HFTP and SHTM to Establish Asia Research Office at PolyU in Hong Kong

The School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) are to collaborate on the development of hospitality finance and technology in Asia.

An agreement was signed on Tuesday by Mr Frank Wolfe, HFTP Chief Executive Officer and Professor Kaye Chon, SHTM Dean and Chair Professor at the SHTM premises in Hong Kong.

Under the agreement, the two parties have agreed to establish a joint research office in an effort to enhance the education and professional development of hospitality practitioners in Asia.

The HFTP has pledged a donation of US$100,000 to facilitate this initiative.

“The HFTP has benefitted greatly from our association with the SHTM throughout the years,” Mr Frank Wolfe said. “We are proud to be able to contribute to the academic and industry advancement in this special way.”

The agreement stipulated that a Student Exchange Scholarship should be established and named after the Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals.

With the HFTP’s support, more SHTM students will be able to benefit from overseas learning experiences which will in turn enhance students’ all-round development and their understanding of cultural emersion.

Further efforts will be made to support SHTM faculty members in their pursuit of excellence in the areas of teaching, learning and research. They will not only be given the opportunities to learn new teaching methods at reputable institutions and bring their learning back to the school, but also to explore new frontiers in research and produce quality research output that will benefit the entire industry.

Applied research will also be conducted to facilitate the hospitality industry in its advancement. Focused on areas related to hospitality industry technologies and finance, such research will be conducted by SHTM faculty members in collaboration with international scholars.

Professor Kaye Chon said, “We are proud to have been associated with the HFTP and we shall continue to do so. The recent benefaction from the organisation has provided a strong boost for the SHTM to make further advancement.”