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 the CEO of Glowing Older, a coaching firm for adult children and their aging loved ones focused on creating personal life plans. She is founder of SeniorTrade, a B2B platform for the business of aging well, and #ExposeAgeism, a movement to combat ageism in the beauty and wellness industries.
After finishing her Master’s in Hospitality Management at Cornell University in 1994, during which she researched the burgeoning spa industry, Ms. Griffin launched the consulting firm The Wellness Resource. She subsequently launched SpaTrade, an online community, and SpaExec, a regional buyer event, which she sold to Questex in 2008. After serving as Executive Director of Content for the Beauty and Wellness Group, in 2011 Ms. Griffin launched Contento Marketing, which provides marketing and communications support to wellness-based businesses.
Ms. Griffin hosts and produces the “Glowing Older” podcast, which has featured more than 150 aging experts on senior living, aging in place, ageism, and age tech. She is also an industry scholar with the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures.
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
CEO
Glowing Older
Nancy Griffin is the CEO of Glowing Older, a coaching firm for adult children and their aging loved ones focused on creating personal life plans. She is founder of SeniorTrade, a B2B platform for the business of aging well, and #ExposeAgeism, a movement to combat ageism in the beauty and wellness industries.
After finishing her Master’s in Hospitality Management at Cornell University in 1994, during which she researched the burgeoning spa industry, Ms. Griffin launched the consulting firm The Wellness Resource. She subsequently launched SpaTrade, an online community, and SpaExec, a regional buyer event, which she sold to Questex in 2008. After serving as Executive Director of Content for the Beauty and Wellness Group, in 2011 Ms. Griffin launched Contento Marketing, which provides marketing and communications support to wellness-based businesses.
Ms. Griffin hosts and produces the “Glowing Older” podcast, which has featured more than 150 aging experts on senior living, aging in place, ageism, and age tech. She is also an industry scholar with the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures.
Amanda Al-Masri
Vice President, Wellness
Hilton
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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