HTM students reach semifinals of Sustainable Hospitality Challenge with innovative Cargotel concept
Friday, July 12, 2024
Media Contact: Stephen Howard | Manager of Communications | 405-744-4363 | stephen.howard@okstate.edu
A team of students from the Oklahoma State University School of Hospitality and Tourism Management advanced to the semifinals of the prestigious Sustainable Hospitality Challenge thanks to their pioneering concept, Cargotel, an eco-friendly hotel made from repurposed shipping containers.
The SHC is a Hotelschool The Hague initiative aimed at enhancing the evolution of sustainable hospitality worldwide by creating innovative solutions and stimulating investment in the space. Competing in its first SHC, the OSU team faced off against more than 70 universities across North and South America, and were among the 12 semifinalists at the competition held in May in Miami.
Spears School of Business HTM students McKenzie Beesley, Dane Ellet and Tyler Owen attended the competition, while entrepreneurship major Ethan Johnson assisted in the preparation but was unable to attend due to a previously scheduled CAGLE study abroad program.
“Going to Miami for the Sustainable Hospitality Challenge expanded my world,” Ellet said. “Meeting talented students from universities across the globe was an incredible experience. The intelligent, talented and friendly people at this event confirmed that I’m in the right industry. I was proud of our OSU team and our container concept. We faced the challenge and we rose to it.”
Cargotel’s innovative approach reduces waste and offers cost-effective, easily mobile hotel solutions to investors worldwide. By transforming containers into fully functional hotels, Cargotel meets the needs of environmentally conscious investors by using natural binders like ash and mud instead of manufactured twist locks, all while catering to the global demand for sustainable hospitality options.
“The Sustainable Hospitality Challenge was an unforgettable experience,” Owen said. “We got the chance to envision and make plans for the future of hospitality and how it affects the world. We created Cargotel, a way to solve many different issues within the hotel and lodging world. By repurposing shipping containers, we can create hotel rooms that can be placed in any area for any amount of time, and then picked up and moved, whenever and wherever. Our experience there definitely changed how I look at the industry, and what I can do to be a greater part of it. We connected with different universities all over the country, and even outside of it. I've made lasting friendships and dove into HTM like never before.”
Through proposed strategic partnerships with port authorities, shipping companies and global organizations like UNICEF, FEMA and Swire Coca-Cola, Cargotel aims to streamline operations and scale its business, contributing significantly to sustainability efforts in the hospitality sector.
“I am very proud of these students for achieving such a great result the very first time that we attended this competition,” said assistant professor of professional practice Steven West, who served as the faculty advisor for the Cargotel project. “Just a couple of weeks earlier, another group of students were crowned national champions in the hotel turnaround championships. So, it is very exciting to see OSU suddenly become a contender on both the national and international stage in these types of competitions. And, since this particular set of students were not seniors it means we get another year out of them for next year's competition, as well as letting them teach other students on how to thrive in such a competition.”
Although this was OSU’s first appearance at SHC, the event celebrated its 10th year in 2024. Competitors assembled a comprehensive business plan and investor deck, and presented their vision to a panel of C-suite executives and potential investors at the three semifinal sites: Montreux, Switzerland; Bangkok, Thailand; and Miami.