Cornell Hospitality Icon & Innovator Awards: Tom Pritzker, Executive Chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corporation, accepts the Cornell Icon of the Industry Award — Photo by Robert Barker, Cornell University Photography

The Cornell School of Hotel Administration (SHA) has announced that

actor, director, and NY Times best-selling author Andrew McCarthy will serve as master of ceremonies at the 6th annual Cornell Hospitality Icon & Innovator Awards on June 3, 2014, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. At the gala event, McCarthy will help honor the Mariani family, founders and proprietors of Banfi Vintners, as recipient of the Cornell Icon of the Industry Award, and Sandy Solmon, founder, president, and CEO of Sweet Street Desserts, as the recipient of the Cornell Hospitality Innovator Award."Through his award-winning writing, Andrew McCarthy captures the allure and excitement of travel and hospitality. We are delighted that he will emcee the gala in June and help us celebrate leadership and innovation in the industry," said Michael D. Johnson, dean and E. M. Statler Professor at SHA.

McCarthy made his professional début

in Class and has appeared in dozens of films, including such iconic movies as Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo's Fire, Less Than Zero, and cult favorites Weekend At Bernie's and Mannequin. He has starred on Broadway and on numerous television shows, including Lipstick Jungle, Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital, and all the Law & Orders. He is also a highly regarded television director.

McCarthy is

an editor-at-large at National Geographic Traveler and has written for the New York Times, The Atlantic, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Travel + Leisure, Afar, Men's Journal, Bon Appétit, National Geographic Adventure, and others. He has received six Lowell Thomas awards and been named Travel Journalist of the Year by the Society of American Travel Writers. His travel memoir, The Longest Way Home, was a New York Times best seller, and the Financial Times of London named it one of the Best Books of 2012.

Since its inception in 2009, the Cornell

Hospitality Icon & Innovator Awards has grown to be the largest event on the SHA calendar, attracting more than 800 of the most influential leaders and innovators in the hospitality and travel industry from 17 countries. The gala raises funds to support SHA's scholarships and programs.

The 2014 awards ceremony already has more

than 55 corporate sponsors. Exclusive Media Co-Hosts are Travel + Leisure and USA TODAY; Red Carpet sponsors are Banfi Vintners and Forbes Travel Guide; and Diamond sponsors are Delta Air Lines, InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott International, and Sweet Street Desserts.

To partner with the school on this premier event,

please contact Kathleen Bolton, manager of corporate affairs at the SHA, at [email protected]. For additional information, please visit the event webpage.

About the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration

The Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration is the premier school for hospitality education in the world. As an integral part of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, the school is leading the world in teaching and researching the business of hospitality—marketing, finance, real estate, operations, and more, all applied to the world’s largest and most exciting industry. Top faculty, industry leaders, alumni, and students work together to generate new knowledge for the hospitality industry and form the premier network that shapes the industry every day.

Ashlee McGandy
607.254.1368
Cornell