hotelAVE’s summer internship program gives students hands on experience working directly with leadership in the hospitality management industry. This year, the program looked a little different as we adjusted for a remote setting.  Our interns wrapped up last week and here is what they had to say about their summer experience.

Fiona Rath

• What school are you attending and what is your focus?
  • Cornell University School of Hotel Administration with a major in Hotel Administration and minor in Design & Environmental Analysis

• What’s your dream job and how do you think your experience at hotelAVE was a stepping stone in that direction?
  • After graduation, I hope to get my master’s in architecture and become a hospitality and commercial architect-developer. I would like to work for a real estate development “design-build” firm or an architecture company that develops their own projects. HotelAVE has allowed me take a more analytical approach to this career path. Working with the asset management and consulting team required predictive insight data analysis, elimination of functional organizational silos, and a systematic approach to the realization of financial value. I can comfortably recognize if a business capability is providing tangible value, but importantly, use technical data to model and reference profitable strategies.

• What was the most interesting thing you were able to work on?
  • I am grateful to have worked on the 2021 HotelAVE Outlook project this summer. While we all know the leisure and hospitality industry was the hardest hit from COVID-19, I was able to carefully explore its quantitative impact on hotel supply, consumer sentiment, performance indicators, and macroeconomic trends. By listening to quarterly earnings calls and examining financial statements, I was able to develop graphical forecasts drawn from 9/11, S&L Crisis, and The Great Recession ’07-’09.

• What advice would you give other students interested in the hotelAVE internship program?
  • The HotelAVE internship program went above and beyond my expectations, and I encourage any interested students to apply. I recommend spending time developing modeling skills, exploring HotelAVE’s extensive portfolio of projects, and building a strong network with their dedicated team. Most importantly, do not hesitate to reach out, as every individual at HotelAVE is willing to share their expertise and act as a helping hand.

• 1 fact we wouldn’t know about you from your resume
  • I have been a competitive figure skater for 12 years!

Jeff Dallas Jr.

• What school are you attending and what is your focus?
  • Currently, I attend Cornell University and am studying in the School of Hotel Administration. My focus is on my two minors which are real estate and environmental science and sustainability.

• What’s your dream job and how do you think your experience at hotelAVE was a stepping stone in that direction?
  • I am really don’t know what my dream job is quite yet but hope to one day have my own business way down the road. HotelAVE really helped me expand my knowledge within the hotel industry while providing me freedom to work on individual projects that added value to both the company as well as clients.
    

• What was the most interesting thing you were able to work on?
  • The most interesting thing I was able to do was completely work on my own project with help and direction from my team leaders looking into software as a service. Not only did this allow me to make the project my own but opened my eyes to the way’s technology can continue to change the hotel industry.

• What advice would you give other students interested in the hotelAVE internship program?
  • I would tell students interested in an internship with HotelAVE that it is a phenomenal place to grow while learning valuable industry information. They provide the freedom to really make your experience your own so definitely try to take things into your own hands and make them your own before asking for guidance. There will always be someone there making sure you are on the right track so use this opportunity to grow your individual capabilities.
    

• 1 fact we wouldn’t know about you from your resume
  • Something about me that is not on my resume is that I really enjoy getting away from everything to really reset. Whether it is hiking, skiing, or any other outdoor activity spending time outside is something that I truly enjoy.

Nikhil Rao

• What school are you attending and what is your focus?
  • I currently am a rising junior at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. My focus is in real estate development with a minor in healthy futures (the intersection of design, health, and hospitality).

• What’s your dream job and how do you think your experience at hotelAVE was a stepping stone in that direction?
  • My dream job is to work on developing luxury retirement communities across the world. To ultimately achieve this goal, I need to build on my real estate finance and asset management skills. hotelAVE was a stepping stone in this direction due to their expertise in both areas. My work required a very analytical approach and gave me the opportunity to solve problems in different ways. My summer experience also provided me with foundational entrepreneurship skills that can be further developed in my career. My involvement with hotelAVE’s asset takeover process gave me exposure into property valuations and successful processes. I worked with different tools through my day-to-day work which allowed me to develop hard skills that will be needed for the rest of my career.

• What was the most interesting thing you were able to work on?
  • The most interesting project I had the opportunity to be a part of was the asset takeover process. This involved working directly with hotelAVE’s valuation models and tools used during takeovers. I was given exposure into the underwriting process and helped develop the necessary steps when taking over pre-opening assets. My work helped further standardize hotelAVE’s processes, manuals, reports and valuations for our clients. Through working with different teams, I was able to help improve and update current exhibits referenced throughout a takeover.

• What advice would you give other students interested in the hotelAVE internship program?
  • hotelAVE’s internship program is a great opportunity for you to work with hotel experts and develop new skills. As an intern, you get to work on a lot of different projects which help you learn more about the industry. If you do get the chance to be part of the program, be ready to step out of your comfort zone and try new things. Everyone at hotelAVE will go out of their way to help you so do not be afraid to ask for help.

• 1 fact we wouldn’t know about you from your resume?
  • In 2016, I hiked 108 miles in nine days in New Mexico.

Rebecca Frenkel

• What school are you attending and what is your focus?
  • I am currently a rising Junior at Cornell University, studying Hotel Administration with a duel minor in Real Estate and Psychology, and concentrating in service marketing management.

• What’s your dream job and how do you think your experience at hotelAVE was a stepping stone in that direction?
  • My dream job would be to a Chief Marketing Officer. hotelAVE was a huge stepping stone in that direction, as working with this team gave me amazing experiences understanding market positioning, and corporate strategy. I also had the opportunity to do in-depth market research, create partner focused content, and run social media platforms, amazing opportunities that are unique to hotelAVE.
    

• What was the most interesting thing you were able to work on?
  • One of the most interesting things that I was able to work on this summer was working with the team to research, understand, and provide feedback to individual properties COVID-19 response and readiness. It was incredible to work with such a wide range of properties during such a difficult time.

• What advice would you give other students interested in the hotelAVE internship program?
  • Working at hotelAVE is a unique experience that provides such an incredible wealth of knowledge beyond the in class-room experience. If you are interested in asset management and its many facets, hotelAVE is the place for you.
    

• 1 fact we wouldn’t know about you from your resume
  • I enjoy spending time outside, and have spent of my summer weekends hiking, swimming and kayaking.

We wish our interns all the best and look forward to working together in the industry one day!