Experiential learning

The Statler Hotel

Designed as the ultimate hospitality learning environment, the award-winning* Statler Hotel serves as a hub for academic and professional growth. Each year, over 200 students from the Nolan School gain hands-on experience through immersive events and part-time roles with seasoned hotel professionals—earning income while building real-world skills that set them apart. The Statler Hotel is proud to host many of Cornell’s prestigious annual events. These experiences allow us to showcase the talent of our students and staff while offering hands-on learning in hotel operations, event coordination, and restaurant management under the supervision of skilled chefs and the upscale dining location, Tavern Banfi.

*The Statler Hotel has received the AAA Four Diamond Award 16 years in a row (annually since 2010) and earned the 2014 Good Earthkeeping Award, the greenest award bestowed by the New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association.

Hotel Leadership Development Program (HLDP)

Developed to be both rigorous and rewarding, the Hotel Leadership Development Program (HLDP) offers immersive training and direct mentorship from industry professionals. The program provides in-depth exposure to the full scope of hotel operations, preparing students for advancement in the field.

After completing one semester working in a Statler Hotel operations department, students are eligible to apply. Those accepted are paired with a mentor from the hotel’s management team and progress through paid employment phases totaling 200 to 300 hours. Along the way,  students participate in integrated educational and certification experiences that support their growth from entry-level roles to manager- or director-level readiness upon completion of the program and graduation. For more information, including how to apply, see The Statler Hotel’s Leadership Development Program page.

Hotel Ezra Cornell (HEC) 

Hotel Ezra Cornell (HEC) is a weekend-long business conference organized and executed by the students of the Nolan School. For over 100 years, HEC has given students the opportunity to practice skills they have learned in the classroom and showcase their talents to the conference’s diverse attendees including Cornell alumni, faculty, staff, and industry professionals from around the globe.

Students plan and execute every aspect of the conference including negotiating with vendors, developing menus, procuring resources, maintaining budgets of up to $100,000, creating marketing materials, hiring and training volunteers, and much more. 

Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series (DDLS)

The Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series (DDLS) is a long-running Friday afternoon tradition in the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration, called ‘Hotelie Friday.’  For over 100 years, Hotelies have brought together top hospitality, food and beverage, and real estate leaders—many of whom are our alumni—to share their career journeys and insights into business strategies and industry trends. Students meet with the leader throughout the day in small group discussions and over shared meals.

Establishment

Establishment at Statler is a refined casual dining restaurant in the Nolan School that is staffed and operated by students in the restaurant-management course during the academic semester. Since 2012, Establishment serves as a learning environment for students to synthesize food service concepts, business principles, and hospitality management theories, and to apply their knowledge in a live restaurant setting. 

As a restaurant open to the public, the goal is to provide patrons with a unique and fulfilling dining experience, with the menu being engineered to reinforce students’ knowledge of various cooking methods as well as increase their experience working with an array of food-production tools, and providing guests with an enticing, eclectic mix of dishes inspired by a variety of different cuisines.

Patrons looking to experience Establishment can make a reservation or connect via instagram for updates on operation hours and menu options.