YY Circle wins HAPA award, advances AI-driven hospitality staffing across Southeast Asia

YY Circle accolade underscores regional tech push

AI-driven staffing reshapes Malaysian hospitality through YY Circle

YY Group Holding Limited says Ken Teng, its director for Southeast Asia, receives the Hospitality Service Entrepreneur Award at the HAPA Awards for Excellence 2026, underscoring the company’s drive to digitize hospitality staffing. The Singapore-headquartered provider of on-demand workforce solutions and integrated facilities management highlights the award as recognition of YY Circle, an AI-enabled platform that matches hotels, food and beverage outlets and event venues with a flexible, trained workforce.

The company says YY Circle uses AI-driven staffing, vetted talent pools and data-driven scheduling to enable businesses to scale for peak periods, control labour costs and improve guest experiences. YY Group describes measurable gains in operational efficiency and revenue uplift as venues use the platform’s transparent booking and scheduling tools, while local workers gain access to short-term shifts and income opportunities in Malaysia’s gig economy.

Ken Teng says the accolade validates the team’s work and motivates continued innovation to empower the hospitality sector. YY Group frames the award as evidence that digital transformation of staffing models delivers tangible benefits for service quality and community-level economic outcomes as it scales technology-enabled human resources and IFM services across the Southeast Asian market.

Recognition strengthens regional expansion case

YY Group presents the HAPA recognition as reinforcing its commitment to service and operational excellence across its regional footprint. The company is actively promoting its combination of technology, flexibility and quality as it pursues broader adoption of integrated facility management and tech-driven HR services in Southeast Asia.

Stakeholders including venue partners, customers and the local workforce see near-term benefits in the platform’s transparency and scheduling efficiency. YY Group says the YY Circle model not only helps businesses manage labour volatility but also creates measurable economic opportunities for local communities, supporting its positioning as a growing regional player in hospitality workforce solutions.