At the sold-out 5th Annual Cornell Hospitality Icon & Innovator Awards, 800 senior
leaders from the travel and hospitality industry gathered to celebrate Tom Pritzker,
executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corporation and chairman of Marmon Group, Inc.,
and Steve Ells, founder, chairman, and co-CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill. At the gala--
which raised more than $300,000 for programs and scholarships at the Cornell School of
Hotel Administration (SHA)--Pritzker received the Cornell Icon of the Industry Award and
Ells received the Cornell Hospitality Innovator Award."The Cornell Hospitality Icon &
Innovator Awards has grown to be a tremendous event for our alumni and for the
industry at large. It is humbling to be able honor industry leaders who have not only
had a great impact on the business of hospitality but also on the global community
through their dedication to the arts, philanthropy, science, and sustainability," Michael
D. Johnson, dean and E. M. Statler Professor at the SHA.The awards ceremony was held
on June 4, 2013, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. Simon Hobbs, co-anchor of
CNBC's Squawk on the Street, was the emcee. Special guests included Pritzker's wife,
Margot; his cousin, Penny, civic and business leader and President Obama's nominee
for Secretary of Commerce; Frank Gehry, world-renowned Pritzker-Prize-winning
architect; Andrew McCarthy, actor, author, and travel writer; and Josh Bernstein, TV host
and travel explorer. Since its inception in 2009, the Cornell Hospitality Icon & Innovator
Awards has grown to be the largest event on the SHA calendar, attracting influential
leaders and innovators in the hospitality and travel industry from 17 countries. The
event has raised nearly $900,000 for SHA scholarships and programs.More than 70
corporate sponsors helped make the 2013 awards ceremony possible. Hyatt was the
title sponsor. Travel + Leisure and USA TODAY were exclusive media co-hosts; Baccarat,
Delta Airlines, Flag Luxury, Groupe du Louvre, InterContinental Hotels Group, Latham
and Watkins, Marriott International, Menin Hotels, Shelborne, and the New York
Observer were diamond sponsors; Amazing Taste, LLC was strategic marketing and
event consultant; and Do More Good | CSK directed strategic brand marketing and
design.For additional information, please visit
www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/industry/events/awardsdinner.html