AHLA Tech Awards highlight global innovation in hospitality as Agilysys Belmond and Canary lead AI-powered transformation

Published on October 29, 2025

The momentum behind digital transformation in the hospitality industry continues to accelerate in 2025 with the announcement of this year’s top hospitality technology innovators. Two prestigious awards – and HTNG TechOvation Award and Technology Acceleration Award – Highlight leading solutions that are reshaping how hotels operate, engage guests, and increase revenue in an increasingly competitive market.

Hosted during Hospitality Exhibition In Denver on October 28, the awards brought together global technology executives, hospitality leaders, investors and innovators to highlight developments that are opening new value paths for hotels and travel brands.

Agilysys book with SPEND wins TechOvation award

Celebrating ten years of promoting forward-thinking solutions,… HTNG TechOvation Award It recognizes companies that deliver transformative digital capabilities to the hotel industry. The 2025 title went to Agilysys Booking with Spending (New Dynamic Stay Package Entitlement)a next-generation platform that redefines how hotels are packaged, sold, and guest experiences are achieved.

Designed to drive ancillary revenue and simplify personalized offerings, the system allows guests to book and manage package entitlements – such as spa sessions, dining experiences, golf reservations, tours, and activity add-ons – Within one unified online journey. Unlike traditional methods that require email coordination or manual confirmation by hotel staff, this platform eliminates friction and enables real-time booking.

Agilysys Book with SPEND emerged victorious from a competition that included ten semi-finalists, each of whom demonstrated compelling technological innovation. The finalists gave four-minute live performances in front of judges and attendees, who participated in selecting the winner through a co-scoring format. SPEND’s success signals a greater shift toward intelligent personalization and seamless digital execution in hospitality operations.

Technology Acceleration Award celebrates AI leadership in hospitality

the Technology Acceleration Awardnow in its third year, honors organizations that demonstrate leadership in adopting globally recognized hotel technology standards. This year, the focus is on adoption HTNG AI Hospitality Best Practiceshighlighting practical and scalable solutions that improve operational efficiency.

Hotel Owner Award – Belmond

Luxury hospitality group Belmondknown for its popular hotels, trains, cruises and safari lodges, has been honored for its development Bellaan AI-powered communications assistant. Bella simplifies guest communications by managing email responses and handling booking inquiries using advanced linguistic intelligence. Integrated with customer preferences and proprietary systems, the assistant helps deliver faster responses and personalized service while reducing the workload on hotel teams. The Belmond app has proven that adopting responsible AI can enhance guest relationships without losing the human touch.

Seller Award – Canary techniques

Seller recognition went to Canary techniques For its automated guest communications platform, which applies artificial intelligence via voice, SMS and real-time chat. The system is designed to improve hotel workflow, and handles routine interactions, such as pre-arrival instructions, upsell messages, and service requests. By combining automation and data insights, the solution improves satisfaction scores and drives additional revenue from stay extensions and sales.

Both winners were selected by technology leaders from Global technology 100This reinforces the growing importance of standardized frameworks and interoperability across hospitality ecosystems.

Improving the future of hotel technology

This year’s award winners underscore the critical transformation underway in hospitality: technology is no longer just a back-office tool, but a strategic force shaping brand value and customer loyalty. From AI-powered guest engagement to dynamic revenue optimization and seamless digital commerce, the 2025 winners embody innovation with measurable business impact.

The awards highlight how technology is closely integrated with hotels’ growth strategies. The industry is now prioritizing systems that:

• Increase revenue per guest through personalized experiences
• Streamline employee workloads amid ongoing business challenges
• Provide real-time engagement and response to guests 24/7
• Improve data integrity and security
• Accelerating the adoption of global hospitality standards
• Support long-term sustainability goals through smarter operations

As hotels around the world continue to modernize their digital infrastructure, the achievements achieved this year provide a clear indication: The future of hospitality belongs to brands that harness smart technology, emotional personalization and unified guest journeys.

Image: Amnesty International