With a vision unlike any other, the SHTM moved to the premises that remain its home today a decade ago. Bringing the School and Hotel ICON under the same roof represented an important milestone in the SHTM's development. The School's paradigm-shifting approach to hospitality and tourism education, with Hotel ICON at its core, has nurtured its reputation as the leading institution of its kind in Asia and the world.
Early on 17 January
2011, the doors to the SHTM's new home opened to students for the first time. Professor Kaye Chon, SHTM Dean and Chair Professor and Walter and Wendy Kwok Family Foundation Professor in International Hospitality Management, was there to greet the new arrivals. This kickstarted one of the School's important traditions: faculty members gathering to welcome students at the start of each school year. For incoming students, this moment also marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in their
lives.
Since its establishment in 1979, the SHTM has produced more than 18,500 graduates, who have contributed at various levels to the hospitality and tourism industry in Hong Kong and worldwide. The School has long been recognised as a centre of excellence in hospitality and tourism education and research. Ranked No. 1 in the world for the fourth year in a row since 2017 in the world in the "Hospitality and Tourism Management" category in ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic
Subjects, the SHTM also took out top place globally for three consecutive years in the "Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services" category in the University Ranking by Academic Performance, and ranked No. 1 in the world in the "Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism" in the CWUR Rankings by Subject in 2017.
Through its pioneering design and development of hospitality and tourism programmes, the SHTM responds to the needs of the constantly advancing global industry. To nurture young
talents, it has recruited more than 70 academics from around the world with outstanding credentials and diverse experience. The School's teaching is complemented and enhanced by its cutting-edge research, which advances the frontier of knowledge in the industry.
In 2012, in recognition of the SHTM's breakthrough in teaching and research in the form of Hotel ICON, the School received the McCool Breakthrough Award from the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (I-CHRIE). Five years later, in 2017, Dean Kaye Chon was honoured with the same award for his contribution to hospitality and tourism education and research. Hotel ICON itself has received numerous awards and accolades over the years, including
the PATA Gold Award for Education and Training, UNWTO Ulysses Award, and TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Award. Recently, the hotel was named a
Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Hotel for the seventh time in a row, alongside international hotels such as Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, The Murray, W Hong Kong, Upper House, Conrad Hong Kong, Langham Hong Kong, and Kowloon Shangri-La.
Through Hotel ICON, the School is advancing teaching, learning and research, inspiring a new generation of passionate, pioneering professionals to take their positions as leaders in the hospitality and tourism industry.
A decade ago, the SHTM's move to its new home opened up a fresh chapter in its pursuit of excellence. Much may have changed since then, but SHTMers continue to uphold the School’s formidable values and vision. The best is yet to
come.
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