The 98th Annual Hotel Ezra Cornell

ALL DAY | Around Ithaca

Check into The Statler Hotel after 4:00 PM. Relax after your travels and take advantage of the time in the afternoon to enjoy some of the must-do things in the Ithaca area.

4:00 - 5:30pm | Statler Auditorium

Open to all Hotelies. We will be meeting in the Amphitheater (around the corner from the Regent bar in the Statler Hotel). We will update the audience on what's happening with CHS, take a bylaw vote, and our 2nd VP Alex Koch will do a fireside chat with this year's Phil Miller Hotelie For Life student finalists.

5:30 - 7:30pm | Regent Lounge

Welcome aboard to our first event!

General Manager Arthur Keith will continue the tradition of handing off the key to The Statler Hotel to HEC 98 Managing Director, Lillian Pinheiro.

7:30 - 9:00am | Taylor Rowe Room

Begin the day as we launch into Friday's theme: "Showcasing Global Innovation" with a breakfast centered around boutique innovation.

All Day | Hersha Center

In addition to being the calm and continuously refreshing buffet, the Hersha Center will serve as a retreat area for guests looking for a break and a chance to learn about the many students and donors involved with HEC.

Coffee drinks will be served courtesy of Lavazza.

We will also have a silent auction available Friday 8:30am-7:00pm and on Saturday 8:30am-12:00pm. All proceeds will be donated to our philanthropy partner, Tourism Cares, and winners will be announced at the weekend's closing ceremony. Learn more by hitting the button below.

9:00 - 9:30am | Statler Auditorium

Dean Kate Walsh MPS '90 will commence programming for HEC 98.

9:30 - 10:30am | Statler Auditorium

Join our Programs Director, Lucas Arulpragasam, as he holds a fireside chat with Gilda Perez-Alvarado, Global CEO of JLL, about sustainable and equitable practices within the commercial real estate industry. Ms. Perez-Alvarado is a global leader on financial advisory and will share her insight on the future of the industry.

10:30 - 10:45am | Auditorium Foyer

Attendees will have the opportunity to network with students and fellow guests.

10:45 - 11:45am | Multiple Locations

Guests will have the option to attend one of the following workshops:

11:45am - 1:00pm | Statler Ballroom

Friday's lunch will provide a platform for our Masters of Management in Hospitality (MMH) students to showcase their work, celebrating continued hospitality education. This lunch will represent our MMH student population through their personalized mocktails, diverse menu, and an interactive environment.

1:00 - 2:00pm | Statler Auditorium

President of Air Canada Aeroplan, Mark Nasr ‘07, will speak about the crucial role loyalty plays in the hospitality and aviation industry. Mr. Nasr has a wide array of experience in industry, being Air Canada's Senior Vice President of Products, Marketing and eCommerce. Join us for his discussion of loyalty and innovation in the airline industry.

2:00 - 4:00pm | Statler Auditorium

The Cornell Hospitality Business Plan Competition is an annual entrepreneurship event sponsored by the Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship (PIHE) that begins at the start of the academic year when students form teams and develop executive summaries for their business plans. Watch the semi-finalist teams make their presentations to a judging panel that selects the top three concepts as winners and see what innovative new business concepts the students created over the course of the academic year.

4:00 - 4:30pm | Auditorium Foyer

4:30 - 5:45pm | Statler Auditorium

Liz Ngonzi ‘98 will moderate a panel of Vaibhav Garg (Cluster Director of Talent and Culture at Accor), Steven Schuller ‘91 (Vice President of Human Resources at Frontier Airlines), Rob Thorpe (COO at The Jet), and Amanda Nguyen (CEO and Founder of Butter&). They will speak about current trends and the future of human resources in the hospitality industry.

5:45 - 6:00pm | Statler Auditorium

The winners of the Cornell Hospitality Business Plan Competition will be announced!

 6:30 - 7:15pm | Park Atrium

Friday's evening serves as a meaningful end to the theme of "Showcasing Global Innovation" and is a segue into Saturday's theme, "A Sustainable Future." Begin the evening at the "Rooftop Garden" Cocktail, inspired by the innovative practice of utilizing roof space to create self-sustaining gardens and water management systems. From there, guests will be guided to our seated dinner where they will be immersed within the environment of a greater "green city."

7:30 - 10:00pm | Statler Hotel Ballroom

"Green Cities" is inspired by the NEOM project. NEOM is a cutting-edge urban center focused on reduced emissions, health and wellness, sophisticated art and infrastructure, and land preservation. This dinner aims to connect the themes throughout the day into a concrete vision of the future. 

7:30 - 9:00am | Taylor Rowe Room

Join us as we celebrate a new day!

9:00 - 9:45am | Statler Auditorium

Mindy Roberts speaks about the one-of-a-kind experience that is hospitality in Antarctica! Ms. Roberts is the Chief Marketing Officer at White Desert, the carbon-neutral luxury tour and hotel operator in Antarctica. She will discuss sustainable luxury in hospitality.

9:45 - 10:45am | Statler Auditorium

Marriott International CEO Anthony Capuano ‘87 will moderate a diverse panel of General Managers featuring 1 Hotel NYC’s Bernd Pichler, Four Seasons Nevis’s Yvette Thomas-Henry, and JW Marriott DC’s Matthew Felix. They will touch on the various industry leading strategies each of their respective properties use in their day to day operations.

11:00 - 11:45am | Ho Plaza

Bringing back this old tradition for the second consecutive year, the server derby will be a modern take on the Parisian Waiter’s Race. Students and guests will have the opportunity to meet and compete together in teams in this race for the chance to win some awesome prizes. 

11:45am - 1:00pm | Statler Hotel Ballroom

1:00 - 2:00pm | Park Atrium

During this breakout session, students will have the opportunity to network with professionals from the hospitality industry.

2:15 - 3:15pm | Multiple Locations

Guests will have the option to attend one of the following workshops:

3:30 - 4:30pm | Statler Auditorium

This discussion of the future of consulting in the hospitality industry will feature PwC’s Jeanelle Johnson, Patrick Parodi, and Brandon Berman ‘17. They will share their perspectives on the technology and innovations in consulting and the future of client relations.

4:30 - 5:00pm | Auditorium Foyer

5:00 - 6:00pm | Statler Auditorium

Aradhana Khowala, CEO and Founder of Aptamind Partners, will discuss sustainable development in the hospitality industry and how to create a better world. Ms. Khowala has over two decades of experience across over 75 countries and is a global authority on the travel, tourism, and hospitality industries. Join us for our keynote!

6:00 - 6:15pm | Statler Auditorium

The 98th Annual Hotel Ezra Cornell Board of Directors will share closing remarks and will wrap up programming with the traditional Board toast. 

6:15 - 9:45pm | Terrace Restaurant

The final dinner of the 98th Annual Hotel Ezra Cornell. It will be another opportunity to network and dance, and will close out HEC 98 weekend.