DENVER — During The Hospitality Show, held this week at the Colorado Convention Center, the American Hotel & Lodging Association and Hospitality Technology Next Generation announced the recipients of the 2025 HTNG TechOvation and AHLA Tech Acceleration Awards—two technology awards recognizing excellence and innovation in hospitality technology.
The HTNG TechOvation Award, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, continues its tradition of honoring the people and companies driving hospitality's digital evolution. This year’s winner is Agilysys Book with S.P.E.N.D. (Stay Package Entitlement New Dynamic), a platform that increases ancillary revenue and guest personalization by simplifying how hotels sell and fulfill packages. It enables guests to reserve all entitlements in a package—from spa and golf to dining and activities and tours—in a single, guided online experience without requiring calls, emails or manual coordination with a property’s staff.
Agilysys Book with S.P.E.N.D. was selected from 10 semifinalists. Following four-minute presentations from each semifinalist, the winner was determined through a combination of expert judging and live audience voting at the awards ceremony.
"Hotels and their partners increasingly rely on innovation to enhance operations, elevate guest experiences, and advance profitability," Rosanna Maietta, president and CEO of AHLA, said in a statement. "These award winners demonstrate how thoughtful technology implementation elevates every aspect of the hotel experience."
AHLA Tech Acceleration Awards
The AHLA Tech Acceleration Award, now in its third year, recognizes hotels and suppliers leading the adoption of HTNG standards and best practices to shape the future of hotel technology. This year’s winners were selected by leaders of the Global Technology 100 for demonstrating “exceptional implementation of HTNG AI for Hospitality best practices,” according to the statement.
Hotelier Category Winner: Belmond
Belmond–a collection of luxury hotels, trains, boats and safari lodges–earned recognition for developing Bella, an AI-powered email assistant that leverages HTNG AI for Hospitality best practices to streamline guest communications and booking inquiries. The solution delivers enhanced efficiency and real-time personalization in guest interactions.
Vendor Category Winner: Canary Technologies
Canary Technologies was recognized for utilizing HTNG AI for Hospitality best practices to automate guest communications across voice, chat and messaging platforms. Their implementation reduces staff workload while simultaneously boosting guest satisfaction and unlocking new revenue opportunities.
Part of AHLA, HTNG serves members from hospitality companies, technology vendors to hospitality, consultants, media and academic experts.