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Dr. Chris Gibbs

Dr. Chris Gibbs

Associate Professor | Director, Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
DepartmentHospitality and Tourism Management
EducationBComm, MBA, PhD
OfficeTRS 3-054
Phone(416) 979-5000 x 552297

Dr. Chris Gibbs brings over two decades of diverse experience in the sports, entertainment, travel, and hospitality industries to his role at the university. As the Director of Canada's first and largest School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, he spearheads academic strategy and operations. Chris's passion lies in mentoring and preparing the next generation of industry leaders.

Recognized Excellence in Teaching and Leadership

Chris's significant contributions to the university and his commitment to student success have been widely recognized:

2012 Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Service Award

2014 Dean's Teaching Award

2016 Vice-Provost Experiential Teaching Award

2022 Errol Aspevig Award for Outstanding Academic Leadership

Industry Engagement and Innovation

Beyond his academic roles, Chris is actively involved with industry partners. He serves as the Faculty Lead for the Club Managers Association of Canada and is an Advisory Board Member for the Centre for Events and Festivals (CEF) Practitioner Board.

Before joining TMU, Chris spent eight years at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in business operations and venue management. His leadership experience also spans the travel industry with Travel CUTS, live theatre marketing with Livent Inc., and attraction marketing with Playdium Entertainment. Throughout his career, Chris has consistently demonstrated a talent for identifying "white space" – new business opportunities that drive revenue and expand market reach. He is known as an accomplished leader with an engaging presentation style.

linkedin.com/in/cgibbs (external link, opens in new window) 

Mobile, social media, twitter, responsive website design, technology, innovation

Peer reviewed publications

Dubois, L. E., Griffin, T., Gibbs, C., & Guttentag, D. (2021). The impact of video games on destination image. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(4), 554-566.

Dubois, L. E., & Gibbs, C. (2018). Video game-induced tourism: a new frontier for destination marketers. Tourism Review, 74(2), 186-198.

Gibbs, C., Guttentag, D., Gretzel, U., Yao, L. Morton, J. (2018). Use of dynamic pricing strategies by Airbnb hosts (external link) . International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, (30), 2-20. doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-09-2016-0540

Wade R., Holmes, M. R., & Gibbs, C. (2018). The Challenges of Full-Service Restaurant Brand Internationalization: A United States/Canada Perspective (external link) . Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 21(2), 139-153. doi.org/10.1080/15378020.2017.1346987

Gibbs, C., Cook-Johnson, G. (2018). Nigel's choice: A hotel appraiser's decision-making issues when interests conflict. (external link)  Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Cases. dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781529719512

Gibbs, C., Guttentag, D., Gretzel, U., Morton, J., Goodwill, A. (2018). Pricing in the sharing economy: A hedonic pricing model applied to Airbnb listings (external link) . Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 35(1), 46-56. doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2017.1308292

Gibbs, C., Gretzel, U., & Saltzman, J. (2016). An experience-based taxonomy of branded hotel mobile application features (external link) . Information Technology & Tourism, 16(2), 175-199. doi.org/10.1007/s40558-016-0052-5

Gibbs, C., Macdonald, F., & MacKay, K. (2015). Social media usage in hotel human resources: Recruitment, hiring and communication (external link) . International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 27(2), 170-184. doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-05-2013-0194

Gibbs, C., O’Reilly, N., & Brunette, M. (2014). Professional team sport and twitter: Gratifications sought and obtained by followers (external link, opens in new window) . International Journal of Sport Communication, 7(2), 188-213. doi.org/10.1123/IJSC.2014-0005

Gibbs, C., & Haynes, R. (2013). A phenomenological investigation into how twitter has changed the nature of sport media relations (external link) . International Journal of Sport Communication, 6(4), 394-408. doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.6.4.394

Industry research and reports

Gibbs, C., Hall, L. (2016). Airbnb and the real impact on the Canadian Hotel industry. Available at: http://bit.ly/292jamz, June 2016, 16 pages

Gibbs, C. (2016). NBA All-Star 2016 Toronto; Accomodations supply/demand analysis. Greater Toronto Hotel Assocation May 2016, 6 pages

Gibbs, C. (2016). Government Airbnb control policies. Greater Toronto Hotel Association, May 2016, 13 pages

Gibbs, C. (2016). Supply/Demand analysis Airbnb and hotels in the Greater Toronto Area. Greater Toronto Hotel Association, May 2016, 7 pages.

Gibbs, C. (2015). Top 100 Airport Global Mobile Readiness Index: Available at: http://budurl.com/AirportMobileIndex, 23 pages.  

Gibbs, C. (2014, 2015, 2016) Global Mobile Readiness Index DMO Edition, October, 2014. 

Due to the broad professional experience which Chris obtained in his 20+ years of professional work experience he has the ability and skills to teach multiple different topics related to business.

Current undergraduate courses
  • HTT 610 - Business of Events and Live Entertainment 
  • HTL 510 - Hotel Real Estate
Past undergraduate courses
  • HTH 102 - Service and Professionalism
  • HTH 501 - Advanced Service Management Systems
  • HTH 700 - Ethics in Hospitality and Tourism
  • HTH 706 - Advanced Hospitality Management
  • HTH 901 - Management Career Strategies
  • HTD 500 - Concepts Design Feasibility 
  • HTL 701 - The Value of Branding in Lodging
  • HTM 302 - Marketing Principles
  • HTM 402 - Strategic Marketing Planning
  • HTT 622 - Destination Management and Marketing
  • FMG 901 - Foundations of Marketing
  • MKT 100 - Introduction to marketing
Graduate
  • MB8 003 - Marketing in an International Environment
External
  • FIBA 100 - The Business of Basketball (2012)
  • NHLPA Breakaway Program, National Hockey League Players Alumni Leadership Course (2009)
Honours & awards
2022 Errol Aspevig Award for Outstanding Academic Leadership 
2017 Provost's Experiential Teaching Award, Ryerson University
2016 Highly Commended Paper, Emerald Publishing, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
2014 Deans Teaching Award, Ted Rogers School of Management
2012 School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Service Award