Marriott International Confirmed as Title Sponsor of Second Annual Cornell Icon of the Industry Awards Dinner

NEW YORK, NY, May 20, 2010—Officials of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration today announced that Marriott International will be the title sponsor of the second annual Cornell Icon of the Industry Awards Dinner.

 This year’s event will honor the 2010 Icon of the Industry, Class of 1956 alumnus Charles "Chuck" Feeney (top right photo), co-founder of Duty Free Shoppers and founding chairman of The Atlantic Philanthropies.

The event also honors the Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship’s 2010 Hospitality Innovator Award winner, Solomon Kerzner,(middle right photo)  founder, CEO, and chairman of the board of Kerzner International.

The annual awards dinner features a gathering of the world’s most influential hospitality and travel leaders coming together to support Cornell School of Hotel Administration scholarships and programs.

The event will be held on June 8, 2010, at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC, and will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m. The dinner and awards ceremony will follow.

Officials also announced that J.W. “Bill” Marriott, Jr., (top left photo)  chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott International, Inc., and inaugural winner of the Icon Award, along with the school’s dean and E. M. Statler Professor, Michael Johnson, (bottom right photo) will co-present the award to Feeney.

Marriott was presented the award last year in recognition for his extraordinary industry, community, and philanthropic leadership. He is a member of the National Business Council and the Executive Committee of the World Travel & Tourism Council.

“Chuck’s influence on the hospitality industry has been wide ranging and long lasting,” said Bill Marriott. “His mark on retail travel, as well as his philanthropic endeavors, are each impressive in their own right.

"His foundation has a great record worldwide, including in Vietnam and Australia. I’ve known Chuck for years, and he is a smart businessman, a generous benefactor and an ideal recipient of this year’s Icon of the Industry award.”

Solomon Kerzner will receive the Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship’s 2010 Hospitality Innovator Award for his visionary work redefining the scope and scale of destination resort/casino development and operation throughout much of the world.

With a career spanning more than four decades, he founded both of South Africa’s largest hotel groups, played a pivotal role in the development of tourism industries in Mauritius and the Bahamas, and continues to develop industry leading projects in unique destinations throughout the world.

He also manages six of the top-rated luxury resort properties in the world under his One&Only brand in the Bahamas, Mexico, Mauritius, the Maldives, Dubai, and South Africa.

Jonathan Tisch (middle left photo) will co-present, also with Johnson, the Hospitality Innovator Award to Kerzner.

Tisch is chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels, as well as co-chairman of the board and member of the Office of the President of Loews Corporation, its parent company, which was founded by his father Robert Tisch.

 He also holds positions as chairman emeritus of the United States Travel Association (U.S. Travel), a travel industry lobbying group; trustee of Tufts University; treasurer of the New York Giants Football Team; and board member of the Tribeca Film Institute.

 His published works include The Power of We: Succeeding Through Partnerships, Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing the Customer Experience and his recently released, Citizen You...Doing Your Part to Change the World.

He also hosts “Beyond the Boardroom with Jonathan Tisch,” an Emmy-nominated series of one-on-one interviews with America’s preeminent CEOs and business people on Plum TV, a media network. The show also has aired on CNBC, Fox, PBS, and WNBC-New York.

The event already has attracted more than 60 sponsors and 650 registered attendees, according to Joe Strodel, Jr., (bottom left photo) director of corporate & foundation affairs, Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.

To RSVP, please register at www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/events/icon or contact Liz Flint at es232@cornell.edu.

 Admission prices are $1,000 for VIP seating (limited seating still available); $575 for premier seating; and $275 for regular seating. To share a testimonial on either of the event honorees, please do so here at www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/industry/events/icon-accolades.html.

Interested sponsors may contact Rachel Ash, manager of corporate & foundation affairs, Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, at rep6@cornell.edu.

 For additional information, please go to the event’s official Web site: www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/industry/events/awardsdinner.html.

Contact: Jerry Daly, Chris Daly, Daly Gray Public Relations, (703) 435-6293