Cornell Hotel School & Sukosol Hotels Hold Collaborative Master Class
Cornell Hotel School & Sukosol Hotels Hold Collaborative Master Class
BANGKOK, Thailand (March 6, 2012) — Sukosol Hotels was pleased to welcome a group of 21 MMH (Master of Management in Hospitality) students from the Cornell School of Hotel Administration to its flagship Bangkok property, Sukosol City Hotel, from February 28 – March 1. The group was here to conduct a Master Class as part of their Cornell-Nanyang Institute (CNI) Masters Program. The group was led by Sherri Kimes, a world-renowned professor of operations management at the Cornell School for Hotel Administration who specialises in yield management and restaurant revenue management and has worked with such brands as Walt Disney World Resorts and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.
The program was a three-day immersion seminar with two primary purposes. The first was to allow graduate-level students to participate in a "real world" research project at the site of an industry leader’s operation. The second was to allow a hospitality business (Sukosol City Hotel) to have creative and professional strategic solutions presented to them. Because the CNI program comprises only experienced graduate students, they were able to offer unique perspectives and insights for the hotel. As Laura Hooton, a student from Oregon, USA, put it: “Working with a local family-owned business has been great as we’ve been able to learn first-hand what the Thai hospitality industry is all about. I think our visit has been mutually valuable, we students have gained valuable knowledge and it’s been gratifying to have our ideas taken seriously.”
As Jason M. Friedman, General Manager of Sukosol Hotels’ luxury property, The Sukosol, and a Cornell alumnus explains, “I was honoured when Professor Kimes showed interest in working with us. There is always intense competition by the big international hospitality brands to get Professor Kimes’ group to do a project with them and the fact that a domestic Thai brand was chosen is a great compliment to Sukosol Hotels’ brand positioning worldwide.” These sentiments were echoed by the hotel’s president and owner, Kamala Sukosol, who also viewed it as a tremendous opportunity to combine forces. “We are a strong local brand facing increased competition in Bangkok. I was very thankful that Jason could bring about this collaboration with Professor Kimes and the Cornell School. As the industry changes rapidly, new insights are necessary to help us compete in the market.”
Professor Kimes said working with The Sukosol was particularly wonderful because of the gracious co-operation and exciting repositioning currently going on. “It was a dream situation because the hotel’s management was very willing to get involved, share knowledge and extend every professional courtesy to my students. This is not the norm and I was thrilled with the level of learning for the students. As the hotel has also recently rebranded (formerly the ‘Siam City City’), our visit could not have been more timely.”
As part of their in-country immersion program, the Cornell students also undertook some local philanthropy. They visited the Mirror Foundation in Bangkok to sort book and clothing donations for schools in rural Thailand that were affected by the recent floods. The students all found this community involvement immensely worthwhile and will continue to fundraise for the organisation upon their return to Singapore.
Photos:
Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, Executive Vice President, Sukosol Hotels; Sherri Kimes, Professor of Operations Management, Cornell School for Hotel Administration; and Kamala Sukosol, President, Sukosol Hotels pictured with MMH (Master of Management in Hospitality) students in the Cornell-Nanyang Institute (CNI) Masters Program.
Professor Sherri Kimes presents her former student, Jason M. Friedman (General Manager of The Sukosol), with a copy of The Cornell School of Hotel Administration on Hospitality: Cutting Edge Thinking and Practice, written by the faculty of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration.
Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi talks about rebranding and operations with the Cornell MMH student group.
Owners and top management of Sukosol Hotels group listen to student presentations about operations, revenue management and positioning opportunities at The Sukosol, Bangkok.
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