Kaye Kye-Sung Chon


Kaye Kye-Sung Chon is a South Korean and American academic specializing in hospitality management and tourism. He currently serves as Dean and Chair Professor at the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where he also holds the Walter and Wendy Kwok Family Foundation Professorship in International Hospitality Management. Chon is noted for his contributions to hospitality education, including his role in the establishment of Hotel ICON.
WWW kayechon.com

Early life and education

Chon was born in Jeonju, South Korea. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgia State University, graduating summa cum laude in 1984. He earned a master's degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1985 and completed his PhD at Virginia Tech in 1990, specializing in marketing and consumer behavior in tourism.

Academic career

After his PhD, Chon joined the faculty at Virginia Tech. He later held positions at the UNLV and the University of Houston, where he was Professor and Director of Research and the Tourism Industry Institute at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management.
In 2000 Chon became Dean of SHTM at PolyU. At the university, he also holds the Walter and Wendy Kwok Family Foundation Professorship in International Hospitality Management.
Under his leadership, SHTM became an independent school. Chon was involved in the development of Hotel ICON, a teaching and research hotel.

Awards and honors

Chon received the UNWTO Ulysses Prize in 2011 for tourism knowledge creation. In 2007 he was honored with the Howard B. Meek Award.
Other honors include:

Selected works

Welcome to Hospitality: An Introduction Leading the Way: The Story of SHTM and Hotel ICON