Global sustainability challenge by Hotelschool The Hague brings synergy amongst hospitality management, engineering, and design institutions.
Sustainable Hospitality Challenge Semi-Finals to take place this month in Amsterdam
The Hague, Netherlands - After eight successful years, the Sustainable Hospitality Challenge (SHC) is once again set to host its semi-finals in Amsterdam on June 21-22. This year, addition to the participation of top hospitality institutions, the competition is joined by top design and engineering students from prestigious institutions, including Politecnico di Milano, Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (Didi), Nanyang Technological University Singapore and TU Delft.
The SHC is a Hotelschool The Hague initiative that aims to enhance the evolution of sustainable hospitality, foster innovation driven by the leaders of tomorrow, and nurture talent on a global scale by bringing them close to industry organisations that want to reimagine the future of hospitality. The global hospitality industry is forecast to grow to 5.8 trillion U.S. dollars in 2027, reiterating the importance of sustainability within the industry.
Ahead of the semi-finals, Paul Griep, founder of the Sustainable Hospitality Challenge, Director of Alumni and Industry Relations Hotelschool The Hague explained, The great enthusiasm from industry leaders and students, as well as the past years’ winning concepts, have inspired the SHC team to bring the Challenge to a new level: Its incredible momentum and recognition from the industry, along with last year’s winning concept now becoming a reality and contributing to the sustainable future of hospitality, has pushed the Challenge forward, resulting in an upcoming SHC 2023 edition that will be like never before: broader in participating disciplines, higher in synergy, and an event you will not want to miss. I have always been most excited about the student experience and the process leading to the winning sustainability concept, but now, more than ever, I can’t wait to see design, hospitality, architecture and engineering students come together to bring even more ingenuity to this year’s winning concept.
The competition is made possible with the support of key sponsors and partners NEOM, The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, The Bench, and Kerten Hospitality.
Chris Newman, Executive Director at NEOM Hotel Development said: We are delighted with the level of creativity from the students participating in The Sustainable Hospitality Challenge. These brilliant concepts will serve as the building blocks that will hopefully pave the way for a more responsible and sustainable future.
Glenn Mandziuk, Chief Executive Officer of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance said: The SHC is a unique platform to promote and evolve sustainable hospitality, and I’m excited to see the semi-finalists and the concepts brought to life. Innovation is at the heart of the Alliance as we aim to nurture and develop a truly Net Positive sector that gives back more than it takes. The SHC is pioneering positive sustainable advancements within the industry.
A sneak peek of the semi-finalists’ concepts, showing the positive impact of collaboration across disciplines
The team from Swiss Hotel Management School and Politecnico di Milano: Josiel Torres, Alimohammed Al-aghakhani, Anson Lam, Anna Iutkina & Giulia Bonelli. Their concept: “Al Gaia”; is a revolutionary self-sufficient underwater hotel that utilizes natural resources to create a unique experience for guests.
Another example by the team from University of Nevada, Las Vegas: Hieu Nguyen, Christen Smith, An Pham and Allister Dias. Their concept: The Palm Experience aims to enrich the lives of both Saudi Arabia citizens and aspiring visitors through Recreational & Educational Workshops on Sustainability Travel (REST), immersive food, beverage, cultural experiences, and a unique one-with-nature stay.
Sustainable Hospitality Challenge in a collaborative effort with TU Delft
From a challenge to a course, this year the SHC has expanded from hospitality to design, and created in a collaborative effort with TU Delft a project-based course: Interactive Technology Design (ITD). As part of the Sustainable Hospitality Challenge, students from TU Delft have been working on ideas, innovations, and prototypes to support the industry's sustainability efforts.
In the course, students produce a prototype every week for 20 weeks from February to July 2023. As a whole, the course functions as a creative melting pot for innovative and critical ideas generating a wide range of out-of-the-box solutions to project assignments.
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About the Sustainable Hospitality Challenge
The SHC, first launched under the name “Genio” in 2014, is a Hotelschool The Hague initiative that aims to enhance the evolution of sustainable hospitality. Established as a platform that challenges innovative hospitality approaches for the last nine years, SHC has evolved into a global knowledge-based initiative. During its years of activity, SHC has collaborated with some of the most reputable CEOs of the Hospitality Industry, who, from competition to competition, were asked to judge the project proposals.
About Hotelschool The Hague
Hotelschool The Hague is one of the oldest independent hotel schools in the world, with two campuses, one in The Hague and one in Amsterdam, and more than 2850 students and 250 employees. The school offers a four-year Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Management, a Fast-Track Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Management, a 13-month Master of Business Administration in International Hospitality Management, a Master in Leading Hotel Transformation, and a Professional Doctorate Programme in Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality.
Hotelschool The Hague has been voted the best public hotel school in The Netherlands since 2014 and ranks among the top hospitality management schools worldwide according to QS World University Rankings.
The school is the proud founder of the Sustainable Hospitality Challenge, an international student competition that aims to enhance the evolution of sustainable hospitality.
The school invites industry stakeholders to engage in research within the realm of international hospitality management, with emphasis on the evolution of sustainability and digitalisation initiatives.
Graduates of Hotelschool The Hague hold management positions in the hospitality industry worldwide. www.hotelschool.nl
