DTC Student Wins Double Honours at the World’s Largest Student-Led Hospitality Summit 

Dusit Thani College (DTC) is proud to announce that Ms. Nicharas Rujiteerapat (Alina), a 4th-year International Hospitality Management (IHM) student, has achieved a double distinction at the Young Hospitality Summit (YHS) 2026, held on 16–18 March 2026the world’s largest student-led hospitality summit, now in its 16th edition at EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland. Alina led her international team to first place in the main competition and was individually selected as the sole recipient of the YHS Spirit Award, presented at the Gala Dinner at Lausanne Palace. 

  

About the Young Hospitality Summit 

Founded in 2010 and hosted annually at EHL, YHS brings together hospitality students and global industry leaders to discuss the future of the industry. YHS 2026 gathered 72 delegates from 32 institutions across EMEA, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific, with 20+ world-class speakers and over 1,000 online participants worldwide. 

  

YHS Challenge 2026: 1st Place 

The YHS Challenge was presented by Melco Resorts & Entertainment, asking teams: ”What does luxury mean for Gen Z, and how should it evolve to meet us?” Alina’s team — Group 5 — comprised seven students from seven countries, meeting for the first time at the summit. 

Their concept, ”Redefining Luxury: Cracking the Gen Z Code,” was anchored by a memorable opening: Alina held up an egg, a metaphor for Gen Z, not fragile but misunderstood by an industry following an old recipe. At the close of the presentation, the egg was cracked to signal that understanding this generation requires a fundamental rethinking of luxury. 

Supported by original global survey data, the team found that 67% of Gen Z respondents believe traditional luxury hotels only partially reflect modern luxury, and that 56% choose destinations based on sustainability. The concept proposed a new luxury model — Frictionless, Authentic, and Emotional — drawing inspiration from Supreme’s exclusive “drop” strategy and Spotify’s personalised storytelling. 

After advancing to the final round, the team presented before a distinguished jury including Mr. Lawrence Ho, Chairman and CEO of Melco Resorts & Entertainment, and was selected as the winning team of the YHS Challenge 2026. 

  

Prizes 

Each winning team member received a fully curated Melco luxury experience in Macao — including a hotel stay, fine dining at Michelin-starred Jade Dragon, and access to City of Dreams — with the option to bring one guest. The team has also been invited to present their concept directly to Melco’s Board of Directors in summer 2026. 

  

YHS Spirit Award 2026 

Beyond the team competition, Alina was presented with the YHS Spirit Award — given each year to a single delegate who best embodies what YHS represents: curiosity, leadership, collaboration, and genuine human connection. The award was presented by the YHS organising team during the Gala Dinner at Lausanne Palace. 

“Receiving the YHS Spirit Award is a moment I will carry with me — not only as an achievement, but as a reminder of the kind of hospitality leader I strive to be. Before coming to YHS, I was beginning to question if this was still the path for me. But somewhere between the conversations, the ideas, and the people I met, something shifted. I remembered why I fell in love with hospitality in the first place — it was always about people.”, said Alina.