What Keeps Us Coming Back

Ashwin Kamlani, MMH ’03, is an expert in customer experience, technology innovation, and loyalty. As Executive Vice President of Corporate and Business Development at Kognitiv, he is recruiting the global hotel industry to start thinking about hotel rooms as a valuable currency that can be traded in a peer-to-peer collaborative network of loyalty programs.

Mr. Kamlani’s company, Regatta Travel Solutions, was acquired by Kognitiv in August 2016. He started Regatta Travel Solutions in early 2010 with the goal of helping hotels increase their direct online bookings through innovative booking technology and more effective digital marketing strategies.

Prior to starting Regatta Travel Solutions, Mr. Kamlani was the global vice president of e-commerce and distribution at Meliá Hotels and Resorts, armed with a Master of Management in Hospitality degree from Cornell University and consulting experience from Accenture and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

David Rochefort is the President of Graduate Hotels, overseeing the brand and operations for all of Graduate Hotels’ properties. He previously served as the Senior Vice President of Asset Management for Graduate Hotels. Mr. Rochefort joined AJ Capital Partners in 2014 to support the launch of Graduate and has played an instrumental role in the continued growth and management of the brand since the beginning. 

Initially hired to join the acquisitions team, Mr. Rochefort ultimately launched the brand’s asset management division with the goal of taking a more comprehensive approach to the portfolio. A decisive cross-discipline leader, he has worked on the acquisition, asset management, brand, and investment teams throughout his tenure. Mr. Rochefort has played a critical role in each of the brand’s openings and contributed to securing pivotal growth projects such as the forthcoming Graduate Roosevelt Island, opening in collaboration with Cornell Tech in Summer 2021. 

Prior to joining AJCP, Mr. Rochefort was an associate at Pebblebrook Hotel Trust in Bethesda, MD. During his three years with the trust, they grew from three to 30 hotels. Mr. Rochefort received his Bachelor of Science from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, with a minor in real estate finance.

Eliot Hamlisch serves as Executive Vice President of Loyalty and Revenue Optimization at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest hotel franchising company with more than 8,900 hotels across nearly 95 countries. In his role, Mr. Hamlisch is responsible for maximizing revenue-generating opportunities across Wyndham’s diverse portfolio of 20 iconic brands. Leading a global team of more than 200 talented hospitality professionals, his oversight spans the company’s customer engagement, loyalty, credit card, partnership, distribution, and revenue management functions. 

Most recently, Mr. Hamlisch led efforts to expand the award-winning guest loyalty program Wyndham Rewards, adding new features and program benefits in a direct response to member research and feedback. Since then, the program has added more than 25 million enrolled members while being named Best Hotel Loyalty Program by the readers of USA Today for a third consecutive year. Wyndham Rewards has 86 million enrolled members globally.

Previously, Mr. Hamlisch served as Wyndham’s head of global sales, overseeing a team of over 100 sales professionals tasked with generating more than $1 billion in annual revenue across the company’s worldwide hotel portfolio. He joined the organization in 2016 as Vice President of Sales Innovation.

Mr. Hamlisch graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University and received his MBA from Harvard Business School. He currently serves as co-chair of Harvard University’s Harvard College Schools Committee, is an Advisory Board Member for Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality Research, and is a founding member of HSMAI’s Chief Loyalty Officer Executive Roundtable.

Helen Chun is an associate professor of services marketing and a consumer psychologist who creates behavioral insights into managing and enhancing consumer experiences. She is particularly passionate about studying the role of emotions, customer experience design, branding, and prosocial and sustainable behaviors. Professor Chun’s ongoing work examines consumer experiences in the context of emerging media and digital technology. Her research papers have been published in leading marketing and services journals, such as Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal of Service Research, and Service Science.

Professor Chun teaches Consumer Behavior and Marketing Management for Services. She has been honored with the Nolan School of Hotel Administration’s Teacher of the Year Award multiple times as well as the Ted Teng ’79 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award. Professor Chun is also a Merrill Presidential Scholar Outstanding Educator Honoree at Cornell University.

Professor Chun previously taught at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, and Integrated Marketing Communications and at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. She earned her Ph.D. in Business Administration (Marketing) from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.

Jacqueline Nunley joined Salesforce in 2018 and serves as the Senior Industry Advisor for Travel and Hospitality, helping internal teams and their customers apply hospitality strategies to transform the guest experience and optimize their businesses. She is a recognized “thought leader” in travel and hospitality with over 20 years of experience in strategy, distribution technologies, supplier relationships, and digital marketing. Ms. Nunley is a technology geek at heart with a passion for understanding consumer behavior and the ethical use of technology. She has worked as a key adviser to executives on strategic planning and direction related to hospitality product strategies. Ms. Nunley has delivered solutions for many of the top global hospitality companies in the marketplace. Her background also includes positions at Micros Systems (Oracle Hospitality) and Sabre Hospitality.