Share/Bookmark

Kristin Boekhoff Speaks at Cornell University

Posted by Kristin Boekhoff on April 17th, 2010

I was fortunate enough to be invited back by my alma mater, Cornell University, to speak at their annual hospitality conference, Hotel Ezra Cornell. The weekend event was packed full of industry leaders.

I was on a panel about innovation in the industry. People were eager to hear about Panigram Resort, though a few were skeptical that I could build a resort out of mud in a country with monsoons (even though I pointed out that mud homes had been built in the area for thousands of years). I was amazed by how many industry veterans were truly excited about my resort concept and the values that my company stands for.

I came away from the event with many new friends and an even stronger desire to make Panigram succeed; not just for me and my investors, or even our host community, but to set a new direction for the hospitality industry. I would like to show others that you can make money and make a difference and that you don’t have to compromise quality or customer service to be green and socially responsible.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Comments: 6

6 Responses to “Kristin Boekhoff Speaks at Cornell University”

  1. Waiul says:
    May 3, 2010 at 11:51 pm

    Dear Kristin
    Greetings from Khulna! I have read the article published in the Daily Star on 29 April 2010 and first come to know about the eco-resort of Panigram which enchanted me a lot being a tourist and tourism researcher. I’m very interested to your project and like to meet you to see the project and discuss some aspects of tourism potentialities of this region. I believe this project will facilitate to discover the potentialities of sustainable tourism (particularly rural tourism) in Bangladesh. I want to see a beautiful Bangladesh which will be tourist friendly. Pl go ahead… Many well wishes for you. If you need our assistance (from Khulna University) then we will feel proud.

    Good luck.

    Wasiul

  2. Kristin Boekhoff says:
    May 2, 2010 at 7:33 pm

    Our project area is out of the flood zone. Initially I wanted to get some property south of Jessore - between Jessore City and Khulna, the main launch place for Sundarban cruises. Unfortunately, I discovered that that area is extremely prone to flooding, however, so I relocated my search north, out of the flood plane.

    Even though the current project site is at the intersection of two rivers, the high land on the property does not flood as it is 3 meters above the water line. It is even out of the hurricane zone; both hurricanes Aida and Sidr passed by our site with only minimal damage to some of our banana trees (which are very soft). The Sundarban Forest acts as a natural protection barrier for us.

    -Kristin

  3. Alison says:
    May 1, 2010 at 4:13 pm

    We’re not sceptical, we are eagerly awaiting for it all to be ready by 2011.

  4. Sumnoon Moheb says:
    April 29, 2010 at 10:50 pm

    Isn’t Jessore prone to flooding???

  5. Kristin Boekhoff says:
    April 18, 2010 at 8:26 pm

    Dear Ibrahim,

    I actually had the idea to create socially and environmentally responsible boutique resorts before I left New York, however I certainly never thought that I would start in Bangladesh!

    In 2006 I quit my executive job in New York, donated everything that I owned to charity, and came to Bangladesh on a Fulbright Fellowship. During that period I fell in love with the beauty of Bangladesh’s countryside and people, so when my Fellowship ended instead of returning to corporate America I decided to stay and start my own hospitality company.

    I chose the Jessore area initially strategically–it is one of the few locations with an airport (it is just a quick 30 minute $80 round trip flight from Dhaka), it is close to the Sundarban Forest (the main tourist attraction in Bangladesh), it is on the planned Asian Highway Route (as soon as the bridge over the Padma River is finished it will only be about 3 hour drive from Dhaka), and it is close to the Indian border so there is the potential to get tourists from India (both Indians and foreigners visiting India). Then after I went to Jessore I learned that it is one of the most fertile areas in Bangladesh so the fields are almost always green and it is extremely beautiful!

    (If you want more details of my story, you might want to read some of the articles about me on our Press Page…)

    I hope to see you at Panigram when we open in the fall of 2011!

    Best,
    Kristin

  6. Ibrahim Al-Zayad says:
    April 18, 2010 at 12:13 pm

    Kristin,

    I am really mesmerized by your project and looking forward to visiting the resort. I just could not contain my curiosity - Why Bangladesh and more specifically Panigram? As a graduate of Cornell and a citizen of the world you could have built it anywhere. For my selfish reason, I am glad you chose Bangladesh. But it would be great to know the history behind the project. Thanks for embracing the potential this country holds!

    Regards,

    Ibrahim

Leave a Reply