Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, December 11, 2025 / TRAVELINDEX / The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) proudly presented the inaugural SHTM IMPACT Award 2025 for Service Excellence – Hotel Industry to five outstanding hotels at the IMPACT2025 Conference Gala Dinner, held on 9 December 2025 at Hotel ICON. The IMPACT Conference is the flagship academic conference hosted by the SHTM in collaboration with CoStar Group Academic Engagement, which brings together global researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers to bridge the gap between research and industry practice. By turning academic insights into real-world solutions, the conference is dedicated to driving innovation and progress in the hospitality and tourism industry.

This SHTM IMPACT Award for Service Excellence – Hotel Industry recognises hotels that offer exceptional service based on the findings of the Hong Kong Tourist Satisfaction Index (TSI). Developed by the Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCDTT) of PolyU SHTM, TSI is an innovative assessment framework leveraging large-language-model analysis of over 1.25 million TripAdvisor reviews collected between 2012 and 2024. The study covers 13,694 Hong Kong service providers across major tourism sectors: Hotels, Attractions, Restaurants, Retail Shops, and Transportation, and evaluates service quality on five dimensions: Tangibles, Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, and Empathy, according to the Service Quality model.

Among hotels with a minimum of 500 inbound tourist reviews between August 2024 and August 2025, five properties ranked highest in overall service satisfaction, reflecting excellence across all five key dimensions.

The award presentation was a key highlight of the IMPACT2025 Conference. The five hotels receiving the SHTM IMPACT Award 2025 for Service Excellence – Hotel Industry 2025 are (listed in alphabetical order):

• Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
• Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
• Nina Hotel Causeway Bay
• Rosewood Hong Kong
• The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong

This award not only celebrates hotels that stand out for their design, facilities and service, but also marks a significant milestone in applying data‑driven insights to elevate service standards in Hong Kong’s hospitality sector. By grounding the recognition in findings from the TSI, the award underscores the industry’s commitment to improving guest experiences and setting benchmarks for service excellence.

These awardees epitomise the pinnacle of Hong Kong’s hospitality,” said Prof. Haiyan SONG, Associate Dean of SHTM and Director of RCDTT. “Their accomplishments demonstrate an unwavering commitment to exceptional guest experiences, cementing Hong Kong’s status as a world-class tourism destination.”

The conference was successfully concluded with the generous sponsorship and support of the following sponsors and partners:

Platinum Sponsor
CoStar Group Academic Engagement
Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism

Gold Sponsor
Hong Kong Tourism Board

Irish Gastronomy Partner
DK Connemara Oysters
John Stone
Valentia Smokehouse

As a global centre of excellence in hospitality and tourism research, SHTM is committed to serving the industry and academic communities through the advancement of education and the dissemination of knowledge.

About PolyU School of Hotel and Tourism Management

For more than four decades, the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has refined a distinctive vision of hospitality and tourism education and become a world-leading hotel and tourism school. Ranked No. 1 in the world in the “Hospitality and Tourism Management” category in ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2025 for the ninth consecutive year; placed No. 1 globally in the “Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services” category in the University Ranking by Academic Performance in 2024/2025 for eighth years in a row; rated No. 1 in the world in the “Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism” subject area by the CWUR Rankings by Subject 2017; and ranked No. 2 in World in the “Hospitality and Leisure Management” subject area in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025, the SHTM is a symbol of excellence in the field, exemplifying its motto of Leading Hospitality and Tourism.

The School is driven by the need to serve its industry and academic communities through the advancement of education and dissemination of knowledge. With a strong international team of over 90 faculty members from 21 countries and regions around the world, the SHTM offers programmes at levels ranging from undergraduate to doctoral degrees. Through Hotel ICON, the School’s groundbreaking teaching and research hotel and a vital aspect of its paradigm-shifting approach to hospitality and tourism education, the SHTM is advancing teaching, learning and research, and inspiring a new generation of passionate, pioneering professionals to take their positions as leaders in the hospitality and tourism industry.

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