Ithaca, NY, November 6, 2015 – The oldest tradition at Cornell's School of Hotel Administration (SHA) enters a new decade as the student body proudly announces the 91st Annual Hotel Ezra Cornell. The student-run conference will take place March 17-20, 2016 at SHA and the Statler Hotel in Ithaca, NY.
Hotel Ezra Cornell (HEC) is a weekend-long business conference organized and executed by SHA students. The conference boasts a series of educational seminars, food and beverage events, and leisure activities to generate thought-provoking conversation about the industry and build long-term relationships. A 91-year tradition at the school, HEC year after year has given students the opportunity to practice skills they learn in the classroom and showcase their talents to the conference's attendees: Cornell alumni, faculty, staff, and industry professionals from around the globe.
The students will be using HEC this year as a vehicle to explore "the new normal" in the hospitality industry. Although industry fundamentals are stronger than ever, unprecedented change is coming. Millennials are exerting their influence, social media is leveling the playing field, the ultraluxury product is gaining traction, disruptors are challenging our view, and cyber crime is presenting significant new hurdles. The game is the same, but the rules are changing, and SHA has the pleasure of welcoming an array of successful visionaries to come teach the conference guests how to play.
Taking center stage is the man who defined the luxury hotel experience as president and COO of the Ritz-Carlton Group and is now helping establish a new frontier in fine service as the chairman and CEO of Capella Hotel Group: Mr. Horst Schulze. Recognized as "corporate hotelier of the world" by HOTELS magazine in 1991, Schulze created the world-famous service and operating standards that continuously distinguish Ritz-Carlton as a premier hotel company.
Upon leaving the company and relinquishing his oversight of the $2 billion worldwide Ritz-Carlton operations, Schulze anticipated the emergence of a new concept of luxury and founded the Capella Hotel Group. Operated by "the finest people in the world," Capella Hotels seek to provide ultraluxury as defined by the guest, founded on the principle that a balance between activity and privacy is key. Schulze will be attending the rest of the conference programming and events as a guest of HEC.
Please visit www.hotelezracornell.com for more information.
