Rohit Verma has been named executive director of Cornell's Center for Hospitality Research. An associate professor of operations management at the School of Hotel Administration, Verma teaches executive, master's, and undergraduate classes in service operations, product-service innovation, project management, and quality improvement methods. He has published dozens of articles in prestigious business journals such as the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, California Management Review, Decision Sciences, Journal of Operations Management, Journal of Service Research, and MIT Sloan Management Review. Verma has also released several managerial reports related to the hospitality industry through the center.

As executive director, Verma will oversee the center's ambitious program of promoting and promulgating research for the hospitality and related service industries.

"The Center for Hospitality Research has made tremendous strides in expanding its reach to share the most current research-based information with the hospitality industry," said Verma. "I appreciate the efforts of outgoing academic director David Sherwyn, and I hope that we will continue to expand the scope of the center's research programs and industry events." Verma added: "The center's industry partners and friends are committed to promoting relevant and high-quality research. Along with the dedicated center staff, I am looking forward to working closely with our 70+ industry collaborators."

In addition to the center's existing research report series, the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, and industry roundtables, Verma would like to initiate web-based presentations and podcasts by center researchers. "I envision direct contact between our researchers and the industry, as well as other researchers and students," Verma explained. "Web 2.0 technologies and social media allows us to offer 'webinars' and other interactive events. The whole idea is to share as much research and information with the industry as possible."

About The Center for Hospitality Research
A unit of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, The Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) sponsors research designed to improve practices in the hospitality industry. Under the lead of the center's 77 corporate affiliates, experienced scholars work closely with business executives to discover new insights into strategic, managerial and operating practices. The center also publishes the award-winning hospitality journal, the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly. To learn more about the center and its projects, visit www.chr.cornell.edu.

Center Senior Partners: ASAE Foundation, Carlson Hotels, Hilton Worldwide, McDonald's USA, Philips Hospitality, SAS, STR, and Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces

Center Partners: Davis & Gilbert LLP, Deloitte & Touche USA LLP, Denihan Hospitality Group, eCornell & Executive Education, Expedia, Inc., Forbes Travel Guide, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Fox Rothschild LLP, French Quarter Holdings, Inc., HVS, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, InterContinental Hotels Group, Jumeirah Group, LRP Publications, Maritz, Marriott International, Inc., Marsh's Hospitality Practice, priceline.com, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Proskauer, Sabre Hospitality Solutions, Sathguru Management Consultants (P) Ltd., Schneider Electric, Thayer Lodging Group, Thompson Hotels, Travelport, WATG and Wyndham Hotel Group

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