News for the Hospitality Executive |
PolyU Unveils Name of its Teaching and Research Hotel
Hotel ICON Redefines Standards in
Hospitality and Hotel Management
Hong
Kong, January, 18, 2010 - With the building now at its full height, The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University�s (PolyU) teaching and research hotel
has been named Hotel ICON. PolyU unveiled a plan five years ago to develop
a teaching and research hotel for its School of Hotel and Tourism Management
(SHTM) with an aim to further enhancing the School�s world-leading position
in hospitality and tourism education as well as embracing the strong demand
for its further contribution to Hong Kong, the region, and the world. As
the anticipation builds for Hotel ICON�s grand opening later this year,
the future is well and truly underway in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Hong Kong.
SHTM Director and Chair Professor Kaye Chon said, �We believe that having Hotel ICON for the School is in line with the practice of top hospitality and tourism schools in the world. The School is widely recognised as a leader in the region and was recently ranked number two in the world based on research and scholarly activities. But the challenges and opportunities ahead are huge and we are determined to do even better. We are confident that the international status of the School as a world-class institution will be further strengthened through the success of Hotel ICON.� With a tag line of �being brilliant together�, Mr Richard Hatter, General Manager of Hotel ICON, emphasised that �how we involve the faculty and students with the hotel is a very key aspect of what I�m setting up�. �It�s all about people�, he said, giving his position a much wider frame of reference. �The people we train, the people we employ and the people we look after.� Indeed, what Mr Hatter is setting up will help enhance work-integrated education and research in hospitality management and help attract high-quality students as well as teaching staff from around the world. Hotel ICON�s convenient location will also facilitate partnership with the industry and education institutions on both local and international levels. Taking a holistic approach to student learning and development, plans are currently being made to determine how many students will be able to complete their Work-Integrated Education requirements at the hotel, with the likelihood that up to 100 could be proudly serving as Hotel ICON interns when operations get underway. Another 50 will be working with the opening team in the second half of this year. �On top of the placement opportunities offered in Hotel ICON,� Professor Chon added, �we will continue to arrange placements with hotels at home and abroad to ensure the broad exposure of our students.� PolyU is confident that Hotel ICON will be a great boost to the School�s long-term development. �Apart from the advantage of having various teaching and research facilities, offices, conference facilities and restaurants under one roof in an excellent location,� Prof Chon remarked, �we look forward to having innovative research facilities to experiment with such areas as design, infrastructure and services in a hotel.� Indeed, another significant aspect of Hotel ICON will be its prototype guest rooms. Developed in a joint effort between SHTM and various departments within PolyU, the rooms will be yet another way of fulfilling the university�s aim of being the place �where innovation meets application.� Speaking of how the hotel concept is being refined, Mr Hatter said that
it would tailor-make an experience for its guests. And one way in which
that will be achieved will be through dedicated prototype guest rooms used
to develop and showcase new technologies and hotel designs. Not only will
guests benefit, but the rooms will allow further research into and the
application of advanced concepts in hotel management fashioned to make
possible a more sustainable future. �The best way to predict the
future,� said Mr Hatter, �is to create it.� As always, SHTM is looking
to the future, today.
Where Innovations in Hospitality Enrich World Experiences Standing tall at 28 stories, Hotel ICON offers 262 beautifully-appointed guest rooms including 165 Deluxe Rooms, 68 Deluxe Rooms on the Club Floors, 26 Suites and 3 Prototype rooms. Most rooms showcase spectacular view of the Victoria Harbour framed by the stunning skyline of the Hong Kong Island. The prototype guest rooms will be the platform to develop and showcase new technologies and hotel designs, as well as to research and apply advanced business concepts in hotel management. With strong dedication to help build a sustainable future, the Hotel strives to identify technologies, systems and best practices that help create a better future for the community. An environmentally friendly approach has been adopted wherever possible at Hotel ICON. This principle has applied to all elements of the Hotel, from selecting the materials to the use of local suppliers and insulating the building in a modern way. A truly eco-friendly organization, the building is partially powered by solar energy. The components of this monumental hotel have to be refined by a team of world-renowned architects and designers, including Sir Terence Conran from the United Kingdom, Rocco Yim of Rocco Design Architects Ltd from Hong Kong, and Patrick Blanc, the botanist and Vertical Garden designer from France. Delivering appetizing international flavours complemented with impeccable service, Hotel ICON provides a meeting venue of prestige and convenience as well as the best training ground for SHTM students. With a �Silver Box� ballroom that can be configured to accommodate a wide range of events, one lecture hall and five multi-function meeting rooms, students will be learning everything about meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions, as well as weddings and events. Another crucial feature of the hotel�s design will be the Club Floor. Intent on providing �a destination unto itself in the hotel�, PolyU has contracted Conran and Partners, a renowned architecture and design consultancy, to create just the right ambiance. The floor will have a variety of active and passive zones, with Mr Hatter describing a �very interesting space� that would be �unlike any hotel I�ve ever worked in�. It will include a reception area, a restaurant overlooking Victoria Harbour, a lounge, bar, private rooms of different sizes, a multifunction dining and meeting room, a wine cellar and kitchen. The mix of business will be very international, with a dominant Asian aspect. Mr Hatter also pointed to the importance of the Club as an educational venue. He explained that the very best SHTM students would be able to gain experience in the Club that would be invaluable when they enter the job market. In a broader sense, he said �we want students to be empowered to have an experience in a top notch hotel�. The Hotel is completed with a health Club, an outdoor heated swimming pool and an Angsana Spa by Banyan Tree to provide a comprehensive deluxe hotel experience. Focal Point of Hong Kong Culture, Arts and Gastronomy Set within Tsim Sha Tsui East, the most exciting address in town, Hotel ICON is the focal point of Hong Kong culture, arts and gastronomy. For art appreciation and cultural activities, one can visit the Hong Kong Coliseum, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Hong Kong Science Museum or Hong Kong Museum of History in the vicinity. For endless choices of shopping, factory outlets along the nearby Granville Road are a must for bargain hunters. Canton Road, another shopping haven nearby, is the perfect place to browse for international and local designer wears. For gourmands, the Hotel presents exquisite gastronomy enhanced by immaculate service. Designed by the world famous Conran & Partners, the Hotel�s exclusive private members� facility on the 28th floor occupies the entire top floor of the Hotel�s gleaming glass tower offering more than swanky meeting venues and a lounge for members, suite patrons and guests staying on the Club floors. This signature private dining club combines panoramic harbour and city views with innovative private rooms and extensive amenities including an intimate winery of a walk-in cellar with lockers for personal stores, in addition to a fantastic restaurant with a master chef, two welcoming bars, a boardroom and private dining lounges. Great Tastes of Hong Kong are under the spotlight in the restaurant, also designed by Conran & Partners, located on Level 2. Every season, the Hotel carefully put together a variety of local favourite dishes to create a mouth-watering selection featuring fresh ingredients in season. Nothing complicated, using hearty ingredients and straight forward recipes, the kitchen team adds the finest touches to typical Hong Kong delicacies and provides a transcendent experience exceptional to one�s senses. This restaurant gives guests a taste of the cultural memories of Hong Kong, a unique experience that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. An elegant setting featuring a signature patented vertical garden by French botanist and artist Patrick Blanc, the lounge and bar located in the lobby provides a menu of heart-warming comfort food and a soothing atmosphere suitable for breakfast, lunch, high tea or light dinner. Presenting a stunning range of textures, tastes and colours, this ideal place, to see and be seen, brings together gracious hospitality and scrumptious choices. This hip getaway of chic designs and eclectic furnishings also offers a full cocktail menu, premium selection of international wines and liquors. What the Present Promises and the Future Holds At Hotel ICON, students are introduced to a fresh interpretation of traditional Asian hospitality. First-hand experience at the Hotel will give the young hopefuls a thorough understanding of consistent high-touch and carefully crafted service. The Hotel shapes the future of hospitality with stylish comfort, intelligent convenience, exceptional value and rock steady reliability, and launches the careers of confident, stylish, responsive and passionate future hoteliers. With the steadfast support of PolyU, SHTM strives to provide its students
with the best learning experience in the best environment. As the School
seeks to scale new height and attain higher level of excellence in the
years ahead, the stately Hotel Icon will enhance SHTM�s already strong
position and help it achieve its goal by giving it the visibility of a
world-class institution. Hotel ICON will open late 2010.
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Contact:
Prima Wong
Telephone: (852) 34001188
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