Michael Johnson, Dean, Cornell School of Hotel Administration; Jill Kobus Johnson; David Marriott, Senior V.P of Global Sales; Marriott International; Debbie Marriott Harrison, Senior V.P. of Government Affairs, Marriott International; Bill Marriott, Jr., Chairman and CEO, Marriott International; Mika Brzezinski; co-Host, Morning Joe, MSNBC Television; and Joe Scarborough, co-Host, Morning Joe, MSNBC Television. — Photo by Cornell School of Hotel Administration
“The name Bill Marriott has been synonymous with hospitality, innovation, quality and integrity for more than five decades, and I cannot think of a more deserving inaugural recipient of this prestigious award than Bill,” said Bruce White, White Lodging CEO — Photo by Cornell School of Hotel Administration

The Cornell University School of Hotel Administration has awarded Marriott International chairman and CEO JW Marriott Jr., its first annual Icon of the Industry Award.

There were more than 530 industry executives in attendance for the presentation of the award, which recognizes Marriott's lifetime contributions, both professional and philanthropic.

The award was presented during a dinner held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on June 2nd .

hotelchatter.com | What Cornell's 'Icon of the Industry' Told the Hotel World | As we mentioned yesterday, we hit up the Cornell Icon of the Industry Awards Dinner on Tuesday night to witness perennial HotelChatter crush object Bill Marriott accept the first-ever "Icon of the Industry" award from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration (and, full disclosure, this editor's alma mater). Held at Billy's massive Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square, the gala was a star-studded event: we rubbed elbows with hospitality industry bigwigs ranging from David Marriott to Nobu restaurateur Drew Nieporent. More...

About the Center for Hospitality Research

The purpose of the Center for Hospitality Research is to enable and conduct research of significance to the global hospitality and related service industries. CHR also works to improve the connections between academe and industry, continuing the School of Hotel Administration's long-standing tradition of service to the hospitality industry. Founded in 1992, CHR remains the industry's foremost creator and distributor of timely research, all of which is posted at no charge for all to use. In addition to its industry advisory board, CHR convenes several industry roundtables each year for the purpose of identifying new issues affecting the hospitality industry.

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