Heather Kolakowski is a Senior Lecturer in Food and Beverage Management at the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration and Associate Director for the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures. She teaches several food and beverage courses, including Restaurant Management and Nonprofit Social Enterprise and Food Justice. Heather is also the faculty advisor for Hotel Ezra Cornell (HEC), the student-run hospitality showcase conference which allows students the opportunity to put theory into practice while taking on leadership responsibilities each spring. She is the recipient of the 2017 Kaplan Family Distinguished Faculty Fellowship for her dedication to service learning.
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The Power of Generativity
Designing Wellness and Connection for Guests, Teams, and Competitive Advantage
Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 1pm
EDT
Event Overview
Mixed-age travel is no longer a niche trend — it’s a defining force shaping the future of hospitality. Nearly half of global hotel teams report an increase in three-generation travel, while skip-generation trips, where grandparents travel with grandchildren, continue to surge.
Hospitality workforces are also more age diverse than ever. When designed with intention, intergenerational teams can outperform their peers, blending institutional knowledge, emotional intelligence, ethical judgment, and digital fluency. Yet age bias still limits opportunity, despite evidence that older employees often have lower absenteeism and perform as well as — or better than — their younger colleagues.
Join us for this Keynote exploring how forward‑thinking hospitality brands can design experiences that meet the needs of multigenerational guests while unlocking the full potential of their teams. Through industry research, real‑world examples, and practical strategies, our panel will share ways to foster inclusion and drive innovation across guest experiences and workforce culture.
This event is sponsored by the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures, the first academic center in the U.S. to combine hospitality, environmental design, and health policy and management.
Hospitality workforces are also more age diverse than ever. When designed with intention, intergenerational teams can outperform their peers, blending institutional knowledge, emotional intelligence, ethical judgment, and digital fluency. Yet age bias still limits opportunity, despite evidence that older employees often have lower absenteeism and perform as well as — or better than — their younger colleagues.
Join us for this Keynote exploring how forward‑thinking hospitality brands can design experiences that meet the needs of multigenerational guests while unlocking the full potential of their teams. Through industry research, real‑world examples, and practical strategies, our panel will share ways to foster inclusion and drive innovation across guest experiences and workforce culture.
This event is sponsored by the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures, the first academic center in the U.S. to combine hospitality, environmental design, and health policy and management.
What You'll Learn
- Creative approaches to designing for “me + we” that balance personalization with shared moments across generations
- Strategies for turning age inclusion into a competitive advantage by leveraging diversity for performance, loyalty, and innovation
- How to build an intergenerational playbook that fosters connection, purpose, and collaboration to strengthen guest satisfaction and team culture
Speakers
Heather Kolakowski
Executive Director
Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures
Nancy Griffin is an entrepreneur, connector, and storyteller using decades of hospitality, wellness, and longevity experience to reshape how we think about aging well. Her work sits at the center of a simple belief: The New Longevity is a cultural shift toward age inclusivity, and organizations must lead the way.
Nancy leads conversations and partnerships that help organizations rethink longevity, workforce design, and well-being. She hosts the “Glowing Older” podcast; runs The Contento Group, which advises brands on longevity strategy; and created SeniorTrade, a B2B platform and e‑newsletter for senior living and aging services professionals. Nancy’s practical, program-focused work is built to help organizations design age-inclusive cultures, events, and programs to change the narrative around aging.
Nancy’s present-day work is informed by a long career connecting wellness, hospitality, and media, from founding industry platforms to creating community-driven professional learning. Those early ventures taught Nancy how to build networks, translate research into practice, and convene the right people to solve real problems.
Amanda Al-Masri is vice president of wellness at Hilton. In this role, she serves as a wellness strategist across Hilton’s global portfolio of 18 world-class brands, enhancing Hilton’s current offerings and programs while developing innovative, scalable solutions to meet rapidly evolving consumer expectations.
Amanda is a seasoned wellness leader with over 20 years of experience. Prior to joining Hilton, she assisted with the launch of Equinox Hotels and drove the overall strategy and execution of more than 90 Club Spas. She also served as Global Director of Spa Development and Operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, overseeing the company’s spa brands, partners, and a global portfolio of more than 450 spas. Amanda offers a deep understanding of how travel and access to wellness experiences have always served as critical points of intersection for consumers.
Amanda graduated with a Master’s in Hospitality Management from Cornell University as well as from Connecticut College with a degree in French.
Heather Kolakowski
Executive Director
Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures
Heather Kolakowski is a Senior Lecturer in Food and Beverage Management at the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration and Associate Director for the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures. She teaches several food and beverage courses, including Restaurant Management and Nonprofit Social Enterprise and Food Justice. Heather is also the faculty advisor for Hotel Ezra Cornell (HEC), the student-run hospitality showcase conference which allows students the opportunity to put theory into practice while taking on leadership responsibilities each spring. She is the recipient of the 2017 Kaplan Family Distinguished Faculty Fellowship for her dedication to service learning.
Nancy Griffin is an entrepreneur, connector, and storyteller using decades of hospitality, wellness, and longevity experience to reshape how we think about aging well. Her work sits at the center of a simple belief: The New Longevity is a cultural shift toward age inclusivity, and organizations must lead the way.
Nancy leads conversations and partnerships that help organizations rethink longevity, workforce design, and well-being. She hosts the “Glowing Older” podcast; runs The Contento Group, which advises brands on longevity strategy; and created SeniorTrade, a B2B platform and e‑newsletter for senior living and aging services professionals. Nancy’s practical, program-focused work is built to help organizations design age-inclusive cultures, events, and programs to change the narrative around aging.
Nancy’s present-day work is informed by a long career connecting wellness, hospitality, and media, from founding industry platforms to creating community-driven professional learning. Those early ventures taught Nancy how to build networks, translate research into practice, and convene the right people to solve real problems.
Amanda Al-Masri is vice president of wellness at Hilton. In this role, she serves as a wellness strategist across Hilton’s global portfolio of 18 world-class brands, enhancing Hilton’s current offerings and programs while developing innovative, scalable solutions to meet rapidly evolving consumer expectations.
Amanda is a seasoned wellness leader with over 20 years of experience. Prior to joining Hilton, she assisted with the launch of Equinox Hotels and drove the overall strategy and execution of more than 90 Club Spas. She also served as Global Director of Spa Development and Operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, overseeing the company’s spa brands, partners, and a global portfolio of more than 450 spas. Amanda offers a deep understanding of how travel and access to wellness experiences have always served as critical points of intersection for consumers.
Amanda graduated with a Master’s in Hospitality Management from Cornell University as well as from Connecticut College with a degree in French.
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