AUBURN, AL – April 5, 2022 – Ithaka Hospitality Partners is proud to announce its designation as the management company for the Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center opening at Auburn University later this year.
The Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center (RCSC) will serve as the new cutting-edge, state-of-the-art home to the College of Human Sciences’ esteemed Hospitality Management Program at Auburn University. Once complete, the Center will feature numerous experiential learning spaces where students can obtain meaningful, hands-on learning opportunities to prepare them to be leaders in the hospitality industry.
“The Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center has been a dream for more than a decade and it has truly been an honor to take part in shaping the vision for the Center,” said Hans van der Reijden, Founder and CEO of Ithaka Hospitality Partners. “Now that construction is nearing completion, our team is ecstatic to continue our journey as the management company for the commercial spaces of this incredible facility.”
The involvement of a world-class management partner is crucial to executing the ambitious programming and educational opportunities the Rane Center will provide. The Ithaka Hospitality Partners team will be heavily involved in the hands-on learning experiences in The Laurel Hotel & Spa, poised to be Alabama’s first ultra-luxury hotel, as well as the 1856 teaching restaurant and its Chef in Residence program, which will be the first-ever teaching restaurant with a tasting menu format.
“Ithaka Hospitality Partners was the natural choice for a partner who could handle the operational side of the Rane Culinary Science Center’s commercial components,” said Dr. Susan Hubbard, Dean of the College of Human Sciences at Auburn University. “Having seasoned industry professionals come alongside our credentialed faculty in a center unlike any in the world, creates a powerful partnership, resulting in an immersive, highly effective style of hospitality management education”.
As the management company for RCSC, Ithaka Hospitality Partners will manage the day-to-day operations of all commercial spaces including The Laurel Hotel & Spa, 1856, and the Hey Day Market food hall, as well as the on-site café, coffee roastery, and microbrewery. The company also currently manages The Hotel at Auburn University & Dixon Conference Center, a AAA four-diamond property located adjacent to RCSC.
In addition to property management, Ithaka Hospitality Partners is deeply involved in the educational components of the Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center. Its leadership team serves as affiliate faculty working alongside professors and staff within the Hospitality Management program, teaching and advising students.
Auburn-based Ithaka Hospitality Partners was founded in 2018 by Hans van der Reijden, an international hotelier with more than 35 years of experience in the industry. Formerly a partner in the Capella Hotel Group, he worked side by side with founder Horst Schulze, a legend in the hospitality industry. Collectively, the Ithaka Hospitality Partners management team has more than 200 years of industry experience at some of the biggest and most respected hospitality organizations across the globe.
