In-Depth Profile: School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM)

Module: 01 Academics · Sub-file: Flagship discipline in-depth profile — School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) Last updated: 10 July 2026 This profile focuses on PolyU's School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM): its predecessor, the Department of Institutional Management and Catering Studies, was established in 1979; it became a School in 2001 and an autonomous academic unit in 2004. SHTM holds two world-class credentials: first, Hotel ICON, a teaching hotel built and operated by the University itself — a rare configuration worldwide; second, the top global ranking in "Hospitality and Tourism Management" in the ShanghaiRanking "Global Ranking of Academic Subjects", held for consecutive years. For the four key milestones in the School's history and a full rundown of Hotel ICON's facilities and operating model, see the companion piece shtm-history-and-hotel-icon.md. Sources are primarily Wikipedia (with footnotes), official PolyU/SHTM pages, hospitality trade media (Hospitality Net, etc.) and ranking bodies. All official figures carry the year and source.

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# 1. At a Glance

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# 2. Historical Milestones at a Glance

According to Wikipedia and the University, SHTM traces its roots to the establishment of the Department of Institutional Management and Catering Studies^※ in 1979. It was renamed the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management in 1992, elevated to School status in October 2001 under Prof. Kaye Chon, and became an autonomous academic unit within the University in July 2004^※. The opening of Hotel ICON in 2011 gave SHTM a hotel platform integrating teaching, research and real-world operations. According to Wikipedia, SHTM received the McCool Breakthrough Award from the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (I-CHRIE) in 2012. SHTM has since risen to the top of multiple world subject rankings. For a detailed four-stage history, see the companion piece shtm-history-and-hotel-icon.md.

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# 3. Dean and Faculty

• Dean: Prof. Kaye Chon has served as Dean since 2000^※, per Wikipedia, also holding a Chair Professorship. He is widely credited with leading SHTM's rise from department to independent School, establishing Hotel ICON, and building its international reputation.
• Faculty size: SHTM has over 90 academic staff^※, per Wikipedia, spanning hotel management, tourism, food and beverage, and hospitality marketing.

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# 4. Hotel ICON: The University-Built Teaching Hotel at a Glance

Hotel ICON is SHTM's most recognisable asset — a fully operational hotel owned and run by PolyU, built specifically for SHTM teaching and research. It opened on 21 September 2011^※, with 28 floors and 262 guest rooms, at 17 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon. The architecture is by Rocco Design Architects (winner of the 2011 Hong Kong Institute of Architects President's Prize), interiors by CL3 Architects, and the lobby features a roughly 18-metre vertical garden designed by Patrick Blanc.

For Hotel ICON's full scale, facilities (the training restaurant, the hotel technology laboratory, etc.) and its integrated "teaching–research–operations" model, see the companion piece shtm-history-and-hotel-icon.md.

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# 5. World Rankings: Global No. 1 in Hospitality and Tourism

SHTM has long ranked among the world's best in the two major subject ranking systems. In the ShanghaiRanking "Global Ranking of Academic Subjects", SHTM has been ranked No. 1 globally for consecutive years^※ in "Hospitality and Tourism Management", according to trade media citing the University — it took first place when the category was first introduced in 2017, and has remained at the top since (reported as "nine consecutive years" as of 2025). In the QS "Hospitality and Leisure Management" category, SHTM has long been ranked No. 2 globally^※ among university-based programmes, per Wikipedia.

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# 6. Programmes and Professional Training

# 6.1 Undergraduate Programmes

SHTM's undergraduate curriculum is built on the principle of "learning by doing". Students must complete Work-Integrated Education (WIE) — roughly two semesters of placement at Hotel ICON or other hospitality and tourism organisations. Core undergraduate programmes:

# 6.2 Postgraduate Programmes

At postgraduate level, SHTM offers several taught programmes and research degrees: the MSc in Hotel and Tourism Management; a joint MBA (Hospitality); the MPhil / PhD, with research strengths in hospitality marketing, consumer behaviour, service management and tourism destination management; and the DHTMgt (Doctor of Hotel and Tourism Management) — a professional doctorate designed for senior executives in the industry.

# 6.3 International Exchange and Double Degrees

SHTM has exchange partnerships with several of the world's leading hospitality and business schools. Through SHTM's exchange programmes, students can spend a semester at institutions such as EHL Hospitality Business School (Lausanne) and Cornell University (USA). A full list of international partner institutions is available in the companion piece.

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# 7. Research Strengths and Focus Areas

SHTM's research strengths centre on the following areas: Tourism behaviour and consumer psychology — tourist decision-making models, service recovery behaviour, and applications of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in hospitality, with papers published in Q1 journals such as Tourism Management and the International Journal of Hospitality Management; Sustainable tourism — research on the sustainability of global tourism destinations, the impact of climate change on tourism, and carbon-neutral hotels, with research collaborations with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); Technology and hospitality — artificial intelligence and robot-as-a-service (RaaS) applications at hotel front desks, big data and revenue management optimisation, and virtual reality in tourism destination marketing. Dean Kaye Chon is himself an international authority on tourism marketing, with research on tourist satisfaction and loyalty theory and the destination image of Korea and Asian destinations; he has received the UNWTO Ulysses Prize.

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# 8. Industry Partnerships

SHTM maintains strategic partnerships with major hospitality groups: the Hong Kong and mainland China hotels of Marriott International, Hilton and IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) host SHTM students for placements; the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) collaborates with SHTM on tourism research and data sharing; the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has research collaborations with SHTM; and Hotel ICON itself is the most important "industry laboratory" — its real operating data feeds directly into teaching and research.

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# 9. Notable SHTM Alumni and Industry Impact

A high proportion of SHTM graduates go on to hold senior executive positions in the hospitality and tourism industry in Hong Kong and worldwide. Typical career paths include regional general manager roles at major international hotel groups, leadership positions in Hong Kong's food and beverage groups, and founding boutique hotels or travel-tech startups. For specific notable alumni, see ../06-people/notable-alumni.md; among the 2025 Outstanding Alumni is Mr Sun Wu (Vice President for China, Hyatt, and CEO of UrCove Hotels), who is an SHTM graduate.

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# 10. SHTM's Role in PolyU's Overall Positioning

SHTM serves two strategic purposes for PolyU. Ranking anchor: the School's world No. 1 position in hospitality and tourism is PolyU's most consistent international calling card, cementing the University's top-tier label in the "specialised university" category. Brand identity: through Hotel ICON, PolyU stands among a very small number of universities in Hong Kong — and globally — that run a real operating hotel, giving it a distinctive niche in the education landscape.

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# 11. Frequently Asked Questions (Q&A)

Q1: Is the "ShanghaiRanking" in which SHTM is No. 1 globally updated every year? How does it differ from the QS ranking?

According to public information, the ShanghaiRanking "Global Ranking of Academic Subjects" is updated annually, assessing dimensions including research output, highly cited papers, international collaboration and disciplinary reputation. SHTM has ranked No. 1 globally in the "Hospitality and Tourism Management" sub-discipline since the category was first introduced in 2017, holding the top spot thereafter^※. The QS ranking, by contrast, covers the broader "Hospitality and Leisure Management" category, where SHTM has long ranked No. 2 globally among university-based institutions. The two rankings differ in methodology and subject classification, and complement each other (see an overview in ../03-rankings/).

Q2: Can members of the public book rooms at Hotel ICON?

Yes. Hotel ICON is a commercially operated hotel; the public can book rooms directly through the hotel's official website or travel booking platforms. The hotel's revenues support SHTM's teaching investment, creating a self-sustaining teaching-economics model.

Q3: Are SHTM's undergraduate programmes highly competitive? What is the international student ratio?

According to SHTM's official pages, the School has over 1,500 students, with admissions at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The international student ratio is high — consistent with SHTM's "internationalisation of hospitality" positioning — and the medium of instruction is primarily English. Local students apply through JUPAS; non-local students apply through PolyU's international admissions channel.

Q4: What backgrounds are SHTM's postgraduate programmes (MSc) aimed at?

SHTM's MSc in Hotel and Tourism Management is designed for recent graduates who have completed a relevant undergraduate degree and wish to deepen their academic or managerial capabilities, as well as industry professionals in hotels, tourism, aviation and food and beverage seeking to move into management functions. The DHTMgt (professional doctorate) is specifically designed for senior managers with over 10 years of industry experience.

Q5: What is Prof. Kaye Chon's standing in the industry?

According to public sources, Kaye Chon is a Korean-American scholar with a large body of highly cited research on tourist satisfaction and destination image^※. He has received the UNWTO Ulysses Prize — often described as the "Nobel Prize of tourism research". He has served as Dean of SHTM since 2000, leading the School's elevation to independent status, the establishment of Hotel ICON, and the breakthrough in international rankings.

Q6: Does SHTM collaborate with mainland Chinese universities or tourism bodies?

According to public sources, SHTM maintains academic exchanges and joint research collaborations with the tourism and hotel management schools of several mainland Chinese universities, including Peking University and the Department of Tourism Management at Zhejiang University. It also runs destination-tourism research projects with the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and mainland tourism authorities.

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