About
History of the Hotel
The Statler Hotel & J. Willard Marriott Executive Education Center officially opened its doors in March of 1989. At its Grand Opening the following month at Hotel Ezra Cornell (HEC) 64, the hundreds of industry leaders, alumni, and members of the media in attendance marveled at "the jewel box," as managing director Hans P. Weishaupt '64 fondly dubbed the hotel. With its upscale decor and furnishings, cutting-edge technology, and an impressive blend of guest amenities, the Statler certainly deserved the accolades.
The most prominent feature of the new hotel's lobby was the "Wall of Honor," a showcase display of twelve-inch lead crystal plates. Each plate was engraved with the names of the corporations or individuals who had donated $1 million or more to fund the renovation of the school and construction of the hotel. It illustrated the value that the hospitality professionals placed on the Hotel School's role in educating and developing the future leaders of the industry.
The idea of a "teaching hotel" had always appealed to industry leaders, who placed a high value on experiential learning to complement classroom education. In 1923, the American Hotel Association proposed that a 200-room hotel be built adjacent to the campus to serve as a "practice hotel" for the newly established hotel program at Cornell. But because of the Depression, followed by the World War II, it wasn't until the late 1940s that the practice hotel would come to be, in conjunction with the construction of Statler Hall.
In 1950, Statler Hall was completed and the Department of Hotel Administration became a separate school at Cornell University. Attached to Statler Hall, the 36-room Statler Inn opened in time for HEC '25. The inn featured three restaurants: the Main Dining Room, Cafe Rhea, and the Ratheskeller; as well as a ballroom and several banquet rooms. It also housed the university's faculty club. Located close to the classrooms, it gave Hotel students a convenient opportunity to gain practical experience in restaurant management, food preparation, and innkeeping.
Over the years, the Hotel School's leadership found it difficult to make the Statler Inn financially self-sufficient. The small number of guest rooms and lack of convenient parking limited its ability to cover the rising cost of labor and energy. In 1986, a decision was made to demolish the Statler Inn and build the Statler Hotel. With 150 rooms, three restaurants, banquet rooms, and a conference center, the new hotel would not only meet the growing needs of the university and be financially viable, but would also meet the growing educational needs of the school.