Dear ICHRIE Members,

The ICHRIE Hotel Challenge by Knowledge Matters is open to college-level students at schools that are ICHRIE institutional members. Participants test their skills at managing a simulated hotel. This web-based simulation used in the competition was developed in partnership with the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation and Marriott International.

Competition Rules

This competition is open to college-level students who are students at schools with an active ICHRIE Institutional level membership. Participation is for individuals only (no teams). Please talk to your instructor or department head to see if your school is an institutional member of ICHRIE. 

During the 2026-Q4 competition, students are challenged to manage a hotel profitably by overseeing revenue management, group sales, banquets/meetings and housekeeping. Participants will experience real-world scenarios like they would working in a real hotel including various combinations of the following concepts:

• Front desk operations
• Housekeeping
• Marketing & public relations
• Group sales
• Banquets
• Pricing & revenue management
• Social media
• Restaurant operations
• And more!

Scores will be based on a balanced scorecard that includes profitability, customer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction and participants will be ranked based on their scorecard.

The ICHRIE Hotel Challenge by Knowledge Matters is open to college-level students at schools that are ICHRIE institutional members.

What:

Students are challenged to manage a simulated hotel profitably by overseeing revenue management and restaurant operations.

Where:

100% online.

When:

Registration begins on Tuesday, 10 November 2026 and the competition runs from Monday, 23 November 2026 at 10:00AM ESTthrough Friday, 4 December 2026 at 5:00PM EST.

Why:

The 1st-3rd place nationally ranked students will win the following awards, funded by Knowledge Matters!

• 1^st Place: $500
• 2^nd Place: $300
• 3^rd Place: $200

Prize rule: Previous winners of this competition may participate in this competition but are ineligible to win prize money. Prizes will be awarded prior to Spring 2027 and presented at the annual ICHRIE Global Conference.

How:

Scores will be based on a balanced scorecard that includes profitability, customer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction and participants will be ranked based on their scorecard. Students who are currently using, or who have previously used, Case Simulations may use their existing accounts to participate. Students who have not used the online simulation will be given the opportunity to create a new account free of charge.