Nitin Kumar Inspires IIHM Students at Global Campus
IIHM Global Campus hosted an informative and future-focused session by Mr. Nitin Kumar, Director of Data Science and GenAI at Marriott International, giving hospitality students an exclusive opportunity to understand how artificial intelligence is shaping the largest hotel brands in the world at present.
With over 20 years of experience in AI, data science, and enterprise innovation, Mr. Kumar spoke not just as a technologist, but as a mentor who has lived the journey. Recalling his early days in Dallas, Texas, working with Xerox and IBM, he highlighted how curiosity and the willingness to learn pushed him to explore AI long before it became a buzzword. His message to students was clear: skills matter, but curiosity matters more.
Using real examples from Marriott Bonvoy, he explained how data science helps Marriott manage millions of customer profiles, solve revenue optimization challenges, identify high-value co-brand customers, and simplify complex sales processes that earlier took days to analyse. Students were particularly engaged while learning about pre-arrival personalisation, dynamic pricing, and how AI enables hotels to engage guests based on when, where, and how they book.
Beyond technology, Mr. Kumar shared practical career advice that deeply resonated with students. He emphasised the power of connections, choosing the right tools, building personal projects, and never hesitating to ask for help. He encouraged students to stay hopeful in a tough job market, remain open to smaller organisations, and remember that technology today is multi-modal, opening doors across industries.
His final takeaways were simple yet powerful — never compare yourself with others, document everything you learn, build strong fundamentals, and stay true to yourself.
The session perfectly reflected IIHM’s commitment to preparing hospitality students not just for jobs—but for a soaring and solid career in the future.
