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

Module: 01 Academics · Sub-file: Flagship Discipline In-depth Profiles — School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) Updated: 2026-07-02 This profile focuses on PolyU’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM): its predecessor was the Department of Institutional Management and Catering Studies, established in 1979. It was upgraded to a School in 2001 and became an independent academic unit in 2004. SHTM possesses two world-class calling cards: first, Hotel ICON, one of the rare university-built teaching hotels in the world; and second, a multi-year consecutive global #1 ranking in "Hospitality and Tourism Management" in the ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects. A detailed account of the four key milestones in its institutional history and the full facilities and operational model of Hotel ICON can be found in its companion piece, shtm-history-and-hotel-icon.md. Sources include Wikipedia (primary footnotes), official PolyU/SHTM pages, industry media (Hospitality Net, etc.), and ranking bodies. All official data includes the year and source.

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# 1. At a Glance

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# 2. A Brief Institutional History

According to Wikipedia and the University, SHTM’s predecessor was the Department of Institutional Management and Catering Studies^※, established in 1979. It was renamed the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management in 1992. Under the leadership of Professor Kaye Chon, it was upgraded to a School in October 2001 and became an independent academic unit within the University structure in July 2004^※. The opening of Hotel ICON in 2011 gave SHTM a tripartite “teaching–research–live-operation” hotel platform. According to Wikipedia, SHTM received the McCool Breakthrough Award from the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (I-CHRIE) in 2012. Since then, SHTM has risen to the top of multiple global subject rankings. A full breakdown of these four key nodes can be found in the companion piece shtm-history-and-hotel-icon.md.

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# 3. Dean and Faculty

• Dean: According to Wikipedia, Professor Kaye Chon has served as Dean^※ since 2000, and concurrently holds a Chair Professorship. He is considered the pivotal figure who drove SHTM’s upgrade from a department to an independent school, the establishment of Hotel ICON, and the school’s international reputation.
• Faculty Size: According to Wikipedia, SHTM has more than 90 academic staff^※, spanning the fields of hotel management, tourism, food and beverage, and hospitality marketing.

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# 4. Hotel ICON: A Glimpse of the University’s Purpose-Built Teaching Hotel

Hotel ICON is SHTM’s most distinctive asset — a fully operational hotel wholly owned and operated by PolyU and purpose-built for SHTM’s teaching and research. It officially opened on 21 September 2011^※ with 28 storeys and 262 guest rooms, located at 17 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon. The architecture is by Rocco Design Architects (which won the HKIA President’s Prize 2011 for the project), the interior design is by CL3 Architects, and the lobby features an approximately 18-metre vertical garden designed by Patrick Blanc.

For a complete account of Hotel ICON’s scale, facilities (training restaurant, Hotel Technology Lab, etc.) and its three-in-one “teaching–research–live-operation” model, see the companion piece shtm-history-and-hotel-icon.md.

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# 5. World Rankings: #1 Globally in Hospitality and Tourism

SHTM has consistently ranked at the top in two major subject rankings. In the ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, SHTM has been ranked #1 globally for multiple consecutive years^※ in the “Hospitality and Tourism Management” category — it took the top spot when this category was first introduced in 2017 and has held it ever since (reported as 「連續九年」 (“nine consecutive years”) as of 2025 according to some accounts). In the QS World University Rankings by Subject for “Hospitality and Leisure Management”, according to Wikipedia, SHTM has for many years been ranked second globally among university-based programmes^※.

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# 6. Curriculum and Professional Training

# 6.1 Undergraduate Programmes

SHTM’s undergraduate programmes are built on a “practice-as-pedagogy” principle, requiring students to complete Work-Integrated Education (WIE) — an internship lasting approximately two semesters at Hotel ICON or another hospitality or tourism organisation. Key undergraduate programmes:

# 6.2 Postgraduate Programmes

Several taught programmes and research degrees are offered at the postgraduate level: an MSc in Hotel and Tourism Management; an MBA (Hospitality) joint programme; MPhil / PhD degrees focusing on hospitality and tourism marketing, consumer behaviour, service management, and tourism destination management; and a Doctor of Hotel and Tourism Management (DHTMgt) — a professional doctorate designed for senior executives.

# 6.3 International Exchange and Dual Degrees

SHTM has exchange partnerships with many top global hospitality and business schools, enabling students to spend a semester at institutions such as EHL (École hôtelière de Lausanne) in Switzerland and Cornell University in the US through SHTM’s exchange programme. A complete list of international partner institutions can be found in the companion piece.

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# 7. Research Focus and Strengths

SHTM’s research strengths are concentrated in several areas: Tourist Behaviour and Consumer Psychology — tourist decision-making models, service recovery behaviour, and technology acceptance models (TAM) applied in hospitality, with publications in Q1 journals such as Tourism Management and the International Journal of Hospitality Management; Sustainable Tourism — research on global destination sustainability, the impact of climate change on tourism, and carbon-neutral hotels, with research collaborations with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); and Technology and Hospitality — artificial intelligence and robot-as-a-service (RaaS) in front-of-house hotel functions, big data and revenue management optimisation, and the application of virtual reality in tourism destination marketing. Dean Kaye Chon himself is an international authority in tourism marketing, whose research encompasses tourist satisfaction and loyalty theory and destination image studies for Korean and Asian tourism, and is a recipient of the UNWTO Ulysses Prize.

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# 8. Industry Partnerships

SHTM maintains strategic partnerships with major hospitality groups: Marriott International, Hilton, and IHG Hotels & Resorts provide internship placements at their hotels in Hong Kong and mainland China. The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) collaborates with SHTM on tourism research and data sharing. The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has a research collaboration with SHTM. Most critically, Hotel ICON itself functions as the ultimate “industry laboratory”, with the hotel’s actual operational data serving teaching and research.

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# 9. Notable SHTM Graduates and Industry Contributions

A high proportion of SHTM graduates hold senior management positions in the hospitality industry in Hong Kong and globally, following typical career paths to roles such as Regional General Manager / GM of a major international hotel group, head of a local Hong Kong food and beverage group, or founder of a boutique hotel or hospitality-tech start-up. For specific notable alumni, see ../06-people/notable-alumni.md; among the distinguished alumni in 2025 is Mr Sun Wu (孫武), Vice President of Hyatt China and CEO of UrCove Hotels, an SHTM graduate.

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# 10. SHTM and PolyU’s Overall Positioning

SHTM holds two strategic roles for PolyU: Ranking Anchor — the global #1 position in hospitality and tourism is PolyU's most stable international calling card, cementing its top-tier label within the “professional university” category. Brand Identity — Hotel ICON makes PolyU one of the very few universities in Hong Kong, or globally, to own and operate a real, working hotel, creating a unique educational niche.

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# 11. Frequently Asked Questions (Q&A)

Q1: Is SHTM’s global #1 ranking in the “ShanghaiRanking” updated annually? How does it differ from the QS ranking?

According to public information, the ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects is updated annually, with metrics spanning research output, highly cited papers, international collaboration, and subject reputation. SHTM has been ranked #1 globally in the “Hospitality and Tourism Management” sub-category since its first introduction in 2017, and has maintained this position ever since^※ (reported as 「連續九年」 (“nine consecutive years”) as of 2025 according to some accounts). The QS ranking, by contrast, covers the broader “Hospitality and Leisure Management” category, where SHTM has for many years ranked second globally among university-based institutions. The two rankings use different methodologies and category definitions, and are complementary (for a general overview, see ../03-rankings/).

Q2: Is Hotel ICON open to the general public for regular bookings?

Yes. Hotel ICON is a commercial hotel; members of the public can book rooms directly through the hotel’s official website or travel booking platforms. The revenue generated supports SHTM’s teaching investment, forming a self-sustaining pedagogical economic model.

Q3: Is competition for SHTM’s undergraduate programmes intense? What is the international student ratio?

According to the SHTM website, the school has over 1,500 students, with intake at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The proportion of international students is high, aligning with SHTM’s “international hospitality” positioning; English is the primary medium of instruction. Local Hong Kong students apply through JUPAS; non-local students apply through PolyU’s international admissions route.

Q4: Who is the typical applicant background for SHTM’s MSc programmes?

SHTM’s MSc in Hotel and Tourism Management targets both recent graduates with a relevant bachelor’s degree seeking to deepen their academic or managerial expertise, and industry professionals from hotels, tourism, aviation, or food and beverage looking to advance into management roles. The DHTMgt (professional doctorate) is specifically designed for senior executives with over a decade of industry experience.

Q5: What is Professor Kaye Chon’s standing in the industry?

According to public records, Kaye Chon is a Korean-American academic who has published a large volume of highly cited papers^※ in the fields of tourism satisfaction and destination image research. He has received the UNWTO Ulysses Prize from the United Nations World Tourism Organization, often described within the industry as the 「旅遊學界的諾貝爾獎」 (the “Nobel Prize of tourism studies”). He has served as SHTM’s Dean since 2000, steering the school’s upgrade, the establishment of Hotel ICON, and its international ranking breakthrough.

Q6: Does SHTM have collaborations with mainland Chinese universities or tourism organisations?

According to public information, SHTM maintains academic exchanges and joint research collaborations with tourism and hospitality management schools at several higher education institutions in mainland China, including Peking University and Zhejiang University’s Department of Tourism Management. It also collaborates with the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and mainland tourism authorities on various destination tourism research projects.

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