Any good place and experience are made great by the people behind them, although this simple fact is often taken for granted. China has no lack of hotel awards, but a national scale award exclusively dedicated to the professionals working in the hotel industry is yet to take place.

Scheduled for Dec 11, 2014, the Hotelier Awards China will be the first when it is launched at The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai Pudong, and crown the first winners during a dinner gala.

Applications are ongoing and will close on August 31, open to hotel employees from any property in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau. The applicants will be judged by a panel of experts, consisting of high profile media in the travel industry, senior management from the luxury travel sector and educators with hotel management.

The judges will go through each applicant's profile and pick out five finalists from each of the 15 categories, such as GM of the Year, House-Keeping Hotelier of the Year, Unsung Hero. Winners in each category will chosen based on several criteria, including the applicants' CV, an interview, recommendation letter, and other materials provided.

The major award, Most Popular Hotelier of the Year, will be decided via online voting.

To apply for an award, book a table or become a sponsor or participate in the vendor show, please visit www.hotelierawards.com.