The Greater China finals of the 15th Accor TakeOff! Challenge 2026, a global student innovation competition in tourism and hotel management, concluded recently. Assistant Professor Tammy Meng from the Faculty of International Tourism and Management (FITM) at City University of Macau (CityU) led two student teams, “Joy Sense” and “Hobot”, to join the contest. Both teams delivered outstanding performances, securing the champion and the runner-up respectively in the Greater China region.
Themed “Imagine a guest experience that creates an unforgettable first impression”, this year’s competition called for innovative designs centered on the guest’s initial arrival experience, attracting students across tourism management, business administration, digital technology, and other fields. Participating teams were required to submit their innovative proposals in English, and to fully present their work across three rounds of competition through various formats including mood boards, videos, and roadshows. A judging panel composed of senior industry executives and academics then conducted a professional evaluation.
The competition also served as a platform for industry-academia collaboration, with outstanding works having the opportunity to be implemented in hotels under the Accor Group , enabling the industrialization and practical application of creative outcomes.
The Joy Sense team, which won the Greater China championship, stood out among the many entries with its “Five Senses, First Impression” five-sensory experience service upgrade proposal. Combining an international hotel management approach, the team designed a service model adaptable to Accor brand. Their proposal introduced sustainable innovations such as seed-paper room key cards, a lifestyle radio station, and low-carbon micro-services, supported by a complete set of standard operating procedures (SOPs). This achieved a balance between guest experience, labor costs, and operational realities, demonstrating high practical feasibility for implementation.
The Hobot team, which won the Greater China runner-up title, focused on the core experience of the first ten minutes of hotel check-in. Grounded in human-centric service and green sustainable development, the team developed a hotel service optimization proposal that combines warmth, innovation, and social responsibility. Moving beyond traditional hotel service thinking, the team designed a multilingual remote front-desk robot that can be independently operated by guests with disabilities, eliminating communication barriers for international travelers from special needs groups. At the same time, they delved into local culture to create immersive lobby décor installations, breaking away from the stereotypical image of standardized hotels. On the green front, they optimized guest room consumables and promoted reusable eco-friendly supplies to put low-carbon principles into practice. Upholding the core concept of “Feel the clean, recall the care”, the team adhered to a people-oriented approach, promoting the coordinated development of inclusivity, cultural richness, and ecological sustainability in high-end hotel services.
Accor TakeOff! Challenge is an annual innovation competition for university students worldwide, founded by the French hospitality group Accor. The competition aims to build a bridge between academia and industry, inviting students to propose innovative solutions to real business challenges faced by Accor, while identifying future international talent in fields such as hotel management, business, marketing, and digital technology. The competition seeks to leverage the fresh perspectives of young people to promote the development of the hospitality industry.
Source: Faculty of International Tourism and Management
