Leora Halpern Lanz

Associate Professor of the Practice, School of Hospitality Administration, Boston University

Leora Halpern Lanz is an Associate Professor of the Practice at Boston University's School of Hospitality Administration and the author of a two-book series — Developing Your Marketing Mindset: Real-World Lessons from Hospitality and Marketing Mindset in Motion: Inspired by Hospitality — built on the premise that critical and strategic thinking, shaped by hospitality, is what it means to truly think like a marketer. Central to her work is the idea that when brands elevate authentic messages of wellness, sustainability, and community, they practice what she calls conscious marketing and responsible hospitality — or, in her framing, meaningful marketing.

Her teaching and scholarship focus on marketing, communications, and the evolving role of hospitality in shaping guest experience and community connection. Her work sits at the intersection of brand, place, and purpose, helping future industry leaders think more critically about how hotels engage with guests, staff, and the communities around them.

With over 40 years of experience across hospitality marketing, consulting, and education, Leora brings a practitioner's perspective into the classroom. Before joining academia, she founded LHL Communications, advising hotels, restaurants, and tourism organizations on branding and reputation with an emphasis on community engagement and long-term value. She also served as Global Director of Marketing & Communications at HVS, where she led strategic communications for one of the industry's leading consulting firms, and held earlier roles in public relations with ITT Sheraton Hotels of New York and the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau.

At CRH, Leora contributes a critical lens on communication and perception. Her work helps ensure that responsible hospitality is not only grounded in real performance, but also translated in ways that are clear, credible, and meaningful to guests. She brings a focus on how trust is built over time, and how storytelling, when rooted in reality, can reinforce rather than obscure what hotels actually do.

Leora has been recognized by the International Hospitality Institute as one of the Top 100 Powerful Leaders of Hospitality and Top 50 Influential Hospitality Educators. She holds a bachelor's degree from Cornell University and a master's degree from Boston University.