The 97th Annual Hotel Ezra Cornell

ALL DAY | Around Ithaca

As you arrive, take advantage of the time in the afternoon to enjoy some of the 97 must-do things in the Ithaca area, recommended by our Guest Experience team.

4:30 - 6:30pm | Statler Auditorium

Join us to hear about the exciting initiatives and news from CHS chapters worldwide, led by Mark Woodworth, CHS 1st Vice President. 

6:30 - 8:30pm | Terrace Restaurant

We will feature a welcome message from Dean Kate Walsh as we celebrate the history of The Nolan School of Hotel Administration.

8:00 - 9:00am | Taylor Rowe Room

Join us as we celebrate a new day!

9:00 - 9:30am | Statler Auditorium

Nolan School Dean Kate Walsh, Statler Hotel General Manager Arthur Keith, and HEC 97 Managing Director Hayley Martin will formally welcome you to the 97th Annual Hotel Ezra Cornell. The key to The Statler Hotel will be handed over to our Managing Director, Hayley, signifying the beginning of this year's HEC!

9:30 - 10:30am | Statler Auditorium

Roger Hill and Ron Swidler will share this year’s findings from The Gettys Group’s global think tank, The Hotel of Tomorrow Project, which recently concluded its first ever series of events in virtual reality. Learn about the process of building and hosting events in the metaverse and the insights and foresight that emerged out of the collaborative ideation and conceptualization.

10:30 - 11:00 am | Hersha Center

Take this time to meet other conference attendees. Refreshments will be provided.

11:00am - 12:00pm | Statler Auditorium

Master Sommelier Jack Mason will lead a tasting of four distinctive styles of Champagne to highlight how this delicious, sparkling wine is much more than an applauded apéritif. Although no other beverage elicits thoughts of celebration and fun more than a glass of Champagne, Jack will emphasize how the leader of the bubbly category should be viewed as a "wine" and the diversity of profiles that exist.

12:00 - 1:00pm | Statler Hall

We plan to celebrate the students of the Nolan School of Hotel Administration.

1:00 - 2:00pm | Statler Auditorium

Christina Heggie, Travel Product Go-To-Market Strategy at Google, speaks about the current status and future of technology in the field of travel and hospitality. She’ll highlight the important role that technology plays in the travel industry, the defining trends on the horizon, and opportunities industry leaders have today to build for the future.

2:00 - 3:00pm | Statler Auditorium

Sarah Phelps will discuss a new, emerging sector within hospitality: Commercial Space Tourism.  In this session, Ms. Phelps will share her nontraditional route to a career in the aerospace industry and how she is helping bring hospitality to the future of space travel.  She will also share the latest news and projects from Blue Origin as they work on their vision of having millions of people living and working in space to benefit Earth. 

3:15 - 4:15pm | Willard Straight Hall Memorial Room

Meet and network with Hotel School students as well as fellow conference attendees.

4:15 - 5:15pm | Ho Plaza

Bringing back this old tradition, 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. The server derby will be followed by a 45 minute break for guests to prepare for dinner.

5:45 - 7:00pm | Statler Ballroom Foyer

Here we will celebrate the leaders of our industry and the risks they have taken to make our industry exceptional.

7:30 - 10:00pm | Statler Ballroom

We will honor E.M. Statler's legacy and his instrumental role in founding The Hotel School as we know it today.

8:00 - 9:00am | Taylor Rowe Room

Join us as we celebrate a new day!

9:00 - 11:00am | Multiple Locations

Choose from one of the following four workshops:

11:30am - 1:00pm | Statler Ballroom

Enjoy our MMH student-prepared lunch as we celebrate continued hospitality education.

1:00 - 2:00pm | Statler Auditorium

This fireside chat with Professor Tashlin Lakhani will be a lively conversation about strategies in business that support the creation of better career opportunities for workers in the food industry. Jessamyn will share business insight, drawing on Danny Meyer’s ‘Virtuous Cycle of Hospitality,’ a model that hold employees as the primary stakeholder and leads to more effective and profitable business growth. The conversation will focus on how building operational models can allow for better pay, less turn-over, more ability to invest in training, and ultimately, better hospitality to our guests. 

2:00 - 4:00pm | Statler Auditorium

See what innovative ideas current students have developed that will impact the hospitality landscape for years to come.

4:15 - 5:15pm | Statler Auditorium

Dean Kate Walsh will moderate a panel of extraordinarily accomplished Nolan School alumni—Keith Barr, ’92, CEO of IHG, Tony Capuano, ’87, CEO of Marriott International, and Kevin Jacobs, ’94, CFO & President Global Development for Hilton Worldwide. These top industry leaders and game changers will discuss current industry trends, identify innovations for the future, and share how our School has impacted and continues to impact their careers.

The 97th Annual Hotel Ezra Cornell Board of Directors will share closing remarks and will wrap up programming with the traditional board toast. We will also celebrate our hardworking volunteers that make HEC possible through our volunteer parade.

6:00 - 7:00pm | Park Atrium

Join us for a pre-dinner cocktail. All silent auction proceeds will benefit World Central Kitchen. 

7:00 - 8:30pm | Park Atrium

Our final dinner will celebrate the globality of our industry.

8:30 - 10:30pm | Statler Lounge

Celebrate the way our industry brings people together, and enjoy all the friends you have made at HEC.