Monday, October 30, 2006
What Should Ellsworth be for Halloween?
Hello Hotelies! I am inviting you to participate in the first HEC blog contest! The first contest is very simple! Just answer the following question and e-mail your name, class year, and answer to hec@cornell.edu for your chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Collegetown Bagels.
What should Ellsworth dress up as for Halloween?
One idea per person; Please include a sentence or two explaining your idea and why you picked it. A very easy way to win some food!
Answers are due by midnight on Friday, November 3, 2006. Good luck!
Ellsworth
9:57 PM | 0 comments
Friday, October 27, 2006
Sustainability Through Innovation: April 12-15, 2007
Hello fellow Hotelies! My name is Ellsworth and I am Hotel Ezra Cornell’s teddy bear, as well as your official HEC tour guide throughout the 2006-2007 year. I am excited to be the narrator of the 82nd Annual Hotel Ezra Cornell blog. This year’s HEC is going to be the best ever! Why? Well, let me tell you what we are all about.
HEC will continue to demonstrate the principles established by E. M. Statler’s original “hotel for a day” in 1926: the benefits of hospitality education through showcasing student talents to industry leaders. Our mission is Showcasing Hospitality Education Through Student Leadership. The mission reflects Statler’s original intent of fostering student initiative to showcase the school’s hospitality education that has flourished since ’26.
Furthermore, HEC 82’s vision is to become the Summit of Hospitality Education. The members of HEC foresee the whole industry congregating annually at HEC to keep up-to-date, in addition to being educated by Hotel School students.
Operationally, the 82nd HEC differs much from 81; for one, 82’s board believes we can create an HEC that represents what Cornell Hotel School is all about. In addition, two new board positions have been created to drive our two different trains: our Director of Strategy’s train will ensure our decisions coordinate with this year’s mission and vision and The General Manager’s train will oversee our operation to ensure success.
Below is a little tease of how our invitations will draw guests to attend HEC:
Theme
The theme of HEC 82 originated from the question: what must innovative hospitality organizations do in order to survive and to thrive? We all know that the world is fast changing, and a stagnant organization will soon become a dead organization. What we may not know, however, are the keys to success—the keys to staying alive and relevant as a hospitality organization. At HEC 82, we will find answers. Together, we will figure out how to sustain our organizations through innovation.
Letter from Managing Director
Have you ever wondered why HEC exists? Is it an opportunity for hotelies to mingle and have fun? Is it a time for industry leaders to meet in one place to learn about cutting-edge concepts? Is it a feast of culinary delights to satisfy any palette? Sure, all those things represent past HECs, but the 82nd annual Hotel Ezra Cornell offers a little more, a little better strategic vision—one that focuses on Showcasing Hospitality Education Through Student Leadership.
Imagine Sir Richard Branson and our students inspiring our industry to create a greener global environment for years to come. Imagine investing in—and profiting from—innovative business plans from future leaders and entrepreneurs of our industry. Imagine learning how the SVP of Westin Hotels and Resorts collaborated with hotelies to develop new ways to brand a company. Imagine enjoying a newly restructured Friday night banquet, where a few more surprises are in store for you…
At the 82nd annual Hotel Ezra Cornell, you can take all those imaginations and turn them into reality. We invite you to join our quest to be the Summit of Hospitality Education. To make a great dream come true, one must first have a great dream. We have created a dream of Sustainability Through Innovation—you can help us make it come true…
So, what have I been up to recently? October 14th marked the annual HEC homecoming tailgate. That meant three of my favorite things: football, food, and Hotelies! Of course, I could not miss any of it. The day commenced with a congregation of very cold HEC members setting up tables to display multitudes of food, Hotel School gear, and hot apple cider. Although our tents initially blew over due to Ithacan winds that morning, we all survived. Red and white helium balloons floated overhead, greeting swarms of Hotelies, alumni, and faculty members. I mingled from person to person, hanging around Dean Johnson, Mr. Adie, the Big Red Bear, and various Hotelies.
Each Hotelie with whom I spoke graciously offered me samples of tailgate food; I sampled a variety of festive homecoming food, including orzo salad, beef brisket, jalapeno cornbread, flatbread pizza, festively colored Cornell sugar cookies and rice krispies. Some Hotelies decided to instruct me on back of the house operations – unfortunately I got a bit too excited about the pizza on the grill and burned my bear skin. Ouch!
Dean Johnson later remarked, “If you want a hot dog, go to the alumni tent, but if you want brisket, got to the Hotelie tent!” Tailgate was certainly a colorful event; I hope all of you were able to make. But, in case you missed out, one of my next adventures will be hitting up New York City for the Hotel Show on November 11th! The city will be a busy time for me, from commissioning donations at the Hotel Show to supervising Mini- Function Flow I am on a packed schedule. Of course, I am looking forward to the Monday night reception at Bryant Park Grille, a night of delicious food, cocktails, and hotelie mingling. Hope to see you there!
Cordially,
Ellsworth
P.S. I cannot leave you without posting some pictures.
Ouch! That grill hurt!
I was afraid the big bear would bite me!
11:08 PM | 1 comments