More than 1,450 students are enrolled in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM). With more than 80 faculty members with diverse cultural backgrounds, the School ranks among the top hotel and tourism schools in the world, exemplifying our motto of Leading Hospitality and Tourism. Our internationally renowned faculty creates a multicultural environment in which students benefit from a range of innovative teaching and learning techniques.
The success of a research institution is largely due to its provision and training of young scholars. To provide leadership in developing future scholars in hospitality and tourism management, the SHTM offers research programmes leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree. The critical mass of globally recognised researchers, together with the attractive stipend for research students and the unique “East meets West” environment, make our highly competitive research programmes very successful. Many of our PhD graduates are now serving as faculty members in universities worldwide.
Research students work on projects under the supervision of experienced faculty members and take advanced subjects in preparation for a major piece of research in a focused area of hospitality and tourism.
With an international and multicultural environment, friendly staff and valuable opportunities for peer relationships, the SHTM prepares students for leadership positions in their chosen careers.
Hotel ICON and Tomorrow’s Guestrooms
Hotel ICON is the first teaching and research hotel of its kind in the world to completely integrate teaching, learning and research in a full-service environment. The establishment of Hotel ICON enhances the leadership role of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) in hospitality research. Research projects with different foci have already been implemented in the hotel. Three dedicated guestrooms –“Tomorrow’s Guestrooms” – serve as an exceptional platform to innovate, develop and showcase new technologies, hotel designs and business concepts in hotel management for the advancement of the entire industry.
Che-woo Lui Hotel & Tourism Resource Centre
Che-woo Lui Hotel and Tourism Resource Centre supports the research, teaching and learning functions of the SHTM. It holds a comprehensive range of reference materials in hotel and tourism management, including books, journals, magazines, statistical reports and conference proceedings. More than 150 well-known international journal titles from the fields of hospitality, tourism and food science are stocked. The Centre is equipped with top-class facilities for student group projects and seminars.
Tan Siu Lin Innovation Hub
With the generous support of the Tan Siu Lin Foundation, the Tan Siu Lin Innovation Hub established by the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of PolyU was officially opened on October 18, 2022. Committed to providing students with an inspirational and flexible learning environment conducive to creativity and innovation, the Tan Siu Lin Innovation Hub is one of the major facilities of the SHTM. The new facility ensures that SHTM students will learn the latest technologies and software used in our industry so as to nurture them to become global-minded leaders in the digital age.
Vinoteca Lab
With Hong Kong fast becoming a wine hub in Asia, the Vinoteca Lab serves as a valuable facility to enhance food and beverage education, and prepare students for the demands of our city’s rapidly increasing wine focus. The Lab hosts a variety of classes including wine appreciation, food and wine pairing, creative mixology and coffee art. Students are taught a range of topics, from basic wine fundamentals to advanced regional and international wine knowledge and specialist skills in the food and beverage industry.
Note to applicants
A crucial part of the application process is the submission of a research proposal highlighting the research that the student will pursue during the PhD. The admission to our PhD programme is very competitive and depends largely on the quality and relevance of this research proposal, which should be organised under the following headings: Project Title, Project Objectives (Purpose of the proposed investigation), Scope and Background of Research (identify key issues/problems to be addressed), Conceptual Framework, Research Methodology and Project Significance and Value. The length of the proposal should be between 1,200 and 1,800 words excluding references.
The School will give priority to proposed research proposals related to the following themes:
Other requirements
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Academic Referee's Report |
Compulsory - Two Academic Referee's Reports are required |
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Curriculum Vitae |
Compulsory |
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Personal Statement |
Compulsory |
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Research Proposal |
Compulsory - A standard form must be used for the submission of research proposal. Please click here to download the form. |
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Transcript / Certificate |
Compulsory |
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Others |
Compulsory - Publication records, scholarships, awards/prizes and class rankings (with supporting documents) |