The Cornell Hotel Society grieves the loss of Rudolf W. “Rudy” Muenster ’62. Rudy passed the morning of September 29, 2020 peacefully with his wife Annelie by his side in Berchtesgaden, Germany.
Rudy was an icon and inspiration for Hotelies worldwide and a mentor to many. He was a tireless ambassador for Cornell and The Hotel School (SHA) and truly epitomised the Hotelie for Life® spirit. Based in Berlin, he worked extremely hard to advance CHS in the EMEA region and was instrumental in the transformation of a single EMEA Chapter to nine Chapters, thus widening the visibility of the school across two continents. He is credited as being the orignal driving force behind the EMEA scholarship program, as well as the traditional scholarship auction held during the gala dinner at the annual EMEA meetings. He devoted a tremendous amount of time to soliciting donations from industry suppliers, hotel companies, and chapter members. Over the years his efforts helped fund more than 300 scholarship recipients. It is planned to honour Rudy at the next EMEA meeting in Rome and name the existing GMP scholarship after him.
In 1995, Rudy participated and supported the fledgling and first ever Asia-Pacific Regional Annual Conference in Hong Kong attended by 17 participants at the then Furama Hotel under Past Global President Michael W. N. Chiu ‘66. The forerunner Asian-based Annual Conference was adapted in format from Michael’s prior participation in the Annual EMEA meetings. In 1996, Rudy served as the first non-American Global President. His motto was “Act local, Think global”.
Professionally, Rudy began his international hotelier career at the then InterContinental Hotel Indonesia in Jakarta and later became the General Manager of the group’s hotel in Hannover, Germany. He then went to work for Kempinski Hotels where he became a management board member at the young age of 39. When he turned 46, he founded his own consulting firm, RWM Hotel Consult, during which time he traveled over 200 days a year as a worldwide consultant to the hospitality and travel industry serving such prestigious clients as the World Bank. In his time, Rudy was also a pioneer in sales and marketing where he left a particular mark in the German hotel industry. Perhaps most of all, Rudy was an excellent connector and networker. The annual receptions that he and his wife hosted at their home in Berlin during the IHIF conference and ITB fair was a sought after invitation by Cornellians and international industry leaders alike.
After Rudy’s most unfortunate and severe head and spine injury suffered from a fall at the Bahnhof (train station) rushing to a business meeting in Berlin, he entered a care facility not far from his house in Berchtesgaden after first being cared for at his home for two years. In addition to Annelie’s most devoted daily attendance and routine at the facility (including delivering him home cooked meals), their very dear friends and former colleague, Hans Turnovszky, PDP ’67 and his wife Silke, were without fail looking into both Rudy and Annelie very regularly. Rudy was never again able to use the computer or telephone which he was so good at, nor was Annelie able to connect.
For more information regarding Rudy’s contributions to CHS, The Hotel School, and the global hospitality industry, please use the following link to read an article from the Winter 2019 edition of Hotelie magazine: https://redirect3.dailypoint.de/…/597_CHS_Germany_hotelie_f…
Rudy, with his signature smile and legacy of service to the CHS community, will forever remain in our hearts and minds.
https://cornellhotelsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Rudy-1-2.jpg294351Robert Mandelbaumhttps://cornellhotelsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-4.pngRobert Mandelbaum2020-10-10 12:53:102023-05-17 01:10:02Rudolf W. “Rudy” Muenster ’62
Pia Adlivankin ’94, an icon in the global amusement business, was featured in a cover story in the September 2020 edition of Funworld Magazine. Funworld is the foremost industry publication published by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. The article features Pia’s interpretation of “Life is Service” – create an award-winning experience for both your staff and guests.
Please use the following link to view the article:
On Wednesday, September 16, 2020 the CHS Georgia Chapter held its 21st annual Atlanta Lodging Outlook seminar. This year CHS partnered with the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association to produce the conference online. The virtual event drew roughly 200 hoteliers throughout the state of Georgia.
Representing CHS were chapter Treasurer Liad Hare ’18 who welcomed the attendees, and Mark Woodworth ’77 who moderated the panel discussion. Attendees received an update on current and future market conditions from Mark Vaughan, Executive Vice President and Chief Sales Officer of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Jamie Lane, Senior Director of CBRE Hotels Research.
Atlanta Lodging Outlook 2021
https://cornellhotelsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Opening-Slide-scaled.jpg19202560Robert Mandelbaumhttps://cornellhotelsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-4.pngRobert Mandelbaum2020-09-18 14:06:172020-11-16 21:12:48Atlanta Lodging Outlook 2021
Greg Bodenair ’10, a freelance marketer and CHS New England Chapter board member based in Boston, shares with us what it means to him to be a Hotelie® for Life.
“Ever since I was 12 years old, I knew I wanted to be a Cornell Hotelie. Even back then, I knew I had a passion for people and a desire to make an impact on the hospitality industry. Fast forward two decades later, I could not be prouder to be aHotelie® for Life.My time as an undergraduate and the ensuing ten years as an actively engaged alum and Cornell Hotel Society chapter board member has taught me the importance of connection and compassion for others. Thanks to my Cornell experiences, I have been able to work and travel around the globe, from working in idyllic resort destinations such as Bermuda to marketing in dynamic cities like San Francisco, Boston, and New York City.
Along the way, I have forged countless relationships that have enriched my life not only professionally but also on a very personal level. I count my Cornell connections as some of the most empathetic, caring individuals I know, friends who truly understand, and live by, the Life is Service mantra every single day.”
The Cornell Hotel Society (CHS) German Chapter held its first “Berlin Lodging Outlook” at the Hotel Bristol Berlin on August 28, 2020 with 50 participants and thus almost fully booked. All the participants at the Cornell event were thrilled in catching up with industry colleagues in person after a long time, despite the Covid-19 distance rules.
There were high-quality and informative lectures and an exciting panel discussion under the motto “What´s on the horizon?”.
Top-class speakers contributed to the success of this high-level event. Wolfgang Gattringer (Fairmas) and Dennis Spitra (STR) presented the current figures and specific analysis of the market. Markus Luthe, CEO from IHA Germany presented the current outlook including trends and future scenarios. The great cast of the panel discussion facilitated by Andreas Martin (hotelforum management GmbH) with Gregor Andréewitch (Waldorf Astoria), Christian Andresen ( The Mandala Hotel & DEHOGA Berlin), Walter C. Neumann (IHR/Seetelhotels) and Stefan Athmann (Hotel Bristol Berlin) contributed with a lively and informative debate to the success of this event.
Before the event we organized our general assembly with 12 active CHS members. (picture below).
https://cornellhotelsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/512ed586-deeb-4e4a-bdb7-d5133980331d.jpg12001600Robert Mandelbaumhttps://cornellhotelsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-4.pngRobert Mandelbaum2020-09-06 15:22:142020-11-16 21:12:48Berlin Lodging Outlook 2020
It is not uncommon for a Hotelie to follow a career path outside the hospitality industry. However, it is rare to see a Hotelie enter politics. For Brooke Pinto ’14, the path to a career in politics felt inevitable. Helping people is in her DNA.
Growing up, Brooke was very familiar with the Cornell Hotel School. Her mother, aunt and uncle attended the Hotel School. Because of her love of service to others, all her cousins unanimously identified her as the relative most likely to follow the family footsteps to Ithaca.
Brooke was attracted to the Hotel School because it provided a management program grounded in hospitality. Of special interest was her Hospitality Law class with Professor Sherwyn. This class provided her with a sense of the legal tools that were available to help serve the needs of the seniors she cared for during her summer internship at a senior living community. Ultimately this inspired Brooke to attend Georgetown University Law Center after graduation from the Hotel School.
Attending law school in Washington DC helped shape Brooke’s career in politics. While at Georgetown, Brooke worked with Senator Richard Blumenthal from her native state of Connecticut. With Senator Blumenthal she furthered her knowledge of health-related legal issues. Using the business knowledge gained at the Hotel School, Brooke also spent time working in the area of tax law.
Upon graduation from Georgetown, Brooke served in a series of legal positions at the local and federal levels. Ultimately, she became the Assistant Attorney General for Policy and Legislative Affairs for the Office of the Attorney General in the District of Columbia. During this position she worked very closely with the DC Council which increased her interest in serving in local government.
Early in 2020, one of the DC Councilmembers resigned. Brooke was encouraged to run for the empty position, and ultimately won the election to serve the remainder of the vacated term through 2020. Brooke also won the election to become the Democratic nominee to fill the four-year term as DC councilmember for Ward 2 which stretches from Downtown to Georgetown. She is currently campaigning for that election to be held in November of 2020.
Campaigning has proven to be exhausting, yet rewarding. Brooke estimates that she has called over 30,000 residents in her ward, not to just earn their vote, but to listen to their needs, a skill that was strengthened at the Hotel School. To help the effort, several Hotelies and other Cornellians in the DC area have served as volunteers on her campaign.
Through it all, Brooke has maintained her ties to Cornell. She serves on the board of the local Cornell Hotel Society chapter, is active in the Cornell Club of Washington DC, and continues to communicate with her friends from Ithaca.
While Brooke’s passion for hospitality remains strong, politics appears to be the profession of choice to satisfy her desire to provide service – “a little better service” to the residents of the nation’s capital.
* * *
Editors Note: Dana Barrett – Hotel ’88 is running for the House of Representatives from the 11th district of Georgia.
Pictures Below
CM Pinto at her swearing in ceremony in June 2020
CHS Alumni Group Photo, from left to right – Peter Kline (1969), Caren Kline (1975), Brooke Pinto (2014), Carolyn Will (1974), Dennis Langley (1974)
Councilmember Pinto in the Restaurant Management Class
Brooke Pinto ’14
Picture 2
Picture 3
https://cornellhotelsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CHS-Brooke-Pinto-1.jpg10271600Robert Mandelbaumhttps://cornellhotelsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-4.pngRobert Mandelbaum2020-08-25 19:33:162021-05-28 18:01:35For Brooke Pinto ’14, Life is Public Service
In 2019 the Cornell Hotel Society established the Philippus Miller III ‘83 Legacy Award. The award was designed to recognize and celebrate Phil Miller’s legacy as a builder of networks and relationships. For decades Phil was the heart of the Cornell Hotelie for Life® that is the foundation of the Cornell Hotel Society (CHS). The award is given to students that demonstrate an understanding of the spirit of Phil Miller – the importance of connecting and giving back.
The inaugural winners of the award in 2020 were Colette Repisky ‘22 and Alice Navadeh ’21.
About Colette Repisky ‘22
Even before enrolling as a student of the Cornell Hotel School, Colette was able to experience the power of the Hotelie network. Colette started her college career at the University of Tampa, but knew she wanted to transfer to the Hotel School.
Before her official enrollment at Cornell, Collette volunteered to work at HEC 93 and 94, and attended the HEC event during homecoming in the fall of 2018. While working HEC 94, Colette met and received advice from several alumni that were very impressed with her spirit, and desire to network. One alumnus, Samuel Eisenman ’13, not only provided guidance on how to ensure her admittance to the school, he also offered Colette a job.
Since entering the Hotel School in the fall of 2019, Colette has continued to leverage the Hotelie network. To find a job for the summer of 2020, Colette initially reached out to Tony Capuano ’87, who in turn referred her to David Pollin ’90. David was impressed enough to offer Colette a summer job with PM Hospitality. Unfortunately, the opportunity at PM Hospitality was cancelled due to COVID-19, so Colette reached out to a fellow Hotelie that was supposed to intern at the Gurney’s Resort on Long Island. While no formal internships were available, Colette’s perseverance landed her a job at Gurney’s working in the restaurant. One day at work Colette had the opportunity to spend a full hour with John Meadow ’02, principal of Scarpetta Beach, the restaurant within Gurney’s. Once again, Colette was so impressed with amount of time a Hotel School alumnus would spend one-on-one with a student.
Colette is very comfortable reaching out to Hotel School alumni and has taken advantage of the CHS alumni directory on multiple occasions. Colette had the opportunity to meet Ali Hoyt ’12 with STR, who then arranged for Colette to speak with fellow STR colleague Jan Freitag ’97. While talking over the phone, Jan learned of Colette’s interest in travel, so he put her in contact with his classmate, Christina Foerster ’97 who sits on the board of directors of Lufthansa Airways.
As a winner of the Philippus Miller III ‘83 Legacy Award, Colette will have the opportunity to meet more Hotel School alumni during the CHS EMEA Regional Meeting scheduled for February 2021 in Rome. She is eager to experience firsthand how powerful the global network is outside the United States.
Colette plans to focus on marketing during her remaining two years. If you are a Hotelie in sales and marketing, be on the lookout for a call from Colette.
Picture below: Four Hotelies spent the summer of 2020 working at Gurney’s Resort on Long Island. Colette is second from the right.
About Alice Navadeh ’21
Alice Navadeh ’21 was young and with her family driving through the Finger Lakes region during a summer vacation. Dad made a wrong turn, and suddenly the family was lost on the campus of Cornell University. “Wow, there’s the Cornell Hotel School”, mom exclaimed from the front seat. Although mom’s enthusiasm was quickly forgotten, that was Alice’s first exposure to the home of Hotelies.
While growing up near Pittsburgh, Alice served as a waitress at the age of 16. During this job she became aware of her love of food and beverage, as well as the joy she received being around people. It was only natural that when applying for college, it was the hospitality programs that attracted her.
Alice’s older brother was enrolled at the Cornell ILR School when she began the college application process. Because her brother was enjoying Cornell, she looked at the University website and quickly noticed the references to the Hotel School. Flashbacks of her that family vacation filled her mind.
Alice’s initial application was met with a deferred acceptance, so she spent her freshman year at Penn State. Although she enjoyed her time at Penn State and made several good friends, she could not turn down the opportunity to pursue her passion for hospitality. Alice enrolled in the Hotel School for her sophomore year, and just completed her junior year in May of 2020.
Taking advantage of the school’s placement office, Alice has obtained two summer jobs with companies that have strong alumni ties. Between her sophomore and junior years, Alice worked in San Francisco with Bay Clubs. At the SHA Career Fair her junior year, Alice found a job with Delaware North to work in the Human Resources department at Shenandoah National Park during the summer of 2020. Unfortunately, her HR opportunity was eliminated because of COVID related cutbacks. However, Delaware North saw Alice’s talents and enthusiasm and offered her the opportunity to work as a “floater” across many departments in the park. Before the summer would end, Alice found herself being promoted to a management position in the Food and Beverage department.
Concurrent with her time at Shenandoah, Alice leveraged her personal network of friends at Cornell to find a part-time job strategically placing internet ads on Google on behalf of a non-profit promoting early heart screening for kids. When she is not encountering bears in the backwoods of Shenandoah, Alice drives to the local Dunkin Donut to take advantage of the internet and work on her Google ad assignments. She has found working with a nonprofit and being in charge of $10,000 a month in Google Ad grant money to be extremely satisfying.
Beyond graduation, Alice is open to any area within hospitality, as long as she gets to “be with people and help people.” Consistent with this ethos, her greatest interests lie in Human Resources and Food and Beverage. Accordingly, Alice has struck up a strong relationship with Heather Jacobs ’94, Senior Vice President of People and Culture at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. They met during a meeting of the Female Leadership in Hospitality Club. Alice has been very impressed, and thankful, for all the one-on-one time Heather has given to her over the years, both on campus and over the phone.
Part of her reward for winning the Phil Miller III ’83 Legacy Award is a trip to New York in November of 2020 to participate in all the alumni events related to HX: The Hotel Experience convention. Alice hopes that her return to Ithaca in the fall of 2020 is both successful and healthy enough to allow her to continue to experience the strong Hotelie network in New York.
Below, Alice (on the right) celebrates virtual HEC 95 in the spring of 2020.
* * *
The Cornell Hotel Society and Cornell Hotel Foundation congratulate Colette and Alice, and welcome them to the Hotelie for Life® network. This interview was conducted by Robert Mandelbaum ’81.
https://cornellhotelsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_8890-scaled-e1672096627203.jpeg857857Robert Mandelbaumhttps://cornellhotelsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-4.pngRobert Mandelbaum2020-08-25 19:29:422022-12-26 23:17:38Colette Repisky ’22 & Alice Navadeh ’21 – 2020 Legacy Award Winners
Alex Metzroth ’05, President at VGM, shares with us what it means to him to be a Hotelie for Life®.
“I am NOT a hotelier. I AM a Hotelie. You do not need to be a service professional to be of service. While I may no longer work in hospitality, I am a #HotelieforLife, tactically and tactfully.
Each day I strive to approach others with courtesy and respect. I show my employees reverence, my client’s gratitude, my friends love, and my family humility.
In almost every interaction I see the opportunity for service that is ingrained in each and every one of us SHA alums, often long before we first step foot in Ithaca. I live for that perfect service experience, to praise someone for doing the job right. I critique every facet of the bad experience, never to break someone down, but to make sure we learn, grow, and provide better service the next time and every time.
As a Hotelie for Life, my number one goal is to encourage the next class, by continuing to serve. SHA and CHS teach and reinforce that principle daily; no matter your chosen sector, Cornell reminds us that there are thousands of like-minded folks a click or call away. I hope we can all remember that in such troubling times and do whatever’s possible to help keep a fellow or future Hotelie on track.”
Jessica Purslow ’05, Sr. Director at TravelClick, an Amadeus company, shares with us what it means to her to be a Hotelie for Life®.
“Being part of the Hotel School was such an incredible experience; it made a big place feel like home. From the engaging curriculum to real life application at every turn, I could not have asked for a more well-rounded education to prepare me for my career. Relationships and a diverse social network are keys to success in life and in business. Being part of the Hotel School family has created this multifaceted connection across alumni, industry discipline and geography. Just as there is no place like home, there is no place like Cornell Hotel School. Go Big Red!”
Everyday, hundreds of Hotelies enter Statler Hall under the famous quote from Ellsworth Statler:
“Life is service – the one who progresses is the one who gives his fellow men a little more – a little better service.”
Since childhood, “life is service” has been imbedded in the soul of Chloe Jones ’20. By living the “life is service” ethos during her four years at the Hotel School, Chloe was selected as the 2020 winner of the inaugural Philippus Miller III ’83 Cornell Hotel Society (CHS) Hotelie for Life® Senior Prize. The $10,000 award is granted to the best all-around Hotel School senior who demonstrates and embraces what it means to be a Hotelie for Life®. The award is named after Philippus Miller ’83 who had an illustrious career of facilitating relationships among Hotel School students, faculty and alumni. Phil served as director of alumni affairs at the Hotel School and founded the executive search firm Philippus Miller III and Associates.
A self-described “people person”, Chloe matches the amiable qualities of Phil Miller. From an early age, Chloe knew she wanted to be a front-of-the-house person interacting with people face-to-face. Being buried back-of-the-house (except in the kitchen, of course) was not the way she wanted to spend her career in the hospitality industry.
Chloe fell in love with the hospitality industry as her family traveled across the country and stayed in hotels. She loved congregating with people at the sugary morning breakfast buffet and dreamed of operating her own property one day. At home, food was an important part of her family. Her desire to organize her own birthday parties was an early indicator of Chloe’s passion for event planning.
Chloe learned about the Hotel School from family friend Tim Loughman ’83. This was her first exposure to the Hotelie network. During her visit to campus Chloe was able to attend a Hotel School information session. She was very impressed with the passion of the student ambassadors, as well as the beauty of Statler Hall and Hotel. This person-to-person engagement with the ambassadors made a strong impression on Chloe. She too would become an ambassador a few years later and enjoy the opportunity to tout the virtues of the Hotel School.
Once on campus, Chloe was a die-hard Hotelie with a deep love for the hospitality industry and Hotel School. Initially she loaded up on courses related to her passions for food and beverage, as well as event planning. However, she does admit that some of her favorite courses were taken outside of Statler. Chloe ventured across campus to take classes in environmental science, Shakespeare, and the Italian Mafia. Sustainability is an area of personal interest for Chloe. She is very concerned about the health of the world’s oceans and American agriculture.
By taking classes outside of Statler, Chloe began to understand that the “life is service” education she received in the Hotel School was not restricted to implementation solely within the hospitality industry. It could be applied across all businesses and aspects of life. This awareness helped her develop her thoughts on the positive role the Hotel School could play within the S.C. Johnson College of Business, and acceptance of the fact that not all Hotelies are interested in people-facing careers directly within the hospitality industry.
That being said, Chloe has been true to her heart, and took on summer jobs that filled her thirst to be out in front with the hotel guests. She lived in, and worked in, a small hotel in England for two summers where she performed all roles from housekeeper to server. In between her junior and senior years Chloe was fortunate to get an intense immersion of guest service at the Four Seasons in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Chloe impressed her employer so much that she received an offer from Four Seasons to join their management training program (in operations of course) upon graduation.
Despite being a people person, Chloe admits that she was not the best networker entering Cornell. However (paraphrasing Chloe), “after four years at the Hotel School, you can’t help but get involved with the alumni network.” One of the greatest lessons she learned from an alumnus was the need to be flexible. Being a planner by nature, she understands that environments change, and you need to adapt.
Her ability to adapt has been tested in 2020. Because of the COVID pandemic, on-campus classes were suspended, and her employment with Four Seasons has been postponed. Chloe has adapted by staying in Ithaca to finish her senior year on-line. It was a struggle to be away from her family, but everyone understood that it was healthier for her to stay in less-densely populated Ithaca, as compared to the virus-stricken Westchester County.
While spending time in Ithaca, Chloe has furthered her knowledge of Cornell. During her research she uncovered text from a letter sent by Willard Straight to his son with an inspiring message that is very applicable during the spring of 2020.
“‘Treat all women with courtesy. The respect of your fellows is worth more than applause. Understand and sympathize with those who are less fortunate than you are. Make up your mind but respect the opinions of others. Think it out yourself guided by the choice of those whom you respect. Hold your head high and keep your mind open, you can always learn.'”
The COVID pandemic also caused the postponement of one of the biggest honors of being the Hotelie for Life® prize winner; the ability to deliver the commencement address at the Hotel School graduation ceremony. Chloe will have the opportunity to speak in front of her classmates during the re-scheduled 2020 class graduation ceremonies in early June 2021. Chloe is not sure what the theme of her commencement address will be, but she believes it will be COVID related, and the lessons she has learned about adaptability.
CHS bets that there will also be a message of “life is service” embedded in the speech as well.
* * *
The Cornell Hotel Society and Cornell Hotel Foundation congratulate Chloe, and wish her the best of success on her journey as a Hotelie for Life®. This interview was conducted by Robert Mandelbaum ’81.
https://cornellhotelsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Chloe-Jones.jpg13891389Robert Mandelbaumhttps://cornellhotelsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-4.pngRobert Mandelbaum2020-08-06 11:39:042021-05-22 22:20:41Chloe Jones ‘20 Philippus Miller III ‘83 Hotelie for Life® Prize Winner
Rudolf W. “Rudy” Muenster ’62
/in In Memoriam/by Robert MandelbaumThe Cornell Hotel Society grieves the loss of Rudolf W. “Rudy” Muenster ’62. Rudy passed the morning of September 29, 2020 peacefully with his wife Annelie by his side in Berchtesgaden, Germany.
Rudy was an icon and inspiration for Hotelies worldwide and a mentor to many. He was a tireless ambassador for Cornell and The Hotel School (SHA) and truly epitomised the Hotelie for Life® spirit. Based in Berlin, he worked extremely hard to advance CHS in the EMEA region and was instrumental in the transformation of a single EMEA Chapter to nine Chapters, thus widening the visibility of the school across two continents. He is credited as being the orignal driving force behind the EMEA scholarship program, as well as the traditional scholarship auction held during the gala dinner at the annual EMEA meetings. He devoted a tremendous amount of time to soliciting donations from industry suppliers, hotel companies, and chapter members. Over the years his efforts helped fund more than 300 scholarship recipients. It is planned to honour Rudy at the next EMEA meeting in Rome and name the existing GMP scholarship after him.
In 1995, Rudy participated and supported the fledgling and first ever Asia-Pacific Regional Annual Conference in Hong Kong attended by 17 participants at the then Furama Hotel under Past Global President Michael W. N. Chiu ‘66. The forerunner Asian-based Annual Conference was adapted in format from Michael’s prior participation in the Annual EMEA meetings. In 1996, Rudy served as the first non-American Global President. His motto was “Act local, Think global”.
Professionally, Rudy began his international hotelier career at the then InterContinental Hotel Indonesia in Jakarta and later became the General Manager of the group’s hotel in Hannover, Germany. He then went to work for Kempinski Hotels where he became a management board member at the young age of 39. When he turned 46, he founded his own consulting firm, RWM Hotel Consult, during which time he traveled over 200 days a year as a worldwide consultant to the hospitality and travel industry serving such prestigious clients as the World Bank. In his time, Rudy was also a pioneer in sales and marketing where he left a particular mark in the German hotel industry. Perhaps most of all, Rudy was an excellent connector and networker. The annual receptions that he and his wife hosted at their home in Berlin during the IHIF conference and ITB fair was a sought after invitation by Cornellians and international industry leaders alike.
After Rudy’s most unfortunate and severe head and spine injury suffered from a fall at the Bahnhof (train station) rushing to a business meeting in Berlin, he entered a care facility not far from his house in Berchtesgaden after first being cared for at his home for two years. In addition to Annelie’s most devoted daily attendance and routine at the facility (including delivering him home cooked meals), their very dear friends and former colleague, Hans Turnovszky, PDP ’67 and his wife Silke, were without fail looking into both Rudy and Annelie very regularly. Rudy was never again able to use the computer or telephone which he was so good at, nor was Annelie able to connect.
For more information regarding Rudy’s contributions to CHS, The Hotel School, and the global hospitality industry, please use the following link to read an article from the Winter 2019 edition of Hotelie magazine: https://redirect3.dailypoint.de/…/597_CHS_Germany_hotelie_f…
Rudy, with his signature smile and legacy of service to the CHS community, will forever remain in our hearts and minds.
Pia Adlivankin ’94 Featured In Funworld Magazine
/in Chapter Event/by Robert MandelbaumPia Adlivankin ’94, an icon in the global amusement business, was featured in a cover story in the September 2020 edition of Funworld Magazine. Funworld is the foremost industry publication published by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. The article features Pia’s interpretation of “Life is Service” – create an award-winning experience for both your staff and guests.
Please use the following link to view the article:
https://www.iaapa.org/funworld/issues/funworld-september-2020-issue
Atlanta Lodging Outlook 2021
/in Chapter Event/by Robert MandelbaumOn Wednesday, September 16, 2020 the CHS Georgia Chapter held its 21st annual Atlanta Lodging Outlook seminar. This year CHS partnered with the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association to produce the conference online. The virtual event drew roughly 200 hoteliers throughout the state of Georgia.
Representing CHS were chapter Treasurer Liad Hare ’18 who welcomed the attendees, and Mark Woodworth ’77 who moderated the panel discussion. Attendees received an update on current and future market conditions from Mark Vaughan, Executive Vice President and Chief Sales Officer of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Jamie Lane, Senior Director of CBRE Hotels Research.
Greg Bodenair ’10
/in Hotelie for Life/by Robert MandelbaumGreg Bodenair ’10, a freelance marketer and CHS New England Chapter board member based in Boston, shares with us what it means to him to be a Hotelie® for Life.
“Ever since I was 12 years old, I knew I wanted to be a Cornell Hotelie. Even back then, I knew I had a passion for people and a desire to make an impact on the hospitality industry. Fast forward two decades later, I could not be prouder to be a Hotelie® for Life. My time as an undergraduate and the ensuing ten years as an actively engaged alum and Cornell Hotel Society chapter board member has taught me the importance of connection and compassion for others. Thanks to my Cornell experiences, I have been able to work and travel around the globe, from working in idyllic resort destinations such as Bermuda to marketing in dynamic cities like San Francisco, Boston, and New York City.
Along the way, I have forged countless relationships that have enriched my life not only professionally but also on a very personal level. I count my Cornell connections as some of the most empathetic, caring individuals I know, friends who truly understand, and live by, the Life is Service mantra every single day.”
Berlin Lodging Outlook 2020
/in Chapter Event/by Robert MandelbaumThe Cornell Hotel Society (CHS) German Chapter held its first “Berlin Lodging Outlook” at the Hotel Bristol Berlin on August 28, 2020 with 50 participants and thus almost fully booked. All the participants at the Cornell event were thrilled in catching up with industry colleagues in person after a long time, despite the Covid-19 distance rules.
There were high-quality and informative lectures and an exciting panel discussion under the motto “What´s on the horizon?”.
Top-class speakers contributed to the success of this high-level event. Wolfgang Gattringer (Fairmas) and Dennis Spitra (STR) presented the current figures and specific analysis of the market. Markus Luthe, CEO from IHA Germany presented the current outlook including trends and future scenarios. The great cast of the panel discussion facilitated by Andreas Martin (hotelforum management GmbH) with Gregor Andréewitch (Waldorf Astoria), Christian Andresen ( The Mandala Hotel & DEHOGA Berlin), Walter C. Neumann (IHR/Seetelhotels) and Stefan Athmann (Hotel Bristol Berlin) contributed with a lively and informative debate to the success of this event.
Before the event we organized our general assembly with 12 active CHS members. (picture below).
For Brooke Pinto ’14, Life is Public Service
/in Chapter Event/by Robert MandelbaumIt is not uncommon for a Hotelie to follow a career path outside the hospitality industry. However, it is rare to see a Hotelie enter politics. For Brooke Pinto ’14, the path to a career in politics felt inevitable. Helping people is in her DNA.
Growing up, Brooke was very familiar with the Cornell Hotel School. Her mother, aunt and uncle attended the Hotel School. Because of her love of service to others, all her cousins unanimously identified her as the relative most likely to follow the family footsteps to Ithaca.
Brooke was attracted to the Hotel School because it provided a management program grounded in hospitality. Of special interest was her Hospitality Law class with Professor Sherwyn. This class provided her with a sense of the legal tools that were available to help serve the needs of the seniors she cared for during her summer internship at a senior living community. Ultimately this inspired Brooke to attend Georgetown University Law Center after graduation from the Hotel School.
Attending law school in Washington DC helped shape Brooke’s career in politics. While at Georgetown, Brooke worked with Senator Richard Blumenthal from her native state of Connecticut. With Senator Blumenthal she furthered her knowledge of health-related legal issues. Using the business knowledge gained at the Hotel School, Brooke also spent time working in the area of tax law.
Upon graduation from Georgetown, Brooke served in a series of legal positions at the local and federal levels. Ultimately, she became the Assistant Attorney General for Policy and Legislative Affairs for the Office of the Attorney General in the District of Columbia. During this position she worked very closely with the DC Council which increased her interest in serving in local government.
Early in 2020, one of the DC Councilmembers resigned. Brooke was encouraged to run for the empty position, and ultimately won the election to serve the remainder of the vacated term through 2020. Brooke also won the election to become the Democratic nominee to fill the four-year term as DC councilmember for Ward 2 which stretches from Downtown to Georgetown. She is currently campaigning for that election to be held in November of 2020.
Campaigning has proven to be exhausting, yet rewarding. Brooke estimates that she has called over 30,000 residents in her ward, not to just earn their vote, but to listen to their needs, a skill that was strengthened at the Hotel School. To help the effort, several Hotelies and other Cornellians in the DC area have served as volunteers on her campaign.
Through it all, Brooke has maintained her ties to Cornell. She serves on the board of the local Cornell Hotel Society chapter, is active in the Cornell Club of Washington DC, and continues to communicate with her friends from Ithaca.
While Brooke’s passion for hospitality remains strong, politics appears to be the profession of choice to satisfy her desire to provide service – “a little better service” to the residents of the nation’s capital.
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Editors Note: Dana Barrett – Hotel ’88 is running for the House of Representatives from the 11th district of Georgia.
Pictures Below
Colette Repisky ’22 & Alice Navadeh ’21 – 2020 Legacy Award Winners
/in Scholarship/by Robert MandelbaumIn 2019 the Cornell Hotel Society established the Philippus Miller III ‘83 Legacy Award. The award was designed to recognize and celebrate Phil Miller’s legacy as a builder of networks and relationships. For decades Phil was the heart of the Cornell Hotelie for Life® that is the foundation of the Cornell Hotel Society (CHS). The award is given to students that demonstrate an understanding of the spirit of Phil Miller – the importance of connecting and giving back.
The inaugural winners of the award in 2020 were Colette Repisky ‘22 and Alice Navadeh ’21.
About Colette Repisky ‘22
Even before enrolling as a student of the Cornell Hotel School, Colette was able to experience the power of the Hotelie network. Colette started her college career at the University of Tampa, but knew she wanted to transfer to the Hotel School.
Before her official enrollment at Cornell, Collette volunteered to work at HEC 93 and 94, and attended the HEC event during homecoming in the fall of 2018. While working HEC 94, Colette met and received advice from several alumni that were very impressed with her spirit, and desire to network. One alumnus, Samuel Eisenman ’13, not only provided guidance on how to ensure her admittance to the school, he also offered Colette a job.
Since entering the Hotel School in the fall of 2019, Colette has continued to leverage the Hotelie network. To find a job for the summer of 2020, Colette initially reached out to Tony Capuano ’87, who in turn referred her to David Pollin ’90. David was impressed enough to offer Colette a summer job with PM Hospitality. Unfortunately, the opportunity at PM Hospitality was cancelled due to COVID-19, so Colette reached out to a fellow Hotelie that was supposed to intern at the Gurney’s Resort on Long Island. While no formal internships were available, Colette’s perseverance landed her a job at Gurney’s working in the restaurant. One day at work Colette had the opportunity to spend a full hour with John Meadow ’02, principal of Scarpetta Beach, the restaurant within Gurney’s. Once again, Colette was so impressed with amount of time a Hotel School alumnus would spend one-on-one with a student.
Colette is very comfortable reaching out to Hotel School alumni and has taken advantage of the CHS alumni directory on multiple occasions. Colette had the opportunity to meet Ali Hoyt ’12 with STR, who then arranged for Colette to speak with fellow STR colleague Jan Freitag ’97. While talking over the phone, Jan learned of Colette’s interest in travel, so he put her in contact with his classmate, Christina Foerster ’97 who sits on the board of directors of Lufthansa Airways.
As a winner of the Philippus Miller III ‘83 Legacy Award, Colette will have the opportunity to meet more Hotel School alumni during the CHS EMEA Regional Meeting scheduled for February 2021 in Rome. She is eager to experience firsthand how powerful the global network is outside the United States.
Colette plans to focus on marketing during her remaining two years. If you are a Hotelie in sales and marketing, be on the lookout for a call from Colette.
Picture below: Four Hotelies spent the summer of 2020 working at Gurney’s Resort on Long Island. Colette is second from the right.
About Alice Navadeh ’21
Alice Navadeh ’21 was young and with her family driving through the Finger Lakes region during a summer vacation. Dad made a wrong turn, and suddenly the family was lost on the campus of Cornell University. “Wow, there’s the Cornell Hotel School”, mom exclaimed from the front seat. Although mom’s enthusiasm was quickly forgotten, that was Alice’s first exposure to the home of Hotelies.
While growing up near Pittsburgh, Alice served as a waitress at the age of 16. During this job she became aware of her love of food and beverage, as well as the joy she received being around people. It was only natural that when applying for college, it was the hospitality programs that attracted her.
Alice’s older brother was enrolled at the Cornell ILR School when she began the college application process. Because her brother was enjoying Cornell, she looked at the University website and quickly noticed the references to the Hotel School. Flashbacks of her that family vacation filled her mind.
Alice’s initial application was met with a deferred acceptance, so she spent her freshman year at Penn State. Although she enjoyed her time at Penn State and made several good friends, she could not turn down the opportunity to pursue her passion for hospitality. Alice enrolled in the Hotel School for her sophomore year, and just completed her junior year in May of 2020.
Taking advantage of the school’s placement office, Alice has obtained two summer jobs with companies that have strong alumni ties. Between her sophomore and junior years, Alice worked in San Francisco with Bay Clubs. At the SHA Career Fair her junior year, Alice found a job with Delaware North to work in the Human Resources department at Shenandoah National Park during the summer of 2020. Unfortunately, her HR opportunity was eliminated because of COVID related cutbacks. However, Delaware North saw Alice’s talents and enthusiasm and offered her the opportunity to work as a “floater” across many departments in the park. Before the summer would end, Alice found herself being promoted to a management position in the Food and Beverage department.
Concurrent with her time at Shenandoah, Alice leveraged her personal network of friends at Cornell to find a part-time job strategically placing internet ads on Google on behalf of a non-profit promoting early heart screening for kids. When she is not encountering bears in the backwoods of Shenandoah, Alice drives to the local Dunkin Donut to take advantage of the internet and work on her Google ad assignments. She has found working with a nonprofit and being in charge of $10,000 a month in Google Ad grant money to be extremely satisfying.
Beyond graduation, Alice is open to any area within hospitality, as long as she gets to “be with people and help people.” Consistent with this ethos, her greatest interests lie in Human Resources and Food and Beverage. Accordingly, Alice has struck up a strong relationship with Heather Jacobs ’94, Senior Vice President of People and Culture at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. They met during a meeting of the Female Leadership in Hospitality Club. Alice has been very impressed, and thankful, for all the one-on-one time Heather has given to her over the years, both on campus and over the phone.
Part of her reward for winning the Phil Miller III ’83 Legacy Award is a trip to New York in November of 2020 to participate in all the alumni events related to HX: The Hotel Experience convention. Alice hopes that her return to Ithaca in the fall of 2020 is both successful and healthy enough to allow her to continue to experience the strong Hotelie network in New York.
Below, Alice (on the right) celebrates virtual HEC 95 in the spring of 2020.
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The Cornell Hotel Society and Cornell Hotel Foundation congratulate Colette and Alice, and welcome them to the Hotelie for Life® network. This interview was conducted by Robert Mandelbaum ’81.
Alex Metzroth ’05
/in Hotelie for Life/by Robert MandelbaumAlex Metzroth ’05, President at VGM, shares with us what it means to him to be a Hotelie for Life®.
“I am NOT a hotelier. I AM a Hotelie. You do not need to be a service professional to be of service. While I may no longer work in hospitality, I am a #HotelieforLife, tactically and tactfully.
Each day I strive to approach others with courtesy and respect. I show my employees reverence, my client’s gratitude, my friends love, and my family humility.
In almost every interaction I see the opportunity for service that is ingrained in each and every one of us SHA alums, often long before we first step foot in Ithaca. I live for that perfect service experience, to praise someone for doing the job right. I critique every facet of the bad experience, never to break someone down, but to make sure we learn, grow, and provide better service the next time and every time.
As a Hotelie for Life, my number one goal is to encourage the next class, by continuing to serve. SHA and CHS teach and reinforce that principle daily; no matter your chosen sector, Cornell reminds us that there are thousands of like-minded folks a click or call away. I hope we can all remember that in such troubling times and do whatever’s possible to help keep a fellow or future Hotelie on track.”
Jessica Purslow ’05
/in Hotelie for Life/by Robert MandelbaumJessica Purslow ’05, Sr. Director at TravelClick, an Amadeus company, shares with us what it means to her to be a Hotelie for Life®.
“Being part of the Hotel School was such an incredible experience; it made a big place feel like home. From the engaging curriculum to real life application at every turn, I could not have asked for a more well-rounded education to prepare me for my career. Relationships and a diverse social network are keys to success in life and in business. Being part of the Hotel School family has created this multifaceted connection across alumni, industry discipline and geography. Just as there is no place like home, there is no place like Cornell Hotel School. Go Big Red!”
Chloe Jones ‘20 Philippus Miller III ‘83 Hotelie for Life® Prize Winner
/in Scholarship/by Robert MandelbaumEveryday, hundreds of Hotelies enter Statler Hall under the famous quote from Ellsworth Statler:
“Life is service – the one who progresses is the one who gives his fellow men a little more – a little better service.”
Since childhood, “life is service” has been imbedded in the soul of Chloe Jones ’20. By living the “life is service” ethos during her four years at the Hotel School, Chloe was selected as the 2020 winner of the inaugural Philippus Miller III ’83 Cornell Hotel Society (CHS) Hotelie for Life® Senior Prize. The $10,000 award is granted to the best all-around Hotel School senior who demonstrates and embraces what it means to be a Hotelie for Life®. The award is named after Philippus Miller ’83 who had an illustrious career of facilitating relationships among Hotel School students, faculty and alumni. Phil served as director of alumni affairs at the Hotel School and founded the executive search firm Philippus Miller III and Associates.
A self-described “people person”, Chloe matches the amiable qualities of Phil Miller. From an early age, Chloe knew she wanted to be a front-of-the-house person interacting with people face-to-face. Being buried back-of-the-house (except in the kitchen, of course) was not the way she wanted to spend her career in the hospitality industry.
Chloe fell in love with the hospitality industry as her family traveled across the country and stayed in hotels. She loved congregating with people at the sugary morning breakfast buffet and dreamed of operating her own property one day. At home, food was an important part of her family. Her desire to organize her own birthday parties was an early indicator of Chloe’s passion for event planning.
Chloe learned about the Hotel School from family friend Tim Loughman ’83. This was her first exposure to the Hotelie network. During her visit to campus Chloe was able to attend a Hotel School information session. She was very impressed with the passion of the student ambassadors, as well as the beauty of Statler Hall and Hotel. This person-to-person engagement with the ambassadors made a strong impression on Chloe. She too would become an ambassador a few years later and enjoy the opportunity to tout the virtues of the Hotel School.
Once on campus, Chloe was a die-hard Hotelie with a deep love for the hospitality industry and Hotel School. Initially she loaded up on courses related to her passions for food and beverage, as well as event planning. However, she does admit that some of her favorite courses were taken outside of Statler. Chloe ventured across campus to take classes in environmental science, Shakespeare, and the Italian Mafia. Sustainability is an area of personal interest for Chloe. She is very concerned about the health of the world’s oceans and American agriculture.
By taking classes outside of Statler, Chloe began to understand that the “life is service” education she received in the Hotel School was not restricted to implementation solely within the hospitality industry. It could be applied across all businesses and aspects of life. This awareness helped her develop her thoughts on the positive role the Hotel School could play within the S.C. Johnson College of Business, and acceptance of the fact that not all Hotelies are interested in people-facing careers directly within the hospitality industry.
That being said, Chloe has been true to her heart, and took on summer jobs that filled her thirst to be out in front with the hotel guests. She lived in, and worked in, a small hotel in England for two summers where she performed all roles from housekeeper to server. In between her junior and senior years Chloe was fortunate to get an intense immersion of guest service at the Four Seasons in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Chloe impressed her employer so much that she received an offer from Four Seasons to join their management training program (in operations of course) upon graduation.
Despite being a people person, Chloe admits that she was not the best networker entering Cornell. However (paraphrasing Chloe), “after four years at the Hotel School, you can’t help but get involved with the alumni network.” One of the greatest lessons she learned from an alumnus was the need to be flexible. Being a planner by nature, she understands that environments change, and you need to adapt.
Her ability to adapt has been tested in 2020. Because of the COVID pandemic, on-campus classes were suspended, and her employment with Four Seasons has been postponed. Chloe has adapted by staying in Ithaca to finish her senior year on-line. It was a struggle to be away from her family, but everyone understood that it was healthier for her to stay in less-densely populated Ithaca, as compared to the virus-stricken Westchester County.
While spending time in Ithaca, Chloe has furthered her knowledge of Cornell. During her research she uncovered text from a letter sent by Willard Straight to his son with an inspiring message that is very applicable during the spring of 2020.
“‘Treat all women with courtesy. The respect of your fellows is worth more than applause. Understand and sympathize with those who are less fortunate than you are. Make up your mind but respect the opinions of others. Think it out yourself guided by the choice of those whom you respect. Hold your head high and keep your mind open, you can always learn.'”
The COVID pandemic also caused the postponement of one of the biggest honors of being the Hotelie for Life® prize winner; the ability to deliver the commencement address at the Hotel School graduation ceremony. Chloe will have the opportunity to speak in front of her classmates during the re-scheduled 2020 class graduation ceremonies in early June 2021. Chloe is not sure what the theme of her commencement address will be, but she believes it will be COVID related, and the lessons she has learned about adaptability.
CHS bets that there will also be a message of “life is service” embedded in the speech as well.
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The Cornell Hotel Society and Cornell Hotel Foundation congratulate Chloe, and wish her the best of success on her journey as a Hotelie for Life®. This interview was conducted by Robert Mandelbaum ’81.