Beijing summit explores the future of hotel crossover partnerships

Curated by students, for students

"Since its inception in 2011, the annual theme of FHS has changed every year, but what has remained unchanged is that it is fully organized by our students," BHI President Gao Songtao said at Thursday's opening ceremony. "I hope that through this platform, students will be able to see a world that extends far beyond their textbooks and gain firsthand experience of the latest industry developments and practices."

Liu Chang, a fourth-year BHI student specializing in financial management, served as executive manager of the 14th summit.

Liu told China Daily Website that a 43-member core organizing committee oversaw every aspect of the event, from researching its theme and format to pitching corporate sponsors and communicating with guests and participants.

"BHI is a school that dares to let students take the lead, which enables us to grow through real projects and step out with greater confidence," Liu said.

This year's event attracted 56 students from 28 universities worldwide. Han Jingxi, a marketing major at Dongbei University of Finance & Economics, was among them.

"I learned that BHI students had started preparing for the summit a semester ago, and I'm impressed by how organized everything is," she said. "From pre-event communication to reception, the student organizers are very thoughtful, and we feel well taken care of."

What impressed Han most was the summit's emphasis on direct dialogue between students and industry leaders.

"I have attended many lectures and forums, but most of the time we students are on the receiving end," she said. "Here, we have many opportunities to talk to guest speakers and seek their professional opinions and advice."

Gen Z's ideas

The summit culminated in a competition on Friday, showcasing Gen Z hoteliers' ideas for energizing hotels through cross-sector collaboration.

About 40 students from 28 universities around the world, divided into 10 groups, presented business proposals.

Rather than tearing everything down and starting from scratch, most proposals took a lighter approach, adding fresh experiences to spaces hotels already have. In these concepts, hotels serve as platforms rather than all-in-one providers. They collaborate with universities, local organizations, influencers, and nearby businesses, which contribute specialized content while hotels provide space and hospitality expertise.

By developing offerings around wellness, study tours, immersive entertainment, intangible cultural heritage, and eco-friendly experiences, hotels can generate revenue beyond room bookings, mitigate the effects of slow seasons, and attract both staying guests and local residents.

Another notable feature of the student proposals was their focus on specific customer groups rather than trying to serve everyone in the same way. These groups included Gen Z travelers, older guests, families, inbound visitors, and corporate clients.

Some teams were also praised for proposing phased rollouts — testing their ideas first and making adjustments based on real-world data to keep risks manageable.