WATG’s Susan Bruce, senior associate, shares design concepts for the rooms renovation project at Cornell's Statler Hotel with student leader Geoff Gray '08 and Stephani Robson, senior lecturer in Facilities Management, Planning & Design at the Hotel School.

The Statler Hotel has joined forces with hospitality design firm WATG to undertake a bold renovation of this storied property at the center of the Cornell University campus.

“We are very pleased to have WATG as our lead partner on a project that will help us provide a truly distinctive experience for our guests,” said Rick Adie '75, general manager of the Statler Hotel, an operating unit of Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration. “Our aim is to create a unique blend of service and amenities that guests will want to enjoy time and again.”

Adie, his team and school faculty are working closely with WATG leaders to lay the blueprint for what will be the most ambitious refurbishment in the hotel’s 20-year history. One priority is to develop a guest room that satisfies the needs of the most discerning visitor.

“We will bring to bear the full expertise of our faculty, our hotel management team and our partners at WATG to develop a new vision for our guest rooms,” said Michael Johnson, dean and E.M. Statler Professor at the school. “Our mission is to create a prototype that offers the best in comfort, technology and amenities, while also meeting the highest standards for sustainability.”

As part of that commitment, the hotel plans to partner with leading hospitality brands whose products will be featured in the property’s guest rooms and public spaces. WATG’s design team will play a lead role integrating those products into a coherent whole.

“We look forward to helping Cornell create an innovative design solution for the industry,” said Raj Chandnani '95, director of Strategic Planning at WATG, recently named the world’s top hospitality design firm by Hotel and Motel Management. “We will do that by aligning with brands that share our commitment in creating a unique guest experience.”