Mr Adrian Zecha, founder of Aman Resorts, received the inaugural
SHTM Lifetime Achievement Award from the SHTM at a ceremony held at Hotel ICON on 19 May 2016.
The School established the award to honour outstanding personalities who have contributed substantially to the development of hospitality and tourism industry in Hong Kong, the region and around the world. In awarding the distinction, the School seeks to recognise true leaders who help define the global hospitality landscape and advance the industry as a whole. Mr Adrian Zecha
is the first recipient of this prestigious award.
At the award ceremony, PolyU President Professor Timothy W. Tong said that widely recognised as visionary, Mr Zecha continued to create, develop and operate hotels and resorts throughout his career. His contribution to the international hotel sector was without parallel and he was truly a deserving recipient of the School's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mr Zecha remarked that it was a tremendous compliment for him to receive the
award. He commented that the SHTM had gone from strength to strength and was now a highly regarded hotel and tourism school throughout the world, uniquely positioned to cultivate the human capital needed to drive the overall development of the industry.
Certainly in a position to understand what it takes to push the industry on, in a career spanning more than 40 years Mr Zecha has founded a series of successful hotel and resort companies, conceiving and developing more than 100 internationally applauded properties.
Initially a journalist and publisher, Mr Zecha's entry into hospitality was as one of the founding members of Regent International Hotels, recognised in its day as the finest international hotel management company. His entrepreneurial role with Regent focused on the development and positioning of the brand.
Selling his interest in Regent International in 1986, he went on to partner with Georg Rafael in the Rafael Hotel Group, which focused on the acquisition and management of luxury five-star hotels and resorts in Europe and the US. The company was eventually sold to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. Mr Zecha also founded Beaufort Hotels, which opened luxury hotels in Brisbane, Darwin, Singapore and Bangkok.
In 1987 he independently developed, with a group of investors, a small resort and villa property named Amanpuri in Phuket, Thailand. This property went on to become the flagship for Amanresorts, a world-renowned benchmark for luxury hotel living.
Mr Zecha currently serves as non-executive Chairman of General Hotel Management, which develops and operates three, four and five star hotels and resorts throughout Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas, including the highly successful Setai in Miami.
As a world-leading hotel and tourism school, the SHTM has forged close partnerships with many of our industry partners and academic institutions in the region and around the world. Our commitment to excellence is well supported by distinguished individuals such as Mr Adrian Zecha. With concerted efforts, the School will continue to play a leading role in nurturing talents for the advancement of the entire industry globally.
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