ITHACA, N.Y., May 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Dr. Bruce Tracey, professor at Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration and a principal at Pravi, will introduce Hospitality Fluency™, a new discipline for human interaction, during a live online keynote hosted by Cornell on May 14.
The keynote marks the first public introduction of Hospitality Fluency™, which reframes hospitality as a universal discipline rather than simply an industry, with direct implications for how organizations operate in an AI-driven world. It provides organizations with a way to define, assess, and improve how people interact with colleagues, customers, and teams.
“Organizations are investing heavily in AI and automation, but many still struggle to define and improve the quality of human interaction,” said Tracey. “Hospitality Fluency™ gives leaders a way to assess, teach, and strengthen how people engage with colleagues and customers in any industry.”
The discipline reflects Tracey’s decades of research, teaching, and industry collaboration and provides organizations with tools to strengthen performance in the moments that drive loyalty, trust, reputation, and long-term growth.
The keynote will be co-presented with Eric Sinoway, CEO of Pravi and author of Howard’s Gift, which will be re-published this summer featuring uncommon wisdom for life and leadership in the age of AI.
“Just because you can do something does not mean that you should,” said Sinoway. “Technology is a wonderful tool, but it is not a silver bullet. Bruce Tracey’s Hospitality Fluency™ framework helps us remember something important: humans still matter.”
Industry leaders see growing urgency around this capability.
“Over a career in the highly competitive industry of integrated resorts, it was always the people who made the place,” said Travis Lunn, a veteran gaming executive who has held leadership roles at Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, and Hard Rock, where he is currently President of Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa. “The greatest differentiator is service.”
“The concepts of service and hospitality are increasingly being adopted by companies in every industry,” said Horst Schulze, co-founder of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and an advisor to home services company Exhale. “We designed Exhale’s service standards to rival those of a luxury hotel, and the impact is reflected in customer loyalty and Net Promoter Scores.”
The live keynote will take place at 1 p.m. ET on May 14 and is open globally at no cost. Attendees will be among the first to see the concept introduced publicly.
Register to attend the live keynote:
https://ecornell.cornell.edu/keynotes/overview/K051426/
About Pravi
Pravi helps organizations grow through advisory services, learning and development programs, and partnership development expertise. Pravi was co-founded by Howard H. Stevenson, Harvard Business School professor and one of the world’s leading thinkers on entrepreneurship.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/72a69faa-7b43-46ab-a661-c1c3a0a9f140.