In Memoriam - Hanifmohamed H. Jivraj ‘94
The Cornell Hotel Society (CHS) mourns the loss of Hanifmohamed (Hanif) H. Jivraj ’94 on March 24, 2024. Hanif led a life of service to his family, Cornell, and the hospitality industry.
After graduating from from the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration in 1994, Hanif began his hospitality career in the New York metropolitan area. Professionally, Hanif was known for his revenue management skills. He held management positions at several iconic hotels in Northern New Jersey and Manhattan.
Outside of work, he was the consummate New Yorker. His brother Adeel recalls, “He had an undeniable connection to New York City and passed every corner with a story or a bit of history. We loved walking around NYC with him where he would point out historic sites and share insightful stories. He was a walking tour guide himself. He loved the Yankees, and you wouldn’t catch him without his Yankee hat or Yankee jacket.”
Hanif captured his love of New York in pictures. He had an uncanny eye for photography. The simplest scene was fascinating to him and had to be captured on film. You can view his photographic talent online at the following website:
Stunning "Hanif Jivraj" Artwork For Sale on Fine Art Prints (imagekind.com)
Music was another passion of Hanif. Lucky friends and family would enjoy hearing him sing his favorite Karaoke song “Empire State of Mind”. He loved going to concerts to watch his favorite new wave bands (Joy Division, New Order, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode), old school hip hop and freestyle.
As Hotelies, we mourn Hanif, the CHS leader. After volunteering as a board member for several years, Hanif served as the NYC Chapter President from January 2021 to January 2023. During his tenure, he successfully revitalized a chapter that had faced challenges in the previous two years due to the pandemic. Hanif significantly increased engagement, reestablished key relationships, fostered camaraderie, and built a strong and effective board.
His dedication to CHS extended beyond his local presidency. Hanif was an active member of the CHS global Communications Committee and played an instrumental role launching the CHS Lobby.
CHS New York Chapter President Anika Malhotra ’12 sums up our community’s memory of Hanif as follows, “His unwavering commitment to hospitality reflects his embodiment of the true Hotelie spirit. Hanif's profound love for the Hotelie community, the Yankees, his passion for photography, and his enduring legacy will be cherished and celebrated by all who knew him.”
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The Cornell Hotel Society thanks CHS New York Chapter President Anika Malhotra ’12 and Hanif’s brother Adeel, for their contributions to this memorial.