News Brief: Students Meet Hotel Expert, TV Host at LIHA

Pictured: NYIT Assistant Professor James Dunne (second from left, rear) helped current Hospitality Management students get acquainted with celebrity hotelier Anthony Melchiorri (center right) as well as several NYIT alumni at the Long Island Hospitality Association.

Five NYIT hospitality management students enjoyed an impromptu question-and-answer session with illustrious hotelier Anthony Melchiorri at a recent meeting of the Long Island Hospitality Association (LIHA).

Melchiorri, who hosts the reality show Hotel Impossible on the Travel Channel, had been scheduled to give a 20-minute speech, but when he noticed the NYIT students in the audience, he decided to reframe his presentation as a Q&A. He ended up spending more than an hour interacting with the students and other audience members, and he made sure to speak to each student one-on-one afterward.

Also at the meeting were six NYIT hospitality management alumni, all representing their various organizations in management positions, as well as NYIT School of Management Assistant Professor James Henry Dunne, a member of the LIHA Executive Board.

Dunne reported, “Mr. Melchiorri could not have been more warm, gracious, insightful, and inspirational, especially to the students.”

According to the LIHA mission statement, the association aims to provide scholarships and networking opportunities for students studying hospitality on Long Island. Hospitality students are eligible to be members, free of charge, of LIHA, enjoying invitations to quarterly meetings and other events where they can interact with industry leaders.