The Pathway of Environmental Sustainability in the Hotel Industry

Elisa Chan (PhD) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management and the Associate Director at the Centre for Hospitality and Real Estate Research (CHRER) at CUHK Business School. Prior to joining CUHK, Elisa worked at the EHL Hospitality Business School (Switzerland) and the New York Institute of Technology (Canada) where she taught the undergraduate and master’s programmes. She also conducted executive trainings for hospitality companies, including Nespresso (Switzerland), Beijing Tourism Group (China), and Terme e Grandi Alberghi Sirmion (Italy). Moreover, she worked on various research and capstone projects with Moncierge (US), Statler Hotel (US), STR Global (US), HSMAI (US), Caran d’ache (Switzerland), Royal Savoy Hotels (Switzerland), Hilton Worldwide (UK), and SHARC Energy Systems (Canada). Like many others, Elisa has prioritized sustainability in her work and her current research focuses on sustainable tourism and hospitality. She also oversees the Greater China Hotel Business Sustainability Index (Hotel BSI) for the Centre for Hospitality and Real Estate Research (CHRER).

Dr Amie Lai, General Manager, Sustainability, at Great Eagle Group, leads the design and implementation of long-term decarbonisation and net-zero road map, along with its overarching climate and sustainability strategies for the Group’s global operations. By engaging stakeholders, setting targets, and developing corresponding action plans, Dr Lai guides a team that manages the full spectrum of the Group’s environmental, social, and economic impacts, striving to further embed sustainability into Great Eagle Group’s corporate culture and business practices.

Prof. Dan Wang has been recognized for her impactful research and leadership in academia and industry in tourism and hospitality management. Prof. Wang’s research focuses on digital transformation in tourism, technology adoption, and social media marketing within the hospitality industry. Her work also explores hotel environmental management practices and their sustainability implications. Prof. Wang has also shaped public policies on hotel environmental management in Hong Kong and Mainland China by working with the China Hospitality Association and the Hong Kong Hotel Association. She has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, including 33 in top-tier journals, 49 conference papers, and seven book chapters. Her research has garnered over 9,000 citations, with an h-index of 35 and an i10-index of 46. Prof. Dan Wang was listed as one of the top 2% of scientists worldwide in the Economics & Business field (Sport, Leisure, & Tourism subfield) in the latest report released by Stanford University. Prof. Wang’s leadership extends to her role as Associate Director of the Research Center for Digital Transformation of Tourism at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Ms Sindy Wong is Head, Tourism and Hospitality of Invest Hong Kong, the government department responsible for attracting and facilitating foreign direct investment into Hong Kong.

She joined Invest Hong Kong in 2004 and was promoted to Head of Tourism and Hospitality in 2015. Her team assists companies from food services, food and beverage trading, foodtech, travel, MICE, wellness and beauty industries globally to land on her home city of Hong Kong. Prior to joining Invest Hong Kong, Ms Wong’s career experience spans advertising and corporate communication, tourism, entertainment and banking industries .

Ms Wong holds a bachelor’s degree in arts from The University of Hong Kong and is a Certified Financial Planner.

She speaks fluent English, Mandarin and Cantonese. She is an animal lover and enjoys bringing new dining and beauty concepts to Hong Kong which is not only her passion for life but mission for Hong Kong!

Recent InvestHK clients: Deliveroo, Five Guys, Fortnum & Mason, Freshlane ,foodpanda, Haidilao, Informa Markets, Kiztopia, Klook Travel, Legoland Discovery Centre, QB House, Sushiro, Sustenir etc. (as at Dec 2022)