Elisa Bolton Hooper graduated from IMHI in 2002 and was kind enough to share her background with us!

AAIMHI: What do you remember from your time at IMHI?

Elisa: I have strong memories both social and academic from my days in Cergy. From the social perspective, sharing dinners with a vast array of international classmates in the Cergy Le Haut international dorm. As the only American, I was a sponge surrounded by new friends from Lebanon, Turkey, Israel, Greece, France, Argentina, China… all cozied up at one small table for “family” meals. To have such a rich cultural assortment of classmates far surpassed my expectations in an education. 

From the academic lens, I had courses that were invaluable and immediately helped guide me in my 1^st job after IMHI and continue to through to today. Peter O’Connor’s 101 excel and on-line distribution classes helped provide me tools to be productive in my job as well as directed my initial career path in hotel marketing, OTA and digital marketing. Jan De Roos’ real-estate feasibility class gave me market research and development tools that helped with numerous market studies and SWOT analysis’s for a portfolio of hotels which recorded significant increases in market share while I was at Marriott. There are so many more IMHI courses that gave me a strong foundation in business as well as a window into new industries and roles that I never knew prior. 

AAIMHI: What did you do right after graduating, can you share a bit about your career?

Elisa: My first job after IMHI was as an Account Manager for e-Site Marketing (now Sabre Hospitality Solutions), a hotel marketing agency primary focused on website development. It was a wonderful job to learn from an agency perspective what small to medium sized hotels were grappling with in the digital space - how to build awareness and gain bookings as the competitive digital space was rapidly evolving. 

I then had an opportunity to work for Marriott International so pivoted from a small, independent company to a public, global company which gave me significant experience in hospitality. I had positions in various departments including Sales Services, Distribution, Field Marketing and New Hotel Openings. I managed large account relations such as Booking.com as well as developed and implemented digital strategies for a portfolio of hotels. I worked with incredible hotel leaders and learned an enormous amount about team management, strategic planning and the powerful influence of digital marketing on hotel market share.

My family proceeded to move from Washington DC to Boston where I identified an opportunity in a similar but different industry – cruise lines. At Scenic Luxury Cruises, I managed a full marketing team that included all digital aspects (web, email, paid media, design, etc) that supported luxury river cruise brands and ocean expedition yachts. I was able to transfer all my knowledge quite easily from hotel to cruise and just finished ramping up a talented marketing team when the Pandemic hit. I was able to ride the wave, pun intended, through the rough seas of COVID learning to adapt and be patient while prioritizing customer first during an extraordinarily frustrating time.

AAIMHI: Would you say that IMHI had an impact to your career? Was it an accelerator?

Elisa: Without a doubt IMHI influenced my career. I was searching for a way to pivot and build  a foundation within hospitality. This program gave me both the fundamentals for business and the incredible exposure to a broad, dynamic international group that truly changed how I perceive the world.

I’ve recently transitioned into a completely new industry that continues to leverage the skills from hospitality. I now am with a real-estate development company and managing the tenant experience platform across 6Million square feet of life science lab space.  I am combining learnings from IMHI, marketing, team management and hospitality all in one role where I lead a team of event strategists and planners who design programs for the tenant base. I never thought I’d be in charge of everything from programming food trucks to designing amenity spaces. I feel as if I’ve come full circle leveraging every aspect of my degree and work experiences to take on this new opportunity.

AAIMHI: Could you share an achievement you are particularly proud of?

Elisa: I have both personal and professional achievements that I’m proud of. I was able to build a career in the digital space which was in its early phases when at IMHI. Marriott provided the opportunity to launch a large OTA across 5000 hotels. I was also able to transfer my skills across multiple industries within hospitality which has given me a rich perspective into all the amazing products and services that exist to support human connection, service and experiences. I would be remiss in mentioning that another accomplishment was just juggling it all while raising two children. That is no small feat and takes patience and a supportive partner to make possible. 

AAIMHI: Are there any lessons you have learned in your career that you would like to share with the younger graduates?

Elisa: So many skills are transferable across industries such as customer service,  communication and project management; relationships create opportunities, and kindness and respect go far in developing a satisfying career. I’ve also learned that the more you support others’ careers and accomplishments, the more that energy comes back to lift you up and propel you forward. I’ve learned from many of my classmates, colleagues, friends and family and believe that opportunities come your way when you just keep your eyes and mind open to it. 

AAIMHI: Besides the academic degree, which are the soft skills you believe are particularly important today?

Elisa: IMHI grounded me in the fact that there is a diverse, vast world out there. It’s important to be open to learning from others which requires patience, listening skills and openness no-matter how different they may be from you. 

AAIMHI: Do you believe the alumni association AAIMHI, the IMHI network, is important?

Elisa: I have taken advantage of both the IMHI and Cornell Hotel School Alumni network.  I do believe in the strength of alumni to share experiences, learn of opportunities, and keep updated on the hospitality industry- a lot of which I quickly achieve and benefit from thanks to the ease and access of alumni on social platforms today.

Thank you for your time Elisa!