161 Things To Do at Statler: The Ultimate Hotelie Guide

Inspired by Cornell's iconic "161 Things" tradition, Gwen Hoffman '24, a proud Hotelie and former HLDP Sales & Marketing Supervisor, crafted this Statler-specific list to celebrate the experiences that make life at Statler so special. Whether you're a student, alum, or simply love the spirit of hospitality, this guide highlights how Statler is more than just a building—it's a place to grow, connect, and create lasting memories.

1. Capture the first day of class with a picture in front of the STATLER HALL sign. 

2. Write a heartfelt card to a professor because the Dean's Student Advisory Board (DSAB) bribed you with a cookie. 

3. Have your picture taken with Touchdown at the Cornell Hotel Society (CHS) Pinning Ceremony. 

4. Volunteer for Hotel Ezra Cornell (HEC). 

5. Collect candy around the Statler during DSAB's Halloween Trick or Treat.  

6. Embark on the annual American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) Immersion trek. 

7. Develop your ability to identify wines and earn a cork graduation cord from Professor Stanley through Cuvée. 

8. Listen to strong female speakers with Women's Leadership in Hospitality (WLIH). 

9. Indulge in a cup of coffee from the HEC Coffee cart. 

10. Participate as a mentor for new students in the Hotel School Mentorship Program (HSMP).  

11. Take a trip outside to study under Dean Meek's Tree. 

12. Attend a Cornell Real Estate Club (CREC) Roundtable in the ​​Sack Family Conference Room. 

13. Seek resume/cover letter assistance from the Career Peer Advisors before applying to jobs. 

14. Join Crème de Cornell to become a food photographer. 

15. Participate in a DSAB Table Talk. 

16. Listen to a nightclub owner speak at a Cornell Nightlife Hospitality Club (CNHC) meeting. 

17. Compete in a design challenge with The Grid.  

18. Participate in a philanthropy event organized by Hotelies Serving Society (HSS). 

19. Talk with Victor Younger at a National Society of Minorities in Hospitality (NSMH) event. 

20. Explore the Newark or JFK Airport with the Air & Sea Hospitality Club. 

21. Brew your own beer with Big Red Brewing. 

22. Indulge in a smoothie at Mac's Cafe. 

23. Submit a Semester Smoothie at Mac's Cafe. 

24. Finish spending the rest of your BRBs on energy drinks at Mac's Cafe. 

25. Endure a 20+ minute line for a Mac's Cafe sandwich. 

26. Order a full Mac's Cafe pizza to share with your friends while studying. 

27. Attempt to solve Terrace's ridiculous burrito bowl lines as a Service Operations project. 

28. Eat an orange chicken burrito bowl every week at Terrace. 

29. Book a hotel room as an expensive, yet effective, study area. 

30. Wear solely a Statler robe when heading from your hotel room to the front desk. 

31. Arrange a meeting with the General Manager, Arthur Keith, of The Statler Hotel to discuss the hotel industry. 

32. Sneak a workout in the hotel lobby gym. 

33. Enjoy truffle fries at the Regent Lounge. 

34. Network over drinks with a professor at Regent. 

35. Relax and unwind with drinks with friends at Regent after your 4 pm class lets out. 

36. Have your own signature cocktail or food item featured on the Regent Lounge menu. 

37. Order the delicious duck dish at Taverna Banfi. 

38. Opt to valet your car at Statler Hotel when going to Taverna Banfi for a touch of luxury (but make sure to tip!). 

39. Enjoy brunch at Taverna Banfi on the weekend. 

40. Host a club or Greek-life event in the Statler Ballroom. 

41. Network with industry professionals during Hotelie Weekend in New York City. 

42. Table with a club at Tsai Atrium to maximize foot traffic. 

43. Receive free cookies and coffee from a club in the Tsai Atrium. 

44. Have leadership roles in every Hotel club to proudly display your face on every board when entering Statler Hall. 

45. Reserve the Club Room located under the stairs for a meeting and realize too late that only computers with HDMI compatibility can be used to project your presentation. 

46. Utilize your club's locker to safely store your wine kit. 

47. Join a Hotelie club and make your way up to President. 

48. Coordinate an alumni event for a club. 

49. Run an alumni panel. 

50. Dine at Establishment and enjoy your friends' cooking. 

51. Have a friend apologize to you for failing to make a reservation at Establishment. 

52. Contemplate adding a dessert to your Establishment menu but realize it can only negatively impact your grade. 

53. Enjoy a CHS Faculty Student Dinner at Establishment. 

54. Disappoint the chefs by mixing up sugar and salt in the culinary labs on accident.  

55. TA for Establishment for the food, the money and the camaraderie, but mostly the camaraderie. 

56. Make friends with the dishwasher at the culinary lab kitchen. 

57. Reserve a room at Nestle Library for a study session and proceed to not study. 

58. Fuel your studies with coffee at Nestle Library. 

59. Get yelled at for eating your lunch in the Nestle Library (clean up afterwards). 

60. Freak out when you procrastinate printing an assignment until just before class and your laptop doesn't connect to the printer. 

61. Sport your Hotelie pride with a Hotelie sweatshirt. 

62. Confuse your classmates by wearing a suit to class for no reason. 

63. Visit Big Red Threads when you forget to pack a blazer. 

64. Snag free company merch at a Hospitality Career Fair. 

65. Distribute 10+ resumes at the Real Estate Career Fair. 

66. Receive candy from Professor Varney at her office or classroom. 

67. Engage in a case debate with Professor Sherwyn or Professor Wagner in Business Law and win. 

68. Watch Professor Roberts do a magic trick. 

69. Learn the art of crafting cocktails from Professor Miller. 

70. Learn the proper way to enjoy a meal at an Etiquette Dinner hosted by Director Susskind. 

71. Accidentally break a wine glass in HADM 4300: Introduction to Wines. (Opa!) 

72. Impress others by confidently ordering from a wine list after taking the wine pairing class. 

73. Embark on the journey of HADM 4375: Introduction to Fermented Grains, Hard Ciders, and Sake. 

74. Lose money on the Casinos class trip to Del Lago Resort & Casino. 

75. Embark on the cruise trip during February break for the Cruise class; alternatively, enjoy a cruise over Spring Break if unable to secure a spot in the class. 

76. Utilize the elevator safety procedures learned in Facilities Operations when stuck in an elevator in the school or hotel.  

77. Enroll in a non-HADM class conveniently taught in Statler. 

78. Locate the hidden HADM 4300 wine cellar. 

79. Secure a spot on the leadership board in Financial Modeling for achieving the fastest modeling time. 

80. Become a Teaching Assistant for DDLS in the fall to engage with the speaker afterward. 

81. Maintain perfect attendance and professional attire while taking DDLS. 

82. Experience the inconvenience of your laptop running out of battery during class in STL 265, resorting to taking notes on your phone or with pencil and paper. 

83. Listen to a guest lecture during class and follow the speaker on LinkedIn afterward. 

84. Attempt a ServSafe exam without studying for it (because you know to wash your hands before cooking). 

85. Engage in enlightening discussions at a Dean's Dinner featuring a DDLS speaker in the Banfi Castello room. 

86. Apply to become a Dean's Assistant. 

87. If unsuccessful in becoming a Dean's Assistant, apply for the Dean's Student Advisory Board. 

88. If unsuccessful in becoming a part of the Dean's Student Advisory Board, set up a time to chat with the Dean. 

89. Get the Dean to remember your name (for a positive reason). 

90. Participate in a Hack-a-Thon to challenge yourself. 

91. Attend or assist with the Anabel's Grocery Fundraiser at Terrace. 

92. Casually crash a networking event you weren't invited to with hopes of free food. 

93. Make the most of the Communication Center for writing or presenting support. 

94. Drop into 180 for an interview prep session. 

95. Actively network at the Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship. 

96. Attend job advising sessions at Statler 180 whenever you need a job or internship. 

97. Consult a friend for guidance on tackling a case interview. 

98. Get professional headshots taken in the Park Atrium. 

99. Continue the grind by moving to Duffield Hall after Statler Hall closes. 

100. Complain about having to leave Statler for a class at Ives or Uris Hall, even if it's just 20 feet away. 

101. Run to the Cornell Store between classes to pick up a textbook. 

102. Meet a friend by the Chrome Statue of Herakles between Statler Hotel and Uris Hall, Ithaca's most famous naked man. 

103. Make a snowman under Herakles.  

104. Bring cookies across the street to the long-suffering engineering students in Duffield Hall. 

105. Lend your knife set to your forgetful friend and remember to secure the knives upon their return. 

106. Share a locker with a friend to avoid purchasing a lock. 

107. Pass on your knife set and textbooks (if they still exist) to the next generation of Hotelies. 

108. Receive a free inspirational book ("Lead with Hospitality" by Taylor Scott or "Unreasonable Hospitality" by Will Guidara) after listening to one of the authors speak. 

109. Carry a wine kit around and frequently get mistaken for a musician. 

110. Immerse yourself in the Hotel Leadership Development Program (HLDP) with the aim of becoming Student General Manager. 

111. Learn about hotel operations (and how to park Land Rovers) by working at the Statler Hotel. 

112. Assertively claim a bench for a group project in the Student Lounge. 

113. Recharge with a power nap on a couch of the Student Lounge. 

114. Grab a snack at the George B. Mallory '54 Student Lounge snack machine. 

115. Become a TA for your most challenging class. 

116. Hold Office Hours and no students show up. 

117. Apply for the Phil Miller Legacy Award. 

118. Wow your roommates with your new cooking skills in your dorm room/apartment. 

119. Showcase your newfound cocktail skills acquired at Establishment as a party bartender. 

120. Master the art of formally opening a bottle of wine. 

121. Master the art of napkin origami by folding for an hour straight. 

122. Master the art of making a bed and always employ hospital corners. 

123. Study abroad with your Hotelie friends during your junior spring semester. 

124. Decide whether to refer to your major as "Hospitality" or "Hotel Administration". 

125. Attend an acapella concert at Statler Auditorium. 

126. Meet with the CEO of one of the Core Four (Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG). 

127. Work on a group project, where the work is delegated, and no one ever meets face-to-face. 

128. Join a study group that meets once and never again. 

129. Catch up with a professor over a Mac's Cafe coffee. 

130. Awkwardly ride the elevator with a professor. 

131. Stand up for your Hotelie pride and reputation on Sidechat. 

132. Create a captivating "Day in the Life of a Hotel School Student" video on TikTok and tag #161ThingsStatler. 

133. Attempt to write a song about being a Hotelie and abandon the idea when you realize "Hotelie" doesn't rhyme with anything. 

134. Create your LinkedIn profile and hit 500+ followers. 

135. Have fun watching a first-year get lost looking for the correct elevator to the 5th floor. 

136. Confuse a friend trying to pick you up by attempting to describe which entrance of Statler to pick you up from. 

137. Fail to use the Bin Labs for a class that requires specialized software when a class is using all of the computers for an exam. 

138. Rent a computer from the Bin Lab when your laptop stops working. 

139. Discover the forgotten staircase outside of 391 during your senior year. 

140. Accidentally attempt to fill your water bottle on the third floor and realize there's no water bottle filler. 

141. Launch a slinky down the Park Atrium stairs. 

142. Enjoy going to the bathroom in peace at one of the forgotten bathrooms. 

143. Give a tour of Statler Library to a family member or friend and make up an answer when they ask you where the books are. 

144. Master navigating the maze connecting Statler Hotel to Statler Hall. 

145. Accidentally find yourself in the Receiving elevator. 

146. Take a stumble on the Tsai Atrium stairs. 

147. Explore the two Master of Management in Hospitality (MMH) lounges out of curiosity. 

148. Experience the thrill of riding the stage up in the Statler Auditorium. 

149. Get a tour of the building facility with Danny and enjoy the views from the roof. 

150. Research the hospitality symbolism of the pineapple. 

151. Sign off your emails with "Yours in Service" to embody hospitality values. 

152. Find solace by crying inside a walk-in fridge. 

153. Order food delivery from Collegetown to Statler, because otherwise, it would take a whole twenty minutes to pick it up. 

154. Contemplate a career in finance but reconsider after realizing the hours are even worse than hotel operations. 

155. Miss class due to a Superday or interview opportunity. 

156. Discover the Guided Eyes dogs in the Tsai atrium. 

157. Enjoy ice cream from the CHS End of Year Ice Cream Truck. 

158. Sneak a champagne bottle from Hotelie Prom under your gown during graduation for a celebratory moment. 

159. Try for a real estate minor to obtain a blue cord at graduation. 

160. Experience the magic of Hotelie Prom and sing along to "Hotel Room Service" by Pitbull. 

161. Watch the Homecoming Fireworks from the terrace of the Silver Birch Suite on the 5th floor of Statler Hall Tower.