“Be the reason someone smiles every day” is the perfect quote for someone like New York Delta Savannah Woodworth. She has a passion for business and a passion for service, combining those things as a member of Cornell University’s Hotel Leadership Development Program (HLDP). Through HLDP, Savannah has had various opportunities to sharpen her skills for her future career of hotel management.

One of these opportunities happens right on campus. Hotel Ezra Cornell (HEC) is a three-day, student-run educational conference, which alumni and industry leaders attend at The Statler Hotel at Cornell University. Each student is given conference-related duties like which company they procure items from to contracting the event speaker to providing a positive experience for the attendees. This year, Savannah was responsible for marketing, guest relations, and web design — yes all three! Savannah is grateful for the experience, as learning what she did has expanded what she could potentially do in the future.

Additionally, she has had three great internship opportunities: InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta working at the front desk, a sales and marketing position at Hilton Atlanta, and most recently she gained experience in mergers and acquisitions with Bay Club Company in Los Angeles. The internships are invaluable as she learned a lot of skills to help her in her future career as well, as gave her an appreciation for other areas of hotel operations beyond what the customer sees.

“I love making a guest smile,” Savannah says about why she chose to go into hotel operations, “A smile can completely turn their day around.” It may be a small satisfaction, but I agree that we don’t often pay attention to how much a simple smile can change our day. I look forward to seeing Savannah smiling behind a hotel front desk in the future!