2024 Inductees
The committee has chosen a very special class of 11 inductees representing many aspects of Hotelie successes. We found what they have in common is they saw their work in the hospitality industry as limitless and beyond any boundaries. They weren’t just interested in improving the status quo. They saw the impact of their work much more expansively in their generations. They didn’t stay in their lanes. Most of all, they rallied their communities to realize their transcendental visions.
The Hall of Fame inductees for 2024 are:
- Hilda Watson Gifford ‘26
- Richard E. Holtzman ‘41
- James H. “Bud” Ward ‘52
- Robert M. Chase ’59 Eng, MBA ‘61
- Julie Flik ‘63
- Sonnie T.W. Lien ‘68
- Stephen P. Weisz ‘72
- Peter Yesawich ’72, MS ’74, PhD ‘76
- Richard A. Holtzman ‘76
- Hans Pfister ‘95
- Will Guidara ‘01
The Rising Star award recognizes early Hotelie successes and this year the award goes to:
- Dan Leyva ‘14
We will be sharing the inspiring stories of these inductees over the coming months before their induction at the November event.
Mission
The mission of the Cornell Hotelie Hall of Fame is to:
- Celebrate Cornell Hotelie successes
- Create a library of inspirational stories for applicants, students, faculty, and alumni
- Bring together an annual reunion of Hotelies to share the fellowship of Hotelie for Life
- Fortify the School’s brand in the industry by featuring Hotelie successes
Nomination & Selection Process
The Nomination & Selection Committee selects the inductees each year and is comprised of members from different generations, geographic regions, and segments of the industry.
The committee members are as follows:
- Deniz Omurgonulsen, ‘00 (Nomination Chair)
- Rocco Angelo, ‘58
- Jan DeRoos, ‘78
- Court Williams ’78
- Ted Teng ‘79 (Hotelie Hall of Fame Chair)
- Ginny Mariani-Kitt, ‘82
- Bob Gilbert ’82
- Catalina Ganis ’85
- Regan Taikitsadaporn, ‘93
- Vernetta Kinchen ’95
- Kristin Sander Urhammer, ‘99
- Rohan Gopaldas, ‘02
- Sarah Perkins-Latimer ’05
The criteria used for nomination & selection of inductees are:
- Contribution to the hospitality industry
- Contribution to the community
- Contribution to the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration
For the 2024 class, the committee reviewed nominations using our current list of over 100 potential inductees organized by the committee. New candidates were added by the committee members as well as suggested by CHS members. If you would like to suggest a nomination, please feel free to email Deniz or Ted using our criteria above.
Marketplace Auction
Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of Hotelies who solicited and donated prizes, or bid and won the prizes, we raised nearly $200,000 for CHS last year. We will again be running an auction along with the Hall of Fame program. If you would like us to feature your company products by donating a prize, please email Richy or Ted. We would be grateful for your kind contributions.
Proceeds from the auction support the programs of CHS.