Lindsey Cochran Fine ’05

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Lindsey Cochran Fine ’05, Head of Mid Market Sales – Food Service & Hospitality and Information Technology at Amazon Business, shares with us what it means to her to be a Hotelie for Life®.

“With my first official job at 15 being in a restaurant, I was destined to be a #hotelieforlife I was energized by the pace at which it moved, and the idea behind bringing people together to enjoy each other’s company over a meal. The Hotel School was a natural choice for me, given the ability to translate this into a world class education. I felt at home the moment I stepped foot in Statler, as I felt that same energy I felt working in restaurants.

While I learned a great amount about the Hotel & Restaurant industry, the life skills I learned go far beyond the classroom. The Hotel School represents more than just an education to me, it’s a way of life. It’s about building lifelong connections and being passionate about serving others in many different ways. I’m forever grateful for the time I spent at the Hotel School and the friends and connections I made.”

Fun fact: I married another Cornellian and we had our reception at the Statler. Talk about full circle!

Alec Sherman ‘14

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Alec Sherman ‘14, Director of Asset Management at TBC Hotels (and President of the CHS Washington DC-Baltimore Chapter), shares with us what it means to him to be a Hotelie for Life®.

“To me, being a #HotelieForLife has been about creating a lifelong network of friends, colleagues, and industry experts who are always there for you – whether you know them personally or not. It is a network of immediate connections both personal and professional that you can rely on when moving to a new city or job. It is also a reminder to give back and help those who are at SHA or just entering the industry. Lastly, being a Hotelie is about keeping a promise to continue to be passionate about hospitality and service. Being part of the Hotelie family is something for which I am forever grateful!”

Nate Berkowitz MMH ’11

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Nate Berkowitz MMH ’11, Operating Partner at Pippett Consulting, LLC, shares with us what it means to him to be a Hotelie for Life®:

  • Being a Hotelie For Life means being connected to leaders across the globe who exude excellence every step of the way.
  • Being a Hotelie means I have been supported during these difficult times by an amazing network of hospitality professionals available to brainstorm, offer sustenance, provide guidance and a few laughs along the way.
  • Being a Hotelie gives me inspiration and drive to succeed, to be among the world’s best in their industry.
  • Being a Hotelie for life motivates me to keep striving for what lies ahead, never give up.
  • Connect, support, network, motivate, inspire #hotelieforlife

Jada Robinson ’18

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Jada Robinson ’18, People Partner (HR Business Partner) at Soho House Chicago, shares with us what it means to her to be a Hotelie for Life®:

“Life is Service.” Over the course of my four years, this motto became an inside joke said lightheartedly between classmates –a response when helping a fellow Cornellian. Little did we know how much impact these three words would have on the communities we were building, and how they would shape us forevermore. “Life is service,” is about the little things that add up to make a world of a difference. Whether it was someone passing down their “law bible” to help future generations with their prelims, or a fellow Hotelie making an introduction that later turns into an employment opportunity. “Hotelie for Life” means to embrace the “Life is Service” mentality, to build an everlasting community by giving “a little more” to those whom we had the pleasure of sharing such a unique journey with – and those we didn’t. “Life is Service” is the key ingredient for a Hotelie and is the epitome of being a “Hotelie for life.”

Gitte Harder GMP ’11

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Gitte Harder GMP ’11, Vice President at Escales International, shares with us what it means to her to be a Hotelie for Life®.

“For me, being a #HotelieForLife, is about a shared vision of human relations but also a constant reminder of the importance of continuing to learn and progress.

In these uncertain times for the hospitality industry, I truly believe that our capacity to question our beliefs, to evolve personally and to keep focus on the human aspect, all fundamental qualities that we learned at the Hotel School, are essential and will allow us to get successfully through the difficulties. We belong to a strong International Community and as such, we can rely on each other, wherever we are. To be able to count on somebody on the other side of the earth to help you with an information, an introduction or a helping hand, makes me proud to be a Hotelie For Life.”

Pictured here with her sister and their children, visiting the “Forest Tower” in Denmark this summer.

Tim Lee ’17

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Tim Lee ’17, an analyst at a publicly traded REIT, shares with us what it means to him to be a Hotelie for Life®.

“To me, being a Hotelie for life means being a servant leader in everything you do. When looking at schools, I was drawn to SHA because I knew I wanted a business degree with a focus on serving others, and providing excellent experiences. I appreciate that Hotelies are all bound by our love of travel and service to others, and our unique shared experiences at Cornell.

 I also believe that being a Hotelie for life means paying it forward, and uplifting others in our tight-knit community. I would not be where I am today without the help of Hotelies past and present. I truly believe we have one of the strongest and most passionate alumni bases in the World, and I am extremely grateful for it!”

Tim is pictured here while hiking in the white mountains.

Tim Lee ’17

 

Pia Bojanowski MMH ’96

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Pia Bojanowski MMH ’96, a hotel industry consultant and a long-standing Cornell Hotel Society Washington DC Chapter board member, shares with us what it means to her to be a Hotelie for Life®.

“In 1994 I was a part of the inaugural class of a newly designed Master of Management in Hospitality program, a 2-year program like an MBA, which is the most important aspect of my Hotelie for Life story, it solidified my commitment to the hotel industry. I learned about the fundamentals of the hotel business and how to be a theory-based, forward-thinking, and action-oriented hotel industry professional from the best and brightest professors. I treasure the bonds of friendship that I established at the hotel school at a time when I was shaping who I wanted to be. I have a circle of Hotelie friends that are very successful in their careers and scattered in various countries, regardless of that, I’m connected to them and they continue to enrich my life even though we are all grounded at home due to a pandemic. To me being a “Hotelie for Life” means I can confidently say I have the best hotel industry related education, access to the best professional network in the world, and the best friends!”

Pia is pictured here at a café on her last trip to Paris in 2019 and at her local tennis courts in Old Town Alexandria.

Pia Bojanowski MMH ’96

Matt Carrier ’11

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Matt Carrier ’11, Vice President of Innovation Policy + Research at the American Hotel & Lodging Association, shares with us what it means to him to be a Hotelie for Life®.

“I feel a lot of pride and gratitude at being a Hotelie. The Hotel School gave me an invaluable community of peers bonded by our shared experiences, which has led to professional opportunities but, more importantly, helped form lifelong friendships. Many of my most valued personal relationships began during menu planning sessions for HADM 305, lunches at Terrace, Wines exam cramming/tasting, and, of course, the frequent CHS alumni events after graduation.

The Hotel School also gave me a great education and the opportunity to learn broadly about all facets of the hotel industry. This has served me well professionally, even if we did get made fun of a little bit for learning how to make a bed (which was harsh but accurate).

To me, being a Hotelie for Life means nurturing and supporting that unique community that we share, and it means living our shared value of a life of service to others.”

Matt pictured here hiking with his wife Haley.

Darrell Cheung MMH ’01

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Darrell Cheung MMH ’01, owner of Satori Health & Wellness, shares with us what it means to him to be a Hotelie for Life®:

“For me, it’s about healing one Hotelie at a time. I’m in a lifelong pursuit to improve my own wellness and those around me. I’m excited to build the community and bring an awareness of the different ways to extract the most out of life. I am grateful for other Hotelies in Toronto that have supported me and continue to support each other.

A new normal is upon, so let’s do that push-up with max effort (yes it can be hard!) and get the most of being a Hotelie for Life!”

Monika Moser PDP ’99

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Monika Moser PDP ’99, Regional Managing Director at Wilson Associates, shares with us what it means to her to be a Hotelie for Life®.

“My own father worked for over 60 years in the hospitality business, starting at the age of 14 and retiring as a General Manager at the age of 80. His family comes from a long line of Bavarian restaurateurs and Munich brewers. While I did not believe to continue this family tradition as a young girl, I nevertheless worked in restaurants and wedding events every weekend to round up my pocket money.

Realizing that I enjoyed this, I finally continued my career and education in hospitality. The service industry was and is in my nature and I am indeed proud to be a Hotelie for Life®. Being part of this community of like-minded hoteliers for over 20 years has been an enriching and successful experience. Being engaged in the network, assisting fellow Hotelies and bringing people together has always been a priority in my career. Over all these years it has definitively been extremely rich in beautiful new connections and long-lasting friendships on both a professional and personal level.”

Monika is pictured in the Opera Garnier, one of her favorite places to go in Paris to listen to music.