Review: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s School of Hotel & Tourism Management Hosted Forum on China Hotel Brand Development

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s School of Hotel & Tourism Management (SHTM), the Shenzhen Tourism College of Jinan University and the China Tourist Hotel Association co-hosted the first International Forum on China Hotel Brand Development on 3-4 July 2007. The event allowed experts and academics to discuss the development of hotel brands in China, and to explore brand development strategies.

Sponsored by the K. Wah Group and co-organised by OCT East and the InterContinental Shenzhen, the Forum was a great success in promoting brand development and management in China’s hotel industry, and enhancing the international competitiveness of China’s hotel brands.

Over 200 hotel professionals, academics and students participated in the Forum, which also attracted officials from the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), the Shenzhen government and the Shenzhen Tourism Bureau.

In the keynote presentation, Mr. Liu Shijun, Deputy Director General of CNTA, talked about the phenomenal growth of the hotel industry in China and the government’s role in managing it. Dr. Che-woo Lui, Chairman of the K. Wah Group, shared his vision for the industry in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, and the importance of branding. Professor Michael Olsen of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University discussed the different ways of putting value into a brand.

Other speakers included representatives from BTG-Jianguo Hotels and Resorts, Jin Jiang Hotel, Jinling Hotels and Resorts, the White Swan Hotel, Beijing Teda Hotels, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Regal Hotels, Harbour Plaza, Hyatt Regency, Asiawide Hotel Hospitality, Flagship Hotels Professional Training, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Beijing International Studies University, Shenzhen Tourism College, Hubei University and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

The Forum was followed by panel discussions on Hotel Brand Development Strategy, Developing Asian Leaders in Hotel Business, and Education and Training Issues for the Hotel Industry in China, and a number of paper presentations. As part of the closing ceremony Professor Kaye Chon, Director of the SHTM, delivered a presentation on the Coming of Asian Waves in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry, explaining why the industry’s centre of gravity has moved to Asia, and encouraging companies to groom Asian talents.

In closing the event, Professor Chon announced that the second Forum would be hosted jointly with Sun Yat-sen University and held in Guangzhou on 9-10 May 2008.