Cornell Business Review: Nikhil Dhingri

Nikhil Dhingri is a sophomore in the ILR school from Chicago, Illinois. He came to the ILR school because he wants to not only learn about concepts, but also understand how real world examples with theoretical concepts are applied in contemporary society. Upon graduation, Nikhil aspires to pursue a career in Pre-Law. Besides writing for the Cornell Business Review (CBR), he is also involved with the ILR student government (commitment co-chair community service program) and a pre-law fraternity. During our interview, we sat down to talk to Nikhil about his thoughts on the Cornell Hotel Society, Collegiate Chapter and the hotel school. The goal of the interview is to hear CBR writers’ opinions on the hospitality industry and trends through a non-traditional and non-operational perspective.

As an ILR major, what are your thoughts and impression of the hotel school?

Despite my dad works in the hospitality industry for Marriott, I have actually never heard of the hotel school until coming here. My dad came to the United States as an immigrant and worked his way up to own a portfolio of hotels under the Marriott brand in the mid-West. There is an underlying impression and mutual understanding that I will take over my dad’s business once he retires. I know that there is a broad spectrum of interests for hotelies, such as real estate, finance, hospitality etc. Hotelies are a fun and loving social group of people who are great to be around. The concentrations in the hotel school are very much catered toward the student taste and preferences.

Describe a typical hotelie’s day at Cornell.

Class participation seems to be a huge emphasis to a hotelie’s grade. They are encouraged to participate, communicate, and engage with students and professors in class. Communication skills are crucial to their successful since it is so important to connect with others, whether they are your peers, TAs, or professors. Hotelies go to Mac’s and Terrace for lunch and often congregate in the lobby or library for socialization. They typically study and work on group projects in the lounge. It is no surprise they can spend the whole day at Statler Hall without going anywhere.

How do you think the hotel school can improve and spread its publicity to foster more networking opportunities?

As an ILR major, I think we know the hotel school pretty well in that both schools are relatively exclusive, social-science based programs. There are definitely opportunities for collaboration and good ways to advertise for the hotel school.

Can you share your insights into recent business events that are related to the hospitality industry?

I think one of the biggest events in the hospitality industry in recent years was the Marriott and Starwood merger. Marriott International bought the 5,600 hotels under Starwood Hotels & Resorts to become the largest lodging company in the world. I personally support the idea because both companies can expand its geographic footprint, brand, and loyalty program. The merger not only gives Marriott access to Starwood’s established market and customers, but also the loyalty program and reward system.

About Cornell Business Review:

Cornell Business Review is the premier business publication at Cornell University. A student-run magazine that discusses business issues, trends, and debates among college students and alumni, CBR provides insight into recent events and passes along advice from student entrepreneurs and industry leaders and pioneers. In addition to our print publication, we also produce CBR Now, a new online source for business news with regular updates each week.

To learn more about Nikhil Dhingri, contact him at: nd327@cornell.edu

To learn more about Cornell Business Review, visit the website: http://www.cornellbusinessreview.com/