Officials of the Hospitality Asset Managers Association (“HAMA”) today announced that it has begun accepting submissions for the 18th Annual HAMA Student Case Competition. Participating students from more than 30 undergraduate and graduate programs nationwide are given three scenarios from which to choose to present a case study, including:

  • Management company change
  • Brand change
  • ROI

Working with a HAMA member and their respective university professors, student teams will be required to prepare a comprehensive financial analysis, recommend a solution and executive summary for a board review. The case studies are modeled after real life scenarios HAMA members have dealt with in their role as an owner’s representative.

Eighteen industry executives serving on the HAMA education committee will evaluate submissions based on the quality of the presentation. Continuing its tradition of working together with students, HAMA mentors volunteer their time in October and November to assist student teams interested in garnering feedback throughout the process and in obtaining additional information and reports as necessary. Schools and universities will select their finalists by January 15th, with graduates and undergraduates being reviewed separately. The two winning teams will each receive a $5,000 prize and be invited to the spring 2024 HAMA spring conference in Nashville. Travel and lodging will be covered by HAMA.

Historically, the annual competition has dealt with general topics and challenges facing operators and ownership of hospitality related assets. HAMA sought feedback from several university professors and updated the format to be more applicable to situations these future students will be confronted with upon graduation. This year’s participants include universities such as Cornell, Georgia State, Boston, Oklahoma, University of Houston, Penn State and NYU.

Year after year, we continue to be impressed by the increasingly higher standards these students exhibit as they research and provide meaningful data on their way into a full-fledged hospitality career. The level of sophistication exhibited grows annually, and we look forward to what the 2023 class of entrants will present. Adam Tegge, HAMA Education Committee Chair

About HAMA

HAMA members are involved in asset management, acquisition, financing and disposition of hotels and resorts and are directly responsible for making decisions concerning capital investments, renovations, asset repositioning, operational policies and management selection. The association's mission is to, "Further the knowledge and skills of our members, facilitate peer relationships, and serve as the collective voice of members and hospitality asset owners." Its U.S. members represent more than 3,500 hotels and resorts across every major brand, accounting for 775,000 hotel rooms, 250,000 employees, $40 billion in annual revenue and $3 billion in capital expenditures. The organization boasts an additional 245 international affiliate members, as well.

Chris Daly
+1 703 435 6293
HAMA