On Tuesday, March 22, 2023, the CHS Georgia Chapter hosted its Annual Hunter Hotel Conference Reception at Max Lager’s Wood-Fired Grill & Brewery. Our host for the event was Alan LeBlanc ’84. Approximately 35 Hotelies from across the country, and their guests, enjoyed fine food and beverages while networking and catching up. Thanks to Sam Woodworth MMH ‘16 and Jonathan Webster MMH ’21 for arranging the event.
On Tuesday, December 6, the CHS Hawaii Chapter held a reception at the Halekulani Hotel, followed by dinner at House Without A Key. During the evening, the Hotelies in attendance were treated to a tour of the newly renovated guest rooms and iconic gatehouse.
The CHS Las Vegas chapter held their 2022 holiday party on December 7 at Honey Salt. Special thanks to Honey Salt owner Elizabeth Blau ‘14 and Keith Kefgen ‘84 and his wife Judy for putting on such a spectacular evening. Thanks to Bryan Cohen – Arts ‘97 as well for leading us in singing the Alma Mater, stellar performance!
The New York chapter hosted its annual “You Need To Meet” reception on November 13, 2022. The event was held at The Pierre Hotel and preceded the inaugural Hotelie Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Hundreds of Hotelies were in attendance to enjoy and abundance of food and beverages.
Special thanks to the generous support of the title sponsor Uplift, gold sponsor Pernod Ricard, silver sponsors LDV Hospitality, BattleFace, Coeur Wine Company, and Cornell Hotel Society.
Thank you to Rafael Bitanga ’23, Bishal Chhatkuli ’22, and Bitanga Productions for the pictures below.
The inaugural CHS Cornell Hotelie Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was very successfully held on November 13, 2022. Over 270 were in attendance. Almost all of the 17 inductees and the Rising Star and/or their families were in attendance. Unfortunately, we did not have family members for Dean Meek, Lilyan Affinito, and Vance Christian. The introduction and acceptance were truly heartfelt and reflected the Hotelie spirit extremely well. I told the audience at the end of the event, “my Hotelie pride meter is in the red zone.” We had eight decades of Hotelies in the audience. The younger Hotelies appreciated the Hotelie legacy they are now a part of. This is truly the start of a great tradition to celebrate Hotelies each year.
Over 300 Hotelies contributed in some form to the success of the Hall of Fame program and the auction. They served on the nomination/selection committee, they served on the marketplace committee, they contributed quotes and helped wrote the inductee stories, they solicited and donated auction prizes, they bid on these auction prizes, and they helped spread the word to other Hotelies. This is the Hotelie Spirit at work.
Thanks to the generous donation and bidding of Hotelies, we raised over $100,000 USD from the auction. Over 300 bids were placed. Many bidders bid on multiple items and many items had multiple bids. The highest bid was for the Aman New York stay and the Belmond Caribbean stay, each at $4,000. The item with the highest number of bids (14 bids) was the Scarpetta pairing dinner.
Sincere thanks to sponsors and supporters. For the Reception, special thanks to the generous support of the title sponsor Uplift, gold sponsor Pernod Ricard, silver sponsors LDV Hospitality, BattleFace, Coeur Wine Company, and Cornell Hotel Society. For the Hall of Fame, grateful for the supporters Banfi, Singer Equipment, Steelite and Made In Cookware. Most of all, special thanks to Francois-Olivier Luigg, IMHI ’92, and The Pierre Hotel, without whose generous support this event couldn’t have happened.
This is the start of a very special Hotelies celebrating Hotelies tradition. This is our brand and bond, and these are the giants who built our brand. For 2023, the committee is considering ways to have a more opened nomination process. Stay tune. If you are interested in volunteering for the Hall of Fame program, please let me know.
Ted Teng ‘79
Chair, Cornell Hotelie Hall of Fame Committee
Pictures below provided by Rafael Bitanga ’23 and Bishal Chhatkuli ‘22 with Bitanga Productions
On October 28, San Diego area Hotelies gathered to celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Hotel School. It was the first event in almost four years for the San Diego chapter, but WELL worth the wait! Farmer and the Seahorse’s Anderson Clark ’08 and Chef Sam Deckman lead alumni through an incredible reception and four-course wine paired menu.
What an amazing night reconnecting as alumni… celebrating 100 years of Hotelie tradition and doing what Hotelie’s do best… gathering over amazing food. Huge thanks to Sarah Latimer ‘05 (SD CHS President) for her leadership and loyalty.
On Wednesday, September 28, 2022, more than 30 Atlanta area Hotelies celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration. The event was held at The Iberian Pig Buckhead. Our host was owner Stephanie Castellucci ’09. The group enjoyed a variety of Spanish tapas and specialty drinks, as well as novelties from the “party box” provided by CHS and SHA.
The CHS Georgia Chapter was honored to have several young alumni, as well as CHS leaders in attendance:
On Wednesday, September 14, 2022 the Georgia Chapter of the Cornell Hotel Society collaborated with the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association to host the annual Georgia Lodging Outlook breakfast seminar. A crowd of nearly 400 area hotel industry professionals were in attendance. This year’s event was held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Downtown Atlanta.
Jim Sprouse, President of the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association, and CHS Georgia chapter President Lindsay McCall ‘12 provided welcome remarks. Lindsay then handed out two complimentary online course certificates donated by eCornell. CHS Global President Mark Woodworth ’77 then took over as Master of Ceremonies and Moderator for the entire program.
The first educational panel addressed the current labor shortage plaguing the industry. Sharing their expertise were Adam Glickman ‘02, Vice President of Marketing for Hotel Effectiveness by Actabl, Bryan DeCort, Chief Operating Officer of Hotel Equities, and Gregory Winey, Founder/Principal of NorthPointe Hospitality Management.
Following the labor panel, local area experts presented their outlook for 2023:
CHS Georgia thanks for the Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association for their $3,000 donation to the CHS Georgia Chapter scholarship fund.
On July 28, 2022, current Hotelies interning in the Baltimore / DC area gathered for happy hour to meet local alumni. The event was held at Boardwalk Bar and Arcade at the Wharf.
On July 19, 2022, Atlanta area Hotelies gathered for craft beers, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. It was the first in-person chapter event since the 2019 holiday party. Over 30 Hotelies ranging from current students through the class of 1976 attended the event at Bold Monk Brewing Company.
New president Lindsay McCall ’12 welcomed the group and encouraged them to participate in CHS Georgia chapter events throughout this 100th anniversary year. She was followed by Alan LeBlanc ’84, the owner of Bold Monk and host for the event. Alan shared his career story and provided some sound business guidance for the many young alumni in attendance.
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