From challenges to real solutions, for the transformation of the hospitality sector.
HOSPITALITY is a specialized open innovation program designed to support startups with innovative solutions in the hospitality sector that enhance guest experiences, optimize internal operations, and promote sustainability.
Powered by Unicorn Factory Lisboa, HOSPITALITY helps the testing of emerging technologies, accelerates digital transformation, and allows a more agile response to market changes, creating a ripple effect across the entire hospitality industry.
Do you want to implement a pilot in real life?
Global reach for startups
By creating a structured framework for innovation adoption, HOSPITALITY seeks to accelerate the digital, operational, and sustainable transformation of the accommodation sector while creating international growth opportunities for startups.
■ Pilot opportunities: Access to leading accommodation operators
■ Real-world validation: Testing solutions in real operational environments
■ Direct feedback: Straight from industry stakeholders
■ Commercial relationships: Built with corporate partners
■ Reference cases: Proof points and use cases for future sales
■ Ecosystem positioning: Strengthened standing in tourism and hospitality
■ Market growth: Accelerated adoption and scale
Challenges
HOSPITALITY aims to foster collaboration between accommodation operators and innovative startups to address strategic business challenges through the design and implementation of real-world pilot projects.
Customer Relationship and Experience
How to create more personalized experiences, anticipate needs, and strengthen customer relationships throughout their entire customer journey, from booking to post-stay?
How can fragmented marketing data, digital content, and customer behavior be consolidated into a single, real-time source of actionable intelligence that supports faster decisions, more effective campaigns, and a more relevant commercial relationship with each guest?
Marketing Intelligence, Digital Content and Data
Automation and Productivity – Daily Operations
How can technology help operational teams anticipate needs, coordinate more effectively with one another, and eliminate day-to-day inefficiencies, freeing staff for higher-value tasks?
Automation and Productivity – Backoffice
How can increasingly complex financial, administrative, and management processes be automated to reduce errors and free backoffice teams for work of greater strategic impact?
Physical Space Smart Sensoring
How can the environmental data continuously generated by hotel spaces — sound, image, temperature, air quality, presence — be turned into an active source of operational intelligence, guest comfort, and energy efficiency?
Institutional Partners
Innovation Partners
Journey
27 July - 13 September
Applications are open! This is your opportunity to showcase your solution and demonstrate how it can address real challenges in the hospitality industry and the specific ones faced by the program's partners. Submit your application and take the first step towards collaborating with leading hospitality partners.
Open Call
14 September - 9 October
Selection
During the selection process, our evaluation committee will assess all applications based on innovation, market potential, team capabilities, and alignment with the identified industry challenges. Throughout this phase, shortlisted startups may be invited to provide additional information or participate in interviews to further present their solution and discuss its potential fit with the program.
Selected startups will then be invited to join the program and collaborate with leading hospitality partners to develop and validate their pilots.
Meet the program partners, industry experts, and fellow startups. During this kick-off event, selected startups will gain deeper insights into the challenges, validate expectations with corporate partners, and officially begin their innovation journey.
Hospitality Innovation Day
14 October
Mid-October to Mid-November
Pilot Development
Work closely with your assigned hospitality partner to co-design and prepare your pilot project. Together, you'll define objectives, scope, implementation plan, success metrics, and the resources needed to ensure a successful pilot.
Mid-November to early March
Pilot Implementation
It's time to put your solution into action. Test your innovation in a real operational environment, collect valuable feedback, measure impact, and refine your product based on real customer and business insights.
Mid March
Showcase event
Celebrate the program's conclusion by presenting your pilot results to industry leaders, investors, innovation stakeholders, and the wider ecosystem. A unique opportunity to demonstrate your impact, gain visibility, and unlock future business opportunities.
