Meet the people who are part of our Hotelie community. 

Welcomed and Supported from Day One

As a member of the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration community, you will join a very special community and feel Cornell’s strong commitment to your education and career — from the minute you step on campus until the day you graduate, and far beyond. We devote unparalleled resources and care to create your lifelong success. The Cornell Nolan School ensures you have the academic support you need and the ideal curriculum to shape your career path, extraordinary to experiential opportunities where you make life-long friends and colleagues, and provides you with invaluable mentoring and connections through our powerful and prestigious alumni network.


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Talented, Brilliant, and Dedicated to the Hospitality Industry, Broadly Defined

We’re proud of our undergraduate students, creative and innovative individuals who are committed to finding solutions to today’s pressing industry challenges. Collaborative, energetic, and supportive, they, along with our world-class faculty, are an essential part of why the Nolan School is the global premier educator.

Nolan School Students, by the Numbers

Hailing from around the world and bringing a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives, Nolan School of Hotel Administration undergraduates come from all walks of life. Here’s a quick look at the students in our community.

  • 950< Nolan School Undergraduate Students
  • 230 - 250 Nolan School Students per Class Year
  • 18:1 Student to Faculty Advisor Ratio
  • 95% of Graduates Receive a Job Offer within Four Months after Graduation

Get To Know the Nolan School through Our Students

As creative and collaborative as they are intelligent, our students are preparing for and launching exciting careers, all through our signature Hotelie educational experience. Get acquainted with just a few of the individuals who will be shaping the future of the hospitality industry.

Jenniviv Bansah ‘22

The Nolan School
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Biography for Jenniviv Bansah ‘22

“I developed an action plan on skills I wanted to gain from the Hotel School [Nolan School], leveraged those skills during interviews, and secured the opportunity to intern at Google. And, it all happened because the school planned a career immersion trip to [San Francisco]!"

Kassie Henderson '22

The Nolan School
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Biography for Kassie Henderson '22

"I chose to attend SHA [Nolan School] because I feel hospitality is a more meaningful version of business. Hotels were always something that interested me as a child because of the way they made people feel, people are more relaxed and happier when they are on vacation. I wanted to be able to contribute to moments that are made through vacations by working in hospitality."

Caleb Trieu ‘23

The Nolan School
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Biography for Caleb Trieu ‘23

“I love that being a Hotelie is a lifelong identity to be shared with so many others and that even beyond college, I [can] always connect with Hotelies for support.”

Kyra Roach ‘22

The Nolan School
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Biography for Kyra Roach ‘22

“I chose the Hotel School originally because of the unique dynamic of a business degree that also offered hospitality-specific training. However, I have stayed at the Hotel School because of the vast amount of opportunities available to Hotelies...Our program is so much farther reaching than just hotels, and I have been so grateful to explore each of these avenues.”


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Nolan School Alumni: Leading all Facets of the Hospitality Industry

They are top industry leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs. They are CEOs and presidents of top companies, real estate investors and running their own data analytics and AI start-ups. Anywhere you look for leadership in this industry, you will find a Hotelie. And they credit their success to their Nolan School education and connections.

Nolan School Alumni, by the Numbers

Visionary and pioneering, Nolan School alumni are leading companies in every conceivable hospitality sector. You’ll find these accomplished individuals all over the world, shaping organizations with their insights, strategy, and energy

  • 14,000+ Nolan School Alumni
  • 50 States & 102 Countries Leading the Way in Every State and around the World
  • 55+ Cornell Hotel Society Chapters around the Globe
  •  #1 Ranked Hospitality School in the World by CEOWORLD Magazine for 2022

Meet Some Incredible Hospitality Leaders We Count Among Our Own

It was challenging to choose just a few alumni who are part of our Hotelie community, but here are four of our illustrious alumni. Whether hospitality operations, real estate, food and beverage consulting, data analytics: Meet some of the Hotelies leading top hospitality organizations to greatness.

Elizabeth Blau ‘97

CEO, Blau & Associates
The Nolan School
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Biography for Elizabeth Blau ‘97

Blau founded and leads a strategic restaurant planning and development company that specializes in providing clients with the fresh, creative, and sound business advice required to create exceptional and profitable food-and-beverage concepts. She also works to promote female leadership and entrepreneurship in the restaurant industry.

Keith Barr ‘92

CEO, IHG Hotels & Resorts
The Nolan School
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Biography for Keith Barr ‘92

Barr is responsible for implementing IHG’s strategy for high-quality growth and generating industry-leading value creation for hotel owners, operators, and shareholders. As part of leading IHG, one of the top hotel companies in the world, Barr oversees more than 5,000 hotels across nearly 100 countries.

Christine Heggie ‘10

Global Partnership Solutions Lead For Google Travel
The Nolan School
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Biography for Christine Heggie ‘10

Heggie, as partnerships lead, is responsible for building out an internal cross-Google industry strategy. Before joining Google, Heggie was a founding team member of JetBlue Ventures, the airline's corporate venture capital arm. Heggie has experience across multiple travel companies, venture capital, travel technology startups, and management consulting.

Jess Petitt ‘05

Vice President, Analytics at Hilton
The Nolan School
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Biography for Jess Petitt ‘05

Petitt leads analysis globally for Hilton, supporting the revenue, sales, marketing, channel, loyalty, brands, development, and executive teams, as well as leading business intelligence and sales performance management for Hilton's best-in-class team.


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Hotelies for Life

Nolan School alumni partner with our faculty to help educate our students. Each semester more than 400 of them visit our classes to share their insights with current students. Everywhere you look, you will find alumni ready to offer support, mentoring, and career advice, whether on a start-up concept, career path, or how to break into your dream company. Distinguished by their collegiality as much as by their brilliance, Nolan School alumni are dedicated to our students. Hotelies love to help Hotelies – and pay it forward. It’s what makes our school so special.
READ ABOUT OUR ALUMNI

Start Your Future Now

Ready to join the world’s premier hospitality community, start a transformative learning experience, and launch your amazing hospitality career? Begin your application to the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration today!

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