Hospitality

A career in hospitality management means that you are involved in every aspect of your property’s many moving parts. From the front of the house to the back, you need a firm grasp on finance, marketing, and managing employees to succeed. Build your credibility and learn how to manage a world-class operation with a foundation in essential industry best practices and skills.

By taking this certificate program, you will learn how to improve in your role as hospitality manager by developing strategies that can be applied to your teams in the workplace. This program covers a wide range of content, from building a loyal guest base to finances to team building, giving you a set of skills needed to be successful in a management role. Knowing how to handle multiple facets of the hospitality industry will help you manage your organization to its fullest potential as well.

Whether you are a manager currently, positioning yourself for a management position, or have recently been promoted, make your mark today by learning from experts in the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, one of the world’s most prestigious hospitality schools. You can finish all of the courses in this program and earn your certificate in as little as three months, spending about three to five hours per week.

COURSES:

• Understanding Financial Statements
• Building High-Performing Teams
• Services Marketing Planning and Management
• Pricing and Revenue Management Essentials
• Building Guest Loyalty
• Introduction to Hotel Operations
• Leadership Symposium
• Hospitality Symposium
• Marketing Symposium

WHO SHOULD ENROLL

• Hospitality professionals working in every function of their organization
  Professionals looking to move into a hospitality management position

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The hospitality business has more moving parts than most people realize, and more customer touchpoints than any other industry. Teamwork is essential. Whether you aspire to management, have recently been promoted, or are currently in a management position, this certificate program positions you to make a bigger impact in your organization and your career.

This certificate consists of 18 two-week courses – 14 core and 4 elective courses – and provides the essential skills you need to ensure that your organization runs like a well-oiled machine. You’ll quickly develop the technical expertise and broad, strategic focus needed to become a top-level hospitality manager.

COURSES:

• Introduction to Hotel Operations
• Becoming a Powerful Leader
• Building High-Performing Teams
• Understanding Financial Statements
• Using Ratio Analysis to Evaluate Financial Performance
• Services Marketing Planning and Management
• Evaluating Business and Customer Factors Affecting Marketing Decisions for Services
• Introduction to Hotel Revenue Management
• Forecasting and Availability Controls in Hotel Revenue Management
• Marketing the Hospitality Brand Through Digital Media
• Utilizing Income Statements and Operational Data
• Building Guest Loyalty
• Introduction to Restaurant Revenue Management
• Managing Meal Duration and Reservations
• Elective Courses (4 Courses)
• Leadership Symposium
• Hospitality Symposium
• Marketing Symposium

WHO SHOULD ENROLL

• Hospitality managers working in hotels and corporate offices
• Hospitality professionals aspiring to management positions

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Generative AI is transforming the hospitality industry by greatly enhancing efficiency, streamlining operations, and guiding better decision making.

The business of hospitality is increasingly data rich, but the data comes from a variety of sources which need to be collected, assessed, and acted upon on a frequent basis. Data sources include archival data on third-party platforms and transactional systems which are often behind user logins, in-house data collections systems, human resource software, and key online platforms such as Google and Tripadvisor. Now, hospitality providers can access, compare, and analyze this data through the use of predictive and generative AI — without extensive data analysis training.

Throughout this program, you will use machine learning methods and generative AI to build predictive models, analyze data, evaluate forecast data, and assess and categorize customer reviews as you work through common hospitality scenarios. These skills can be immediately applicable to your organization’s marketing, training, pricing, forecasting, user-generated content management, communications, and guest experience enhancement efforts. You will also have the opportunity to use several AI tools to help automate operational activities, including data collection, transfer and analysis, and internal and external communications, freeing up employees to perform value-add activities and focus on the customer experience.

By the end of the program, you will be able to strategically implement AI solutions to optimize operations, enhance guest satisfaction, and drive innovation within your hospitality organization.

COURSES:

• Leveraging Predictive AI in Hospitality
• Applying Generative AI in Hospitality
• Streamlining Hospitality Operations With Automation

WHO SHOULD ENROLL

• Mid- and senior-level hospitality professionals
• Marketing and sales directors in hospitality
• HR directors for hospitality organizations
• Business analysts
• Hotel general managers
• Housekeeping directors

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The hospitality industry experiences challenges and uncertainty like any other, yet successful organizations continue to grow despite these setbacks. One major reason for this growth is the agility that successful hospitality leaders exhibit when confronted with unexpected problems. This includes the ability to respond proactively to changing trends, which can only emerge from teams grounded in a culture of learning, active listening, and clear processes. In moments of uncertainty, the ability to develop a leadership mindset that fosters innovation and transformation is essential.

In this certificate program, you will explore the critical skills and traits that make leaders effective in today’s hospitality organizations. You will develop a practice of curiosity-focused inquiry; determine how to set purpose-driven priorities; engage your team to its fullest creative potential; and bring authenticity, vision, and strategic thinking to your leadership role. You will also gain insight into strategies that will help you increase your team’s skillful collaboration and self-organization, developing the ability to anticipate and address future risk and inspiring a culture of ongoing learning. In the final course, you’ll have an opportunity to discover and assess your ability to facilitate change through a comprehensive organizational change management simulation, where you will practice applying the skills required to make strategic change happen in your organization and beyond.

COURSES:

• Leading Service-Focused Transformation
• Creating an Agile Enterprise
• The Power of Experimentation
• Becoming a Strategic Leader
• Making Strategic Change Happen
• Leadership Symposium
• Hospitality Symposium

WHO SHOULD ENROLL

• Hospitality managers, directors, and general managers
• Business professionals newer to the hospitality industry looking quickly to translate their outside expertise
• Owners, operators, and managers looking to accelerate growth and profitability
• Aspiring hospitality managers
• Individual contributors
• HR professionals
• Managers and leaders in any industry seeking transformative organizational knowledge

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Thriving hospitality enterprises recognize the pivotal role of human resources in their organizational success. As part of an industry that prioritizes people, the competitive edge in service organizations lies in comprehending the influence of their employees on business performance and long-term advantage. Empowered employees with the right skills set the foundation for remarkable customer experiences. Consequently, hospitality providers need to focus on attracting, developing, and retaining skilled individuals who are committed to delivering a uniform, brand-focused customer experience across all roles.

In this certificate program, you will assess and apply relevant policies, systems, and procedures designed to help your organization hire, nurture, and engage quality employees in today’s increasingly competitive hospitality landscape. Throughout this journey, you’ll explore and strategize the management of key factors that impact employee performance and overall business operations.

As part of the coursework, you’ll conduct a thorough labor market analysis to align your HR function’s competitive position and priorities with your organization’s mission and strategic objectives. You’ll have the opportunity to craft a sustainable system for talent attraction and selection that prioritizes job needs, brand consistency, and fostering of the brand culture. Finally, you’ll build a strategy for employee development and retention targeted at keeping hold of talented staff.

You’ll also delve into discrimination law and the seven protected classes, bolstering your understanding of crucial legal concepts related to labor and employment in the hospitality sector. Upon completing the program, you will have honed the skills required to align HR strategies with a hospitality business’s values, brand, and organizational priorities.

COURSES:

• Positioning the HR Function for Competitive Success
• Sustainable Talent Attraction and Selection Strategy
• Developing an Effective Retention Strategy
• Discrimination Law in the Hospitality Industry
• Hospitality Symposium

WHO SHOULD ENROLL

• Hotel owners and asset managers
• Corporate HR managers with multi-unit oversight in multiple locations
• Recruiters
• Hiring managers
• Operational managers
• Hospitality professionals looking to move into an HR position
• HR professionals looking to move into the hospitality industry

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Through the five courses in this certificate program, owners, developers, and designers of full-service hotels will learn to plan and design effective, financially viable hotel properties and successfully perform their roles in the hotel development process.

The program begins with a look at hotel types, marketing concepts, branding practices, and development roles, followed by a study of initial planning decisions, the application of marketing requirements to functional areas, and the use of planning metrics. The focus then turns to specific design considerations for guestrooms, public spaces, and “back-of-house” areas.

The courses feature a set of downloadable tools containing guidelines and reference material for hotel developers and designers. A progression of course projects give participants an opportunity to apply their learning to specific hotel development scenarios.

COURSES:

• Foundations of Hotel Planning
• Initial Hotel Planning Decisions
• Hotel Guestroom Design
• Hotel Public Space Design
• Hotel Back-of-House Design
• Hospitality Symposium

WHO SHOULD ENROLL:

• Architects
• Interior designers
• Hotel consultants
• Architecture students
• Owners, developers, and construction managers

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This certificate program provides an understanding of the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI), which sets forth the reporting guidance and analysis for the unique operating environment of the lodging industry. While there are some differences, the Uniform System is intended to be consistent with U.S. GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) with reference to IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards).

Whether you hold a position as an owner, operator, general manager, staff member, or department head in a hotel property, the coursework will enhance your accounting knowledge and boost your confidence in decision making. Throughout the program, you’ll gain hands-on experience in benchmarking various hotels and lodging units. This practical exposure will enable you to assess your own hotel’s performance relative to competitors within the lodging industry. You’ll be better equipped to make informed choices in areas such as procurement, staffing, operations, and marketing budget allocation. Regardless of your background in the hotel industry, this course will quickly familiarize you with USALI accounting, allowing you to actively contribute to impactful business discussions and add value to your organization.

The central focus of the program is on decision-making skills, including accurately interpreting financial statements, benchmarking against competitors, and drawing precise inferences to optimize your hotel’s decisions. All case studies and examples provided are directly relevant to the lodging industry.

COURSES:

• Examining the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI)
• Benchmarking Hotel Performance
• Using Financial Statements for Decision Making
• Applying Managerial Accounting Tools to Improve Flow Through
• Preparing the Operating Budgets and Monitoring Performance
• Hospitality Symposium

WHO SHOULD ENROLL

• Hotel owners
• Hotel general managers and directors
• Hotel managers and department heads
• Hotel employees using financial information for decision making
• Accounting professionals seeking to move into the hotel industry

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Smart hotel asset management deals are win-win situations. To create well-structured agreements, you need to understand what is motivating the property owners, operators, and lenders. But successful hospitality and real estate management doesn’t end with a successful deal; it requires managing the agreement’s execution effectively to achieve strategic asset goals.

This certificate consists of six two-week courses that will give you the knowledge needed to understand the financial and operational aspects of hotel asset and real estate investment management. You’ll examine leasing agreements to learn about valuation and explore financing, equity structuring and exit strategies. By the time you’ve completed the program, you’ll know how to develop a superior hotel real estate management and execution plan.

COURSES:

• Financial Analysis of Hotel Investments
• Control of Hotel Real Estate
• Developing an Asset Management Strategy
• Achieving Hotel Asset Management Objectives
• Valuing Hotel Investments Through Effective Forecasting
• Valuing Hotel Intellectual Property and Structuring the Capital Stack

WHO SHOULD ENROLL

• Hospitality professionals with financial or operational responsibility
• Lenders and investors involved in hospitality real estate projects

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Make a lasting impact at your organization by employing revenue management techniques and strategies for your hotel operation and earn a highly recognized credential from Cornell University’s world-renowned School of Hotel Administration.

This program provides you with in-depth training in the most critical revenue management techniques and strategies that you can apply on the job immediately. This program was developed by hotel revenue management expert and pioneer Sheryl E. Kimes, PhD, professor of operations management in the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University.

Course content is structured around relevant case examples and interactive exercises, giving you the experience you need to translate theory into practice. You can complete all 5 courses and earn your certificate in as little as 2.5 months, spending about five to seven hours per course.

COURSES:

• Introduction to Hotel Revenue Management
• Forecasting and Availability Controls in Hotel Revenue Management
• Pricing Strategy and Distribution Channels in Hotel Revenue Management
• Overbooking Practices in Hotel Revenue Management
• Non-Traditional Applications of Hotel Revenue Management
• Hospitality Symposium

WHO SHOULD ENROLL:

• Revenue managers and directors
• General managers
• Front desk managers
• Night auditors
• Sales and marketing analysts
• Hospitality professionals responsible for financial success
• Aspiring hospitality management professionals looking for a strong foundation of revenue concepts

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Increasing sales and profits entails a comprehensive revenue -management strategy that includes creating and managing customer demand and establishing a marketing strategy built around rigorous control systems. Doing this better than the other players in the market will produce a clear, competitive yield advantage.

This certificate program consists of five two-week courses. The series builds on the fundamental principles of pricing and revenue management to give you advanced tools and techniques to make strategic hotel pricing decisions, set inventory controls, and encourage demand manipulation to drive profits and overall organizational performance. You can complete all five courses and earn your certificate in as little as three months, spending three to five hours per week.

This program was developed with revenue-management expert Christopher Anderson, PhD, associate professor in the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. Professor Anderson’s research focuses on revenue management and service pricing, and he advises world-renowned hospitality, service, and consumer-goods firms on optimizing and executing their revenue-management strategies.

COURSES:

• Price and Inventory Controls
• Price Sensitivity and Pricing Decisions
• Segmentation and Price Optimization
• Displacement and Negotiated Pricing
• Search Engines and Online Selling: Stimulating Incremental Demand
• Hospitality Symposium

WHO SHOULD ENROLL:

• General managers
• Revenue managers
• Marketing managers
• Hospitality professionals responsible for their organization’s financial performance

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Strategic restaurant revenue management is a critical ingredient in your recipe for profitability. But using a proven system to manage key variables has impacts beyond revenue — it has a ripple effect on customer service. Creating optimal table mixes and pricing helps you meet customer needs better than ever before.

This certificate program consists of five two-week courses that cover the fundamentals of successful revenue management, providing practical guidance for implementing a restaurant revenue management strategy. You’ll learn to optimize occupancy, table mix, meal duration, reservations and pricing, as well as use proven processes to diagnose operational problems and improve the customer service experience. Finally, you’ll have the opportunity to bring your new knowledge together with a collection of tools for implementing a revenue management strategy that boosts profits depending on whether your restaurant is busy or slow.

COURSES:

• Introduction to Restaurant Revenue Management
• Menu Design and Engineering
• Optimizing Restaurant Space and Pricing
• Managing Meal Duration and Reservations
• Building Demand During Slow Periods
• Hospitality Symposium

WHO SHOULD ENROLL

• Restaurant owners, managers, and operators
• Foodservice professionals responsible for their organization’s financial performance
• Hospitality professionals
• Executive chefs

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As the restaurant industry adapts to new customer demands and market conditions, the rise in digital technologies and the convenience they foster has led to significant changes in the way restaurants distribute their products and manage their brands. Increasingly, restaurant operators are turning to the addition of distribution channels to stay competitive and efficiently recognize and address gaps in their offerings.

Distribution channels describe how a product gets from the operation or producer to the consumer. The most common distribution formats for restaurants have traditionally been takeout, delivery, and catering, but advancements in technologies have expanded these models and even added others, like ghost and virtual kitchens. Other options that have become more popular for restaurants are gift baskets and subscriptions, wholesale and consumer packaged goods, and off-premise concepts. Faced with this kind of variety, operators need to critically consider whether or not to adopt a given distribution channel into their business strategy and understand how that format will impact its operational and strategic goals.

In this certificate program, you will analyze modern restaurant-customer interaction and evaluate new opportunities afforded by digital technologies such as online ordering, reservations, and customer ratings sites and other user-generated content. You will also identify the motivations and trends behind changing customer expectations and assess the business fit of different distribution formats for a particular operation. To further explore how the addition of a distribution channel could impact the operational aspects of a restaurant, you will evaluate the role menu design and floor plan layout play in the implementation of a new strategy. Finally, you will turn back to your customers and evaluate how you could use your strategies to build and enhance customer loyalty. By the end of the program, you will be able to assess the strategic and operational opportunities and costs of adopting a new distribution strategy.

COURSES:

• Assessing Restaurant Distribution in the Digital World
• Evaluating Restaurant Distribution Strategic Fit
• Implementing Restaurant Distribution Strategies
• Building Guest Loyalty
• Hospitality Symposium

WHO SHOULD ENROLL

• Restaurant operators and managers
• Restaurant and hotel franchisees and franchisors
• Managers of hotels with full-service restaurants or grab-and-go offerings
• Analysts at large foodservice chain organizations
• Grocery store and CPG managers

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In this certificate program, you’ll learn key concepts, strategies, and practical skills necessary for managing, owning, and operating a successful restaurant, bar, or other food and beverage business.

Develop confidence in your ability to manage your business’s finances and learn key operational functions like menu design, income statement analysis, pricing, margin analysis, supply chain management, guest service processes, and employee engagement and performance.

COURSES:

• Utilizing Income Statements and Operational Data
• Optimizing Your Food and Beverage Menu
• Managing Your Food and Beverage Supply Chain
• Building Guest Loyalty
• Leading Your Team to Optimize Results
• Elective Courses (1 Course)
• Hospitality Symposium

WHO SHOULD ENROLL

• General managers and line-level employees involved in the operation and financial performance of a restaurant or food and beverage service
• Managed service contractors for stadiums, arenas, hospitals, airlines, franchises, and catering
• Professionals new to the food and beverage industry
• Non-restaurant professionals looking to be conversant in operations of food and beverage providers
• Caterers, restaurateurs, event space managers, property managers, corporate event managers

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For nearly 100 years, the Nolan School of Hotel Administration’s Hospitality Professional Development Program at Cornell University has welcomed hospitality professionals from around the globe. This world-renowned executive program is designed for busy hospitality professionals seeking to advance their careers and build a network of global colleagues.

The intensive, interactive learning experience will enable you to explore the latest industry trends, gain in-demand skills and knowledge, and engage with respected faculty experts, industry guest speakers, and hospitality peers. Experience the excitement of being on the beautiful Cornell University campus and earn a Cornell certificate. Led by senior Cornell University faculty members, you’ll engage in group work, case studies, and simulations with peers from around the world to share best practices and learn from one another.

For the 2025 Hospitality Professional Development Program, two learning paths will be offered. Choose the path below that best aligns with your career goals this year, and then come back next year to explore additional topics:

• AI in Hospitality
• Leading With Impact

WHO SHOULD ENROLL

• Mid- to upper-level hospitality professionals seeking career growth
• Hospitality professionals with at least five years of experience

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Running for over 30 years, the General Managers Program is the world’s premiere transformational learning experience for hotel general managers and their immediate successors. As an experienced hospitality professional, you know that the industry is constantly evolving. To be successful, you must lead your team with purpose, embrace the industry’s evolutionary path, and seek opportunities to keep your organization at the forefront. Through GMP, you will hone strategic thinking skills, explore how to create value, and plan for action to tackle today’s most urgent business challenges and opportunities.

The program consists of two learning modalities. First, you’ll complete two live virtual courses, choosing topics that best meet your individual development goals. Topics are offered monthly and will be led by Cornell University faculty experts. Each course will include four 3-hour sessions and be limited to 35 participants to ensure high levels of engagement and networking.

Next, you will come to Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration in Ithaca, New York to complete the program. The on-campus experience kicks off with a reception and orientation dinner, followed by five days of intensive, interactive, and engaged learning with peers from around the world. Led by senior Cornell faculty, you’ll take on strategic property-level issues with depth and precision. You’ll concentrate on hotel management issues and collaborate to expand the foundation of your knowledge, broaden your viewpoint, and produce new solutions to the challenges you face. As business transcends continental boundaries, so do we at Cornell. Through our interactive program, participants dissect theory-based ideas and learning, then relate these to current issues in the industry.

LIVE VIRTUAL

• Online Courses (2 Elective Courses:
  • Strategic Innovation for Hotel GMs
  • Global Hospitality Trends and Best Practices: Profit From Change
  • Boosting Hotel Value
  • Creating F&B Operations to Meet Changing Consumer Interests
  • Leveraging AI for Hospitality Operations
  • Communication Skills for GMs
  • Hospitality Marketing in Uncertain Times

ON‑CAMPUS: ITHACA CAMPUS

• General Managers Program Capstone

WHO SHOULD ENROLL

• General managers overseeing full-service hotels
• Senior hospitality professionals such as managing directors, assistant general managers, executive assistant managers, and operations directors who are on a pathway to promotion to General Manager within 12 months

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