Highlights from the 2007 Hospitality Hall of Honor

On October 17, more than 200 guests were on hand as two giants of the hospitality industry were inducted into the Hospitality Industry Hall of Honor at the Conrad N. Hilton College. This year’s honorees, Gary W. Loveman, Chairman, CEO and President of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., and Howard Schultz, Chairman of Starbucks Coffee Company, received not only accolades, but their portraits were also unveiled and added to the Hall of Honor Leaders Gallery.

Again this year, two days of “think tank” sessions offered students an opportunity to learn first-hand from the experts about the changing hospitality industry. Seventy industry experts from across the United States served as panelists for 16 sessions. Among the topics discussed were: how independent boutique hotels were competing with major brands; how marketing strategies for casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Louisiana differ; what’s new in food & beverage trends; how the latest technology is affecting the hospitality industry; how the green movement is impacting hospitality; plus discussions on revenue management, labor challenges of the 21st century, diversity issues, and women in leadership roles, among others. Each session was moderated by an industry leader or a Hilton College faculty member.

Starbucks also hosted a session on how the small Seattle coffee cafe has grown to become one of the largest and most profitable hospitality companies in the world, and Eric Hilton, a 2006 Hall of Honor inductee, met with students to talk about his career with Hilton Hotels and his memories of the Hilton family legacy. 

As is now tradition, a student board of directors planned and managed all Hall of Honor events. The student leaders for the 2007 Hospitality Hall of Honor include: Stacey Kosar, managing director; Karen Bautista, director of Marketing and Public Relations; Rachel Pintus, director of Logistics; Rebecca Godlove, director of Service; C. Rameses Bramer, director of Food & Beverage; Jenny Durham, director of Education; Eping Lu, director of Rooms; and Bethany Fudala, director of Archives. Professor Tom Lattin served as managing director of the event and Professor Erin Oeser was the Faculty Mentor to Student Leaders.

“Our College is known for providing students a real-world experience of the hospitality industry,” Professor Lattin said. “Assuming full responsibility for Hall of Honor Week certainly provided them with a true taste of hospitality management.”

To Order Photographs

Below are a few photo highlights from the Hall of Honor induction ceremony.  Click on each photo image to read the identifying captions. If you would like to see all of the photos taken during Hall of Honor Week, please click here. You can order photos directly from this site.

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Photos from Hall of Honor 2007