The Hong Kong Polytechnic University's School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) lives by and fulfils its motto of "Leading in Hospitality and Tourism". In 2009, the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research ranked us second in the world amongst the major academic institutions in hospitality and tourism based on research and scholarly activities. This is another concrete proof that SHTM is committed to achieving global excellence in hospitality and tourism education.

Over 2,200 students are enrolled in the SHTM, and a majority of our 60 academic staff from 18 countries and regions possess hospitality or tourism industry managerial experience.

The SHTM also has an active Advisory Committee consisting of industry leaders who provide advice on curriculum and development matters. This helps to ensure that our curricula mirror the realities and fulfil the needs of industry, both today and in the future.

As the SHTM moves further up the global rankings, it continues to forge strong synergies between the industry, PolyU, students and academic staff, partnerships that are at the heart of our success.

Never satisfied with past achievements, the SHTM is seeking to scale new heights in the years ahead. A major element of that plan has shifted into place with the opening of dedicated premises in Tsim Sha Tsui East. The new 28 storey building features lecture halls, function rooms, the Vinoteca Lab (our wine lab), Bistro 1979 (our new training restaurant), the Samsung Digital Lab for Hospitality Technology and the Che-woo Lui Hotel and Tourism Resource Centre. These complement Hotel ICON, an independent teaching and research hotel that began to open in stages from late April 2011.

With 262 guest rooms, including 165 Deluxe Rooms, 68 Deluxe Rooms on the Club Floors, 26 Suites and 3 three prototype guest rooms designed for experimenting with creative ideas, Hotel ICON is drawing the SHTM deeper into industry partnerships and will help it forge many more links with other educational institutions. With it we are moving from pursuing a vision of hospitality and tourism education to being a truly global icon.