
Further information on the 196+ forum Munich:
The 196+ forum Munich is a European trade conference for hotel and property experts and has been an annual autumn gathering for stakeholders in the hotel property sector since 2002. As a specialist conference, the 196+ forum Munich serves as a high-calibre communication platform for the hotel property sector, featuring a varied conference programme in a range of formats, as well as an established start-up pitch for the ‘Hospitality UPGRADE Award’. The highlight is the presentation of the ‘Hotel Property of the Year’ award during the gala evening. In 2027, the 196+ forum Munich will take place on Wednesday 6 October, once again at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, followed by ‘Walk & Talk’ tours on 7 October to special hospitality-related locations in Munich city centre.
