Revealing the region's top hoteliers, including finalists in three new categories
BANGKOK, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Stelliers, the leading hotelier awards platform, has officially announced the finalists for Stelliers Asia 2026, presented by NORDAQ. Revealed during a special live broadcast on 5 June 2026, the shortlist celebrates exceptional hospitality professionals from across the region who have demonstrated outstanding dedication to their craft, their colleagues, and their guests.
At the heart of Stelliers is its enduring Just Cause: to elevate every hotel professional – so they feel seen, valued, and inspired to lead. By recognizing the individuals who navigate today's industry challenges and raise the standard for guest experiences, Stelliers champions the people behind the properties.
For 2026, Stelliers has introduced three new award categories – Security, Owner, and Pastry Chef – to better reflect the evolving structure and nature of hotel operations across Asia. These additions reinforce the platform's commitment to relevance, inclusivity, and industry progression, elevating the distinct roles that contribute to a property's success.
"Hospitality has always been an industry built by people, and this year's finalists are a reflection of the individuals and teams creating meaningful experiences across Asia every single day. What makes the Stelliers community so special is not only the exceptional talent represented among our finalists, but also the shared passion and dedication seen throughout the wider industry. We are honored to celebrate everyone who continues to shape hospitality through leadership, creativity, and genuine care for others." Simon Hansson Yu, Managing Director of Stelliers.
This year's finalist shortlist comprises remarkable professionals who have set new benchmarks for excellence in their respective fields:
(in alphabetical order)
2026 General Manager Finalists:
- Alain K. Bachmann, General Manager at Zannier Bãi San Hô
- Go Kondo, General Manager at The Ritz-Carlton, Bali
- Hildegard Anzenberger, General Manager at Capella Hanoi
- Jean-Pierre Joncas, General Manager at Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort
- Libor Secka, General Manager at Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa
- Masahisa Oba, Managing Director at The Peninsula Bangkok
- Peter Caprez, Multi-Property General Manager at JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok
- Ruby Garcia, General Manager at COMO Metropolitan Singapore
2026 Unsung Hero Finalists:
- Chiramet Thanusan, Commis III at Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok
- Pawisaporn Nooput, Staff Canteen – Cook at V Villas Phuket – MGallery Collection
- Pornchai Savatsri, Boat Captain at The Peninsula Bangkok
- Shuhaimi Saad, Commis I at The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi
- Wijittra Chaiyairt, Room Attendant – The Residences at The St. Regis Bangkok
For the full 2026 Stelliers Asia Finalists List and visual assets, please click here.
The rigorous selection process for Stelliers Asia 2026, presented by NORDAQ is overseen by an independent panel of industry experts, representing diverse perspectives across hospitality, technology, asset management, and advisory leadership. This year's panel includes:
- Regan Taikitsadaporn, Founder & Managing Director, Prokopi Consulting
- Bernhard Bohnenberger, Co-Founder & CEO, Discover Collection
- Mark De Cocinis, Former Chief Executive Officer, Boutique Group
- Simon Kahn, Chief Marketing Officer, Google APAC
- Yona He, Head of Asset Management & Owner Relations, JAPAC, Oracle
"The caliber of submissions for Stelliers Asia 2026, presented by NORDAQ has been truly exceptional. These finalists represent the very best of our industry and show that true excellence is always rooted in the people who deliver it." shares Regan Taikitsadaporn, Founder & Managing Director of Prokopi Consulting. "Reviewing these applications is a powerful reminder of the resilience, innovation, and passion that drives the hospitality sector in Asia."
Stelliers Asia 2026 is supported by a dedicated network of industry partners who share its commitment to long-term excellence and the celebration of hospitality professionals. This year's programme is proudly made possible through the support of Title Partner NORDAQ, Silver Partner MJAI, PR Partner FINN Partners, and Media Partner PR Newswire.
The prestigious Stelliers Asia 2026 Grand Awards Ceremony will be held on 25 September at the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok. The event will be especially momentous as the legendary venue celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.
About Stelliers Asia
Established in 2014, Stelliers is the leading hotelier awards platform dedicated to recognizing the people of the hotel industry across Asia and Greater China. Derived from the words "stellar" and "hotelier", Stelliers celebrates the people behind the scenes – those who make unforgettable guest experiences possible.
At the heart of Stelliers is a mission to elevate every hotel professional – so they feel seen, valued, and inspired to lead. Through a rigorous judging process and regional awards ceremonies, Stelliers provides a platform for professional recognition and industry-wide inspiration, ensuring that hoteliers receive the acknowledgement and encouragement they deserve.
Please visit www.stelliers.com for more information.
Press Contact:
Stelliers:
Milica Stojkovic
Marketing & Communications Manager
milica.stojkovic@thestelliers.com
FINN Partners:
Rae Cay
Fonthong Churintarapan
stelliersasia.pr@finnpartners.com
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
Stelliers Asia Unveils 2026 Finalists Ahead of Grand Awards Ceremony in Bangkok
NTU spinout secures seed investment from Fuel Ventures Asia; early deployment cuts a manufacturer's quotation generation workflow time from 45 minutes to under 5 minutes
SINGAPORE, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Enterprise AI has a memory problem. Every session starts blank—with no organisational context, no retained knowledge, and no accumulated understanding.
Synvo AI, a Singapore-based deep-tech company spun out of MMLab at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) with institutional support, is building the infrastructure to solve this challenge. Today, the company announced a US$1 million seed investment from Fuel Ventures Asia.
The funding will accelerate the commercialisation of Synvo AI's Enterprise Memory Layer, expand its engineering capabilities, and support enterprise AI deployments across Asia. Synvo AI's proprietary Enterprise Memory Layer powers AI systems and agents, enabling them to retain, retrieve, and reason across an organisation's documents, emails, video, audio, and business data. Designed for on-premises and on-device deployment, the technology enables enterprises to keep sensitive information within their own controlled environments while maintaining data privacy, security, governance, and sovereignty.
The business impact of giving AI a memory is already being demonstrated. A Singapore-based manufacturer reduced its quotation generation workflow time from 45 minutes to under 5 minutes using Synvo AI's technology. This single deployment reclaimed approximately 200 hours of sales capacity each month and generated an estimated SGD 120,000 in annual productivity savings.
Building on this momentum, the company is progressing multiple enterprise opportunities across Southeast Asia. Through its strategic partnership with Indonesia-based Sobat Bisnis Group (SBG), the technology arm of a billion-dollar family-owned business group, Synvo AI is expanding access to secure, privacy-first enterprise AI solutions in one of the region's fastest-growing markets.
"Today's AI can answer questions, generate content, and automate tasks, but it still lacks the organisational memory needed to learn, adapt, and build context the way experienced employees do. We are solving that problem. By giving AI an institutional memory, it accumulates value the longer a company uses it. Instead of treating every interaction as a new task, AI can build on organisational knowledge and provide more relevant, consistent, and useful outcomes over time. Our vision is to transform AI from a simple daily tool into a trusted enterprise asset that preserves and compounds organisational knowledge while maintaining full control over sensitive data."
Saim Yeong Harng | Co-Founder & CEO, Synvo AI
Commercialising research originating from MMLab at NTU Singapore, Synvo AI combines expertise in artificial intelligence, computer vision, memory systems, and enterprise software. This research foundation includes HippoCamp and FileGram, two complementary efforts in contextual agent memory. HippoCamp benchmarks whether AI agents can search, perceive, and reason across realistic multimodal personal file systems, where evidence is scattered across documents, emails, images, videos, audio, calendars, and other files. FileGram extends this direction from stored content to behavioural memory by grounding agent personalisation in file-system traces, including how users read, create, edit, organise, and revise files over time. Building on these ideas, Synvo AI's proprietary Lightweight Multimodal Memory (LiteMMem), the commercial architecture informed by FileGramOS, achieved the highest reported score on FileGramBench, a benchmark for evaluating memory-centric personalisation in file-system agents.
The founding team combines successful entrepreneurial experience, including a prior venture exit, with world-class AI research leadership and extensive experience commercialising advanced technologies. The company applies its proprietary technology to enterprise knowledge discovery, document intelligence, workflow automation, and AI-assisted decision support.
"As enterprises scale their use of AI, the conversation is rapidly shifting from basic capability to trust and context. Synvo AI has engineered a foundational solution to a major challenge in enterprise AI adoption— helping organisations securely capture, retain, and apply institutional knowledge, rather than simply automating isolated tasks. We believe a secure and deployable memory layer will become a foundational component of enterprise AI, and Synvo AI is well positioned to lead this category."
Jingjing Xu | Partner, Fuel Ventures; Managing Director, Fuel Ventures Asia
About Synvo AI
Synvo AI is a Singapore-based deep-tech company developing a proprietary Enterprise Memory Layer that powers AI systems and agents. Spun out of MMLab at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), the company builds privacy-first AI infrastructure that enables organisations to retain, retrieve, and reason across institutional knowledge while maintaining control over data sovereignty, security, and governance.
Synvo AI is a member of the NVIDIA Inception Program and HP Garage 2.0.
For more information, visit www.synvo.ai.
About Fuel Ventures Asia
Fuel Ventures Asia (FVA) is a Singapore-based venture capital platform established in 2023 by Fuel Ventures (UK), focused on bridging European technological innovation with Asia's industrial growth opportunities. The platform supports high-growth technology companies from Europe that have achieved market validation and are ready to scale across Asia. In recognition of its contribution to innovation and cross-border collaboration, FVA was awarded the "Most Influential British Company in Singapore" at the Singapore Annual Business Awards in October 2023. For more information, visit www.fuelventures.asia.
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
Synvo AI Raises US$1 Million to Give Enterprise AI a Memory
