Hotels link up with PolyU in chase for new blood

About 200 Polytechnic University nonsubsidized degree students from hotel and tourism, engineering, business and communications streams will be able to intern at nine Sun Hung Kai Properties hotels during this summer and winter break, including top-notch Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton.

The property giant has partnered with PolyU’s College of Professional and Continuing Education in organizing the program to inject new blood into the sector, which is reviving as Hong Kong enters its post-Covid-19 resumption, but is facing a manpower shortage after three years of border closures.

SHKP’s assistant vice president for the hotel division, Michael Lam Ho-po, said the interns will work for 500 hours – about two months during their summer break and a month in winter – at the nine hotels.

The other seven hotels are W Hong Kong, Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour and five Royal brand hotels – the Royal Garden, Royal Plaza, Royal Park, Royal View and Alva Hotel by Royal.

Lam said upon completion, students will receive a certificate and enjoy priority if they apply for full-time positions at these hotels after graduation.

“We’re not just targeting students from the hospitality and tourism stream. We also welcome those from engineering, business and corporate communication programs. We also need these talents in hotels.”

Lam did not disclose pay terms, but said the levels will be competitive.

Associate dean Warren Chiu Chi-kwan said a college survey found its graduates – who had to fulfil a 300-hour internship requirement – from last summer are earning HK$26,000 a month on average.

Ritz-Carlton’s human resources director, Elise Lau, said her hotel, above Elements mall in West Kowloon, suffered a 20 percent manpower loss over the past few years, with some staff leaving Hong Kong and others changing fields due to a lack of tourists.

“But the industry is back in the game now, although it’s only been two months since the border reopening,” she said, adding the hotel had recorded an occupancy of more than 90 percent.

A recruitment day was held at PolyU CPCE’s Yau Ma Tei campus yesterday, with more than 500 students visiting booths hosted by the nine hotels.

One of them is 22-year-old Natalie Au Yee-ting, a final-year student studying for a bachelor degree in travel industry management.

Au, who had worked part-time and internship in aviation companies, said she also wanted to try hotels before deciding her future.

PolyU CPCE and SHKP will organize hotel visits next month before applications for the internship close at the end of next month.

Interviews will be conducted in May and students are expected to begin their summer internship in June.