Faculty & Research

AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp.

AIG Global Real Estate comprises a group of international companies within AIG Investments that invest in and actively manage real estate for clients and AIG companies around the world.  AIG Global Real Estate has approximately US $18.4 billion in equity under management.  AIG Global Real Estate’s property portfolio includes over 54 million square feet of retail, residential, industrial, office and hospitality properties owned, managed, or under development in more than 50 countries.

American Airlines Admirals Club

American Airlines opened the industry's first VIP lounge in 1939 at LaGuardia Airport in New York, forever changing travel at airports. The Admirals Club lounge has become synonymous with productivity, comfort, and convenience at major airports throughout the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Today, American Airlines has more than 40 Admirals Club locations worldwide.  Membership provides the key to private surroundings where members can relax or work before, after or between flights and enjoy personalized, professional service from club staff.  Club amenities vary by location and may include; conference rooms, hi-speed wi-fi at all domestic locations through a subscription to T-Mobile, showers, cyber cafe, Lenovo personal computers with complimentary hi-speed internet access, complimentary light snacks and non-alcoholic beverages, food for purchase and bar services, children's room, music rooms at Los Angeles, Miami-Terminal D, and Dallas-Ft. Worth-Terminal A locations, and complimentary wi-fi in most international lounges.

Davis & Gilbert LLP

At Davis & Gilbert, their attorneys are committed to understanding the special business intricacies that affect all corporate and entrepreneurial matters for clients of all sizes.  From corporate and, employment, benefits and compensation issues to real estate, litigation and intellectual property matters, their unique collaboration among practice groups ensures unmatched expertise in serving diverse clients.

Known to companies in virtually every industry, their clients include prominent marketing communications agencies, real estate companies, package goods companies, publishers, entertainment conglomerates, food and beverage companies, financial institutions, computer, technology and telecommunications companies, cosmetics manufacturers, restaurants, consumer electronics companies, retail apparel stores and automotive companies.

Davis & Gilbert operates at the leading edge of their practice areas, addressing the newest issues in the most sophisticated ways.

Deloitte & Touche USA LLP

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, a Swiss Verein, its member firms, and their respective subsidiaries and affiliates. As a Swiss Verein (association), neither Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu nor any of its member firms has any liability for each other’s acts or omissions. Each of the member firms is a separate and independent legal entity operating under the names “Deloitte,” “Deloitte & Touche,” “Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu,” or other related names. Services are provided by the member firms or their subsidiaries or affiliates and not by the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Verein.

Deloitte & Touche USA LLP is the U.S. member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. In the United States, services are provided by the subsidiaries of Deloitte & Touche USA LLP (Deloitte & Touche LLP, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP, Deloitte Tax LLP, and their subsidiaries), and not by Deloitte & Touche USA LLP.

Denihan Hospitality Group (DHG)

The Denihan Hospitality Group (DHG) is headed by Co-CEOs Brooke Barrett and Patrick Denihan, descendants of company founder Benjamin Denihan, Sr.  With more than 40 years of hospitality management expertise, the privately-held Denihan Hospitality Group (DHG) operates two brands: Affinia Hotels and The Benjamin. Affinia Hotels offers an array of hotel options to suit particular lifestyle and travel preferences in prime locations throughout Manhattan and Chicago and includes the Affinia Dumont, the Affinia 50, the Affinia Gardens, the Affinia Manhattan and the Affinia Chicago. The Benjamin provides an experience of true luxury with the highest level of service in an intimate, boutique-style setting. Based in New York City, DHG also manages several independent hotels in Manhattan.

DHG’s mission is to grow its portfolio nationally through acquisitions, management contracts, joint ventures and investment partnerships.  The company will seek to expand both of its core brands as well as leverage its expertise to manage other branded and independent properties.

Expedia, Inc.

Expedia, Inc. is parent company to some of the world's leading travel companies, providing travel products and services to leisure and corporate travelers in the US and around the world. We own and operate a diversified portfolio of well-recognized brands - including Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, TripAdvisor, Expedia Corporate Travel, Classic Vacations®, and a range of other US-based and international businesses. Together, these popular brands and innovative businesses make Expedia, Inc. the largest online travel agency in the world, the third largest travel company in the US, and the fourth largest travel company in the world. And we are on a mission to become the largest and most profitable seller of travel in the world, by helping everyone everywhere plan and purchase everything in travel.

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Fox Rothschild LLP

Fox Rothschild is a full-service law firm built to serve business leaders. Over the past 100 years, we have grown to more than 400 lawyers in 14 offices coast to coast. Our clients come to us because we understand their issues, their priorities, and the way they
think. We help clients manage risk and make better decisions by offering practical, innovative advice.

Fox has been nationally recognized as one of the top 200 law firms in the United States, and we’re one of the top four fastest-growing firms in the National Law Journal 250. We’re capable of reaching a broad national audience, with offices in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Exton, Lansdale, and Warrington, Pennsylvania; Atlantic City, Princeton, and Roseland, New Jersey; New York City, New York; Wilmington, Delaware; Las Vegas, Nevada; Los Angeles and San Francisco, California; and West Palm Beach,
Florida.

General Growth Properties, Inc.

General Growth Properties is a publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trust ("REIT") and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker symbol GGP.  Including predecessors companies, GGP has been in the shopping center business  for over fifty years.  The second largest REIT, General Growth owns, develops, operates, and/or manages shopping malls in 44 states, as well as Master-Planned Communities in three states, including Summerlin in Nevada, The Woodlands and Bridgeland in Texas, and Columbia in Maryland.  As of January 2007, GGP had ownership interests in and/or management responsibility for more than 200 regional shopping malls totalling approximately 200 million square feet of retail space.

General Growth has excelled as a buyer, seller, developer, and manager of real estate since 1954.  In November of 2004, General Growth completed the merger of The Rouse Company.  The merger added 37 regional shopping malls, four community centers, and six mixed-use projects totalling 40 million square feet, as well as the Master-Planned Community business, to General Growth's portfolio of owned shopping centers.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, GGP has approximately 4,700 employees nationwide.  Our malls feature more than 24,000 retail stores and anchor department stores, as well as theaters, sit-down restaurants, ice skating rinks, and other forms of family entertainment.

HVS

HVS Global Hospitality Services was established in 1980 by Steven Rushmore.  HVS is a consulting and services organization focused on the hotel, restaurant, shared-ownership, gaming, and leisure activities.  The firm has provided financial and valuation consulting services for over 8,000 hotels in all 50 states and more than 60 foreign countries.  With more than 20 offices and 200 consultants worldwide, HVS performs more than 1,500 assignments per year for virtually every major industry participant.

InterContinental Hotels Group

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG) of the United Kingdom [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is one of the world's largest hotel groups by number of rooms. IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, over 3,800 hotels and more than 571,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. IHG owns a portfolio of well recognised and respected hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites® and Hotel Indigo®, and also manages the world's largest hotel loyalty programme, Priority Club® Rewards with over 37 million members worldwide.

The company pioneered the travel industry’s first collaborative response to environmental issues as founder of the International Hotels and Environment Initiative (IHEI). The IHEI formed the foundations of the Tourism Partnership launched by the International Business Leaders Forum in 2004, of which IHG is still a member today. The environment and local communities remain at the heart of IHG’s global corporate responsibility focus.

IHG offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at www.ihg.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards programme at www.priorityclub.com.  For the latest news from IHG, visit our online Press Office at http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=5

job.travel

Established in 2007, job.travel is the travel and hospitality industry’s premium job site.  Job.travel focuses solely on matching qualified job seekers with employers in the travel and hospitality industry, both efficiently and cost effectively. 

As an entrepreneur and lifelong supporter of the travel industry, Michael S. Egan created and developed job.travel to address the lack of a premium, industry specific employment website for the global travel industry.  Knowing how little time business owners and managers have to read e-mail, find qualified employees, and run their businesses, Egan believed it was time to fill this niche.

With the ability to quickly search candidates and job opportunities from handheld, mobile devices or desktop computers, job.travel is designed to be easy to use and simple for even the non-tech savvy individual.  As an added convenience, job.travel will offer mobile text and e-mail alerts when candidates and jobs match. These alerts will provide access to “snapshots” to get a quick view of both candidates and job opportunities.

Job.travel is a complimentary site for job seekers and is very cost effective for employers.  Based on an annual subscription, the cost is on average below one month of traditional job postings on other job sites.

To find our more information on job.travel and how to subscribe to its services, please email info@job.travel.

JohnsonDiversey

Created by the merger of Johnson Wax Professional with Diversey Lever, JohnsonDiversey is a global leader of commercial cleaning and hygiene products and solutions with global sales of $2.9 billion in 2003 and more than 13,000 employees in 60 nations worldwide.

A family-owned business, JohnsonDiversey’s focus is to simplify the lives of its customers and to provide them with the products, solutions, and expertise to make their facilities the safest, healthiest, highest-performing facilities in the world.

Jumeirah Group

Jumeirah properties are regarded as among the most luxurious and innovative in the world and have won numerous international travel and tourism awards. The fast growing Dubai based luxury international hospitality management group encompasses the world renowned Burj Al Arab, the world’s most luxurious hotel, the multi-award winning Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Madinat Jumeirah and Jumeirah Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa in Dubai, the Jumeirah Carlton Tower and Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel in London and the Jumeirah Essex House on Central Park South in New York.

The group’s activities are however, not restricted to hotel and resort management. The Jumeirah Group portfolio also includes Wild Wadi, regarded as one of the premier water parks outside of North America and The Emirates Academy, the region’s only third level academic institution specializing in the hospitality and tourism sectors.  Building on this success, Jumeirah Group became a member of Dubai Holding in 2004, a collection of leading Dubai based businesses and projects, in a step that aims to initiate a new phase of growth and development for the group.

Jumeirah’s ambitious expansion plans to grow its portfolio of luxury hotels and resorts worldwide to 60 by 2012 are well underway with projects currently under development in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Aqaba, Doha, Phuket, Shanghai, Bermuda, Mallorca and London.

LRP Publications

Founded in 1977 by Kenneth Kahn, a practicing employment law attorney, Labor Relations Press first published case reporters for the legal profession. As the company grew, it became known as LRP Publications. For 30 years, LRP's fast-paced, results-oriented environment has helped it to expand – both internally and externally. LRP publishes the industry-leading Human Resource Executive® magazine and Risk and Insurance® magazine, along with more than 120 newsletters in the fields of human resources, workers compensation, education administration, disability law and higher education. Major web sites include HREOnline.com, Workindex.com, cyberFEDS.com, Specialedconnection.com and Educationdaily.com.

In addition to print and online resources, LRP Publications also provides more than 50 top-quality training and educational development seminars, conferences, trade shows and symposiums including the National HR in Hospitality Conference & Expo™ — the nation’s premier event specifically for HR management, law and labor relations in the hospitality industry. For more information on the National HR in Hospitality Conference & Expo™, please visit www.hrinhospitality.com

Marriott International, Inc.

Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) is a leading lodging company with more than 2,800 lodging properties in the United States and 67 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers and golf courses. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and had approximately 143,000 employees at 2005 year-end. It is ranked as the lodging industry’s most admired company and one of the best places to work for by FORTUNE®. The company is also a 2006 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR® Partner. In fiscal year 2005, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $11.6 billion.

Marsh, Inc.

Marsh, Inc. is the world's leading risk and insurance services firm. Our mission is "To create and deliver risk solutions and services that make our clients more successful." Since our formation in 1871, we have grown into an enterprise with 410 owned-and-operated offices and 38,000 colleagues, who serve clients in more than 100 countries. Marsh's annual revenues are $5.9 billion.

Marsh Inc. is a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (MMC), a global professional-services firm with approximately 60,000 employees and annual revenues exceeding $10 billion.

Mobil Travel Guide

Mobil Travel Guide, originator of the prestigious Mobil Star ratings and certifications, has been providing the most comprehensive ratings and reviews of hotels, restaurants and spas in the United States and Canada since 1958. Mobil Travel Guide’s team of anonymous, expert inspectors evaluates properties against rigorous and objective proprietary standards, giving consumers the insight to make better-informed travel and leisure decisions. Mobil Travel Guide is published by Publications International, Ltd. under license from Exxon Mobil Corporation and is published online exclusively by HowStuffWorks. Mobil Travel Guide is headquartered in Chicago, Ill.

Nestlé

Nestlé is the world's largest food and beverage company with global sales over $57 Billion in 2002. Founded in Switzerland in 1867 Nestlé now does business in over 77 countries, has 254,000 employees, and operates over 500 factories producing a wide range of products. Nestlé's familiar brands include Nescafe coffee, Nestea, Carnation, Stouffers, Maggi, Libby's, Buitoni, bottled waters including Perrier and Poland Springs, and confections such as Butterfinger, Crunch, Kit Kat in Europe, and Toll House in the US. Recent acquisitions have grown Nestlé's businesses in ice cream (Dryers, Haagen Dazs), pet foods (Purina), and hand held snacks (Hot Pockets). Local and global businesses are supported by a network of 7 R&D Centers, 9 Product Technology Centers, and the Nestlé Research Center in Switzerland.

PriceWaterhouseCoopers

PriceWaterhouseCoopers Hospitality & Leisure

Hospitality industry business sectors are highly sensitive to economic and competitive market conditions and are capital, management, marketing, personnel, energy, maintenance and technology intensive.

Our professionals offer vast experience with the following hospitality sectors: lodging, gaming, food service, convention centers, timeshare/vacation ownership, cruise, tourism, sports arenas, theme parks and other public assembly and leisure real estate entities.

With more specialists dedicated to the hospitality and leisure industry than any other firm,PricewaterhouseCoopers teams provide advice and expertise to hospitality and leisure owners, franchisors, management, lenders, investors, creditors, government entities, and product and service providers. Our professionals offer in-depth market and financial analysis, economic and statistical research and analysis, performance improvement, due diligence, valuation, litigation and dispute services, and technology advisory services.

Proskauer Rose

Proskauer Rose, one of the nation’s largest and oldest law firms, has long been recognized in legal and business circles as a significant and influential firm in the hospitality industry. Our commitment to the hospitality industry is unparalleled among major national firms. We offer extensive experience advising hospitality clients includes mergers & acquisition; joint ventures; finance; management agreements; mixed-use development and branding; real estate; labor and employment; litigation and dispute resolution; environmental; tax; bankruptcy; and intellectual property.

Our Lodging & Gaming Practice has a renowned track record for legal innovation representing the world’s leaders in lodging and gaming. We have also developed enduring client relationships with first-class, luxury and super-luxury hotel chains.

Our Lodging & Gaming attorneys are actively involved in the hospitality and tourism industry, serving on committees and advisory boards of the industry’s leading organizations. Our practice co-chairs, Jeffrey Horwitz and Michael Feldman, also founded The New York Hospitality Council, a not-for-profit corporation co-founded by Proskauer and supported by both Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and New York University’s Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Administration. The Council is a forum for hospitality industry leaders to discuss the key issues facing the hotel, travel and tourism industry.

Smith Travel Research

STR is the recognized leader for global Lodging Industry benchmarking. For over 20 years STR has collected monthly and daily operating data and reported on the state of the Lodging industry. Currently over 30,000 hotels participate in the STAR program worldwide. If you wish to learn more about the annual HOST survey, Historical TRENDS, the STAR program or other STR Services please call (615) 824-8664 Ext. 504.

Southern Wine & Spirits of America

Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc., the nation’s leading wine and spirits distributor with a tradition of delivering the highest levels of service excellence since 1968, currently conducts business in 27 states. The Company operates in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. Through a strategic partnership with Alaska Distributors Co. of Seattle, Washington, Southern Wine & Spirits has established a joint venture, Southern Wine/Spirits West. This joint venture has operations across the Northwest states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. On a national basis, Southern Wine & Spirits serves over 200,000 retail customers and employs more than 10,000 team members.

Sabre Holdings

Sabre Holdings (NYSE:TSG) connects people with the world's greatest travel possibilities by retailing travel products and providing distribution and technology solutions for the travel industry.

SynXis, a Sabre Holdings company, enables hotels to maximize revenue and reduce costs through a combination of distribution technology and customized support. The RedX(TM) Distribution Management System, at the solution's core, empowers hotel operators to consolidate and manage hotel inventory from all sources -- seamless GDS connectivity, popular Internet travel sites, private-label central reservations systems, and full-service hotel Web sites. SynXis is the technology source for more than 7,000 hotels, bed and breakfasts, resorts, and destinations, including, Harrah's, Destination Hotels & Resorts, and Jumeirah Hotels.

Sabre Travel Network, a Sabre Holdings company, provides access to the world's leading global distribution system (GDS). The Sabre GDS is a ready-built efficient marketplace that connects suppliers, including hundreds of airlines and thousands of hotels, with more than 50,000 travel agency locations. Suppliers get access through one single connection; travel agents get real time access to thousands of travel products from multiple suppliers through one source; consumers get access to a global supermarket of the world's greatest travel possibilities.

Travelocity, a Sabre Holdings brand, is committed to being the traveler's champion. This customer-driven focus, backed by live 24/7 phone support, great prices and powerful shopping technology has made Travelocity the fifth largest travel agency in the U.S. - booking $4.9 billion in travel in 2004. Based in Southlake, Texas, Travelocity also owns and operates Travelocity Business(SM), Travelocity Europe and lastminute.com, making it the leader in online travel in Europe.

Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces

Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces has acuainted guests with the living heritage of India - and a legendary experience in hospitality for more than 100 years. It began on December 16, 1903, when Jamshetji Nusserwanji Tata opened Taj's first hotel, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai. This grand hotel epitomized a philosophy that still holds true today: provide impeccable service and unparalleled facilities so every stay is a memorable one.

A part of the Tata Group of companies www.tata.com, India's premier business house, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces comprises 57 hotels in 38 locations across India with an additional 14 international hotels in the Maldives, Mauritius, UK, Nepal, Sri Lanka, U.S. (The Pierre Hotel) Africa, and the Middle East. Over the years, Taj has won international acclaim for its quality hotels and its excellence in dining, business facilities, interiors, and world-class, personalized service.

In India, Taj is recognized as the premier hospitality provider, spanning the length and breadth of the country, and gracing important industrial towns and cities, beautiful beaches, historical and pilgrim centres, and wildlife destinations.

Thayer Lodging Group

Thayer Lodging Group, formed in 1991, is a real estate venture capital firm that sponsors private equity funds focused on the hospitality industry. Clients include Fortune 50 companies, public and private pension funds, endowments, and family offices. The company has delivered returns in excess of 30% since inception. Currently active funds own in excess of $2 Billion of hotel real estate and hold approximately $800 million in available investment capacity. Thayer Lodging Group is headquartered in Annapolis Maryland.

TIG Global

TIG Global, headquartered in Washington, DC, is the leading provider of interactive marketing services for hotels and resorts worldwide. TIG Global's consultative, strategic marketing programs raise online visibility, drive direct incremental revenue, and deliver unrivaled ROI to hospitality clients. Founded by hoteliers in 2001, TIG Global combines its hospitality industry knowledge and e-business expertise to help hotel clients maximize the potential of Internet channel and gain more than their fair share of this rapidly expanding market. TIG Global serves more than 300 hotel and resort clients, including independents and branded hotels, located throughout North America, Europe, and the Caribbean.

Travelport

Travelport is one of the world’s largest travel conglomerates.   The company operates three primary businesses - a global distribution system business, which comprises the Galileo and Worldspan brands; a supplier services and data analysis business, Shepherd Systems; and a group travel and wholesale hotel business through its brand GTA.   Travelport also owns a significant interest in Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW), a leading global online travel company. With 2006 revenues (including Worldspan) of approximately $3.4 billion, Travelport operates in 145 countries and has approximately 7,500 employees. Travelport is a private company owned by The Blackstone Group and One Equity Partners of New York and Technology Crossover Ventures of Palo Alto, California.

WATG

Since it's founding in 1945, WATG has specialized in hospitality, leisure, and entertainment design from its offices in Seattle, Honolulu, Irvine, Orlando, Singapore, and London.  The firm is best known for such internationally-acclaimed projects as The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino, Las Vegas; Atlantis Paradise Island, Paradise Island, the Bahamas; The Ritz-Carlton, Bali; The Four Seasons in Mexico City and Tokyo; Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort & Spa, Poipu Beach, Kauai; Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Maui; Hotel Bora Bora, French Polynesia; Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista; The Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel & Spa, Pasadena; and Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach.  For more information, visit www.watg.com.

WhiteSand Consulting

WhiteSand Consulting is a professional services firm that provides strategy, operations and technology consulting services to a wide variety of clients, with an emphasis on gaming and hospitality.   Our consultants have many years of casino, hotel, technology, marketing, and financial experience that provide the foundation of our business solutions. 

WhiteSand Consulting is intimately familiar with the hospitality and gaming industries, and the intricacies that exist within resort operations.  WhiteSand Consulting team members are uniquely qualified to provide consulting services to resorts and casinos because our consultants possess a combination of direct operational experience, holding executive positions with various casinos, along with top tier consulting experience from firms such as PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte & Touche and KPMG Peat Marwick.  Our diversified and experienced consultants have delivered unique solutions and strategies to a wide spectrum of US and International clients including MGM Mirage, Wynn Las Vegas, Harrah’s, Boyd Gaming, Trump Entertainment Resorts, and Mohegan Sun.  Our core competencies of services are built upon a foundation of integrity, quality and independence.

WhiteSand Gaming, a wholly owned subsidiary of WhiteSand Consulting created specifically to acquire and operate major land based casino resort destinations, is a casino management organization composed of individuals with years of operational and consulting experience. The team has held executive positions with various casinos including Morongo Casino Resort, Showboat, Tropicana, Trump Taj Mahal, Harrah's and others. This hands-on experience is combined with top grade consulting skills developed over years of providing services to premier gaming corporations.