Michael Levie and Prakash Shukla to be Inducted into HFTP Int. Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame

Michael Levie, CHTP and Prakash Shukla will be inducted into the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame at the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) in New Orleans next month.

Levie and Shukla were nominated and selected by their peers for being innovators and leaders in the hospitality industry.

Michael Levie, CHTP is an executive and founding partner at citizenM. He is also a director on the HFTP Global Board. Levie’s unwavering passion for the hospitality industry began at the early age of 12 years old after attending a Sonesta hotel opening in Amsterdam, Netherlands. After completing his education, Levie spent 18 years working for Sonesta inhabiting a variety of roles and working at locations across the globe. Levie’s years working for Sonesta provided him the knowledge and experience to streamline every aspect of the hotel industry. He focused on improving guest experience, and technology was the medium that allowed for this revolutionary overhaul to occur. Today, Levie’s citizenM hotels has with seven hotels open and fourteen in development.

“HFTP brings together a unique, professional and focused group of individuals and organizations that share hospitality, finance and technology as their core,” said Levie. “Being active amongst them has provided me the possibility to represent an international view, share experiences and learn. Being recognized by my peers is a truly humbling experience and encourages me to step up my game to enlarge my contribution in the future. Our industry is dealing with some large issues, HFTP is well positioned to support and lead towards solutions.”

In Prakash Shukla’s early career, he served as senior vice president and chief information officer for the Taj Hotel Group, where he was tasked with overseeing and applying technology services into the entire guest experience. This role suited his IT skills perfectly and the Taj Hotel Group quickly became one of India’s most technologically advanced. Now he has shifted his career to help promote technology innovation. As a managing partner for Solarex, LLC, he manages a $45 million seed fund for early stage tech startups. Previously, as a partner at HGM Asset Management, MangoTree and other investments, Prakash helped execute over $1.7 billion in mergers and acquisitions. He also promoted a $300 million growth capital vehicle in partnership with the Tata Group. He has promoted and invested in many innovative companies such as Travelguru, Transerv, Speech and Software Technologies, avanaMD, and Ginger Hotels.

Additionally, Shukla is the current vice chair for the HITEC 2016 Advisory Council, and has been a key advisor in HFTP’s start-up pitch competition Entrepreneur 20X. He has also helped HFTP develop its upcoming India CIO Forum set for September 2016. Shukla also served as a director of HFTP Global board from 2012-2015.

"It is truly an honor to be associated with such accomplished professionals and a great organization,” said Shukla. “I have learned so much from HFTP and its ecosystem. No organization has done more for an industry than HFTP for hospitality. It is truly an exciting time as HFTP expands into Europe and Asia." 

Since 1989, 40 individuals have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

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