January 13, 2021 (Austin, Texas) – An overview of the latest hotel cleaning technology advancements is the topic of the winning blog in a competition for graduate-level students. The competition was sponsored by the Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) Foundation and held for students earning their HFTP-UH Global Masters Certificate, a program with candidates of the Master of Science in Global Hospitality Business, a partnership between the CN Hilton College at the University of Houston, the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and EHL.

The blog-writing competition ran the course of the MS Global Hospitality Business program, where the students were assigned to focus on a critical hospitality industry topic and submit their study as a blog article. Upon completion, a group of judges from HFTP reviewed and voted for the competition winners, identifying the top three.

“The topics presented by all the competitors are top-of-mind to our industry, all wide-ranging in topic but important information in a time we are all looking for new strategies,” said HFTP Frank Wolfe, CAE. “Without a doubt, these students are entering their careers with a strong background.”

The winning blogs will be published on the HFTP Connect blog over the course of the next three months:

1st place:

Role of Technology in Cleaning and Sanitizing in the Era of the New Normal

By Nutthaphat Poolworaluk; Published on January 13

2nd place:

Stay or Leave? Internship Stress and Coping Strategies in the Hotel Industry

By Shan Shan Chien; To be published on February 10

3rd place:

Live Streaming Has Made Great Contributions to Chinese Hospitality Business Recovery

By Shuyi Wang; To be published on March 10

Agnes DeFranco, professor and Conrad N. Hilton Distinguished Chair said, “UH is very pleased to partner with HFTP in this competition. HFTP is always at the forefront of providing solutions and ideas for industry issues. This blog competition is another great example of HFTP, thinking outside the box, working with our young professionals in creating alternative solutions.”

HFTP will host the same competition for a new group of graduate students over the Spring 2021 semester.