Collins College Professor Receives Best Proposal Award at International Hospitality Research Marathon
Professor Wan Yang, the James A. Collins Distinguished Professor at The Collins College of Hospitality Management, and her research team received the Best Proposal Award of the 2026 International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) Global Research Marathon.
Their proposal was selected as the top project among 11 finalist teams from around the world during May’s Asia-Pacific Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education Conference in Osaka, Japan.
Yang and her team were recognized for their project, “Beyond Material Luxury: An Expectation-Reality Gaps-Based Onboarding for Gen Z Employees in Luxury Private Clubs.” The proposal addresses one of the hospitality's most pressing workforce challenges: attracting, onboarding and retaining Gen Z employees. It examines how differences between employees’ expectations and workplace realities affect job satisfaction, well-being and long-term retention. The team aims to develop research-based onboarding strategies that better prepare employees and improve retention. The ICHRIE Global Research Marathon is a yearlong international research initiative that brings together hospitality researchers and industry professionals to collaboratively develop solutions for real-world challenges facing the industry.
"I am particularly excited about this project because it aligns closely with my work as the James A. Collins Distinguished Professor — connecting rigorous scholarship with practical solutions for hospitality organizations," Yang said. "One of the most rewarding aspects of the Global Research Marathon has been working with scholars from other institutions and receiving feedback that will help strengthen our project as it moves into its next phase."
Besides Yang, the project team includes professors Wen Chang from Texas A&M University, Juliana Tkatch from University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Forest Ma from University of Central Florida.
As part of the yearlong Research Marathon, the team will continue refining and conducting the research before sharing its findings through academic publications and industry reports.