The Statler Hotel at Cornell Review

The Hotel

The hotel was rebuilt in 1989 around the original Statler Hall (1948) and the architectural register is that of a competent academic-period high-rise rather than a heritage property. The interiors received a substantial refresh in the last five years and present a clean contemporary palette of warm wood, deep textiles, and a serious art programme drawn from the Johnson Museum of Art two blocks away. The public spaces (lobby, Banfi's, Taverna Banfi, Regent Lounge) are heavily used by the broader campus, which is part of the property's reason for being and gives it a kind of busy energy distinct from a true business hotel.

Standard rooms run 28 to 35 square metres with king or two-queen beds, work desks calibrated for academic visits, and the kind of housekeeping consistency that comes from running an explicit teaching curriculum. Executive rooms add corner placement and gorge views; Junior Suites step up to 55 square metres with separate sitting areas; the Premium and Presidential suites are reserved for high-profile campus visits and book ahead for graduation and reunion weekends.

The hotel runs three dining rooms. Banfi's is the main restaurant, a modern American room used heavily by faculty and visiting parents; Taverna Banfi is the casual Italian-leaning bistro and the most consistently good Italian room in Ithaca; Mac's Cafe is the cafeteria-style room on the ground floor used by the broader campus. The wine list at Banfi's is Finger Lakes-led with a serious world section, supported by the Hotel School's wine programme. Booking ahead for graduation (May) and reunion (June) is essential.

The most defensible reason to book here over the Ithaca downtown chains is the service consistency, which is the property's explicit teaching mission. Front desk, restaurant, and housekeeping operations rotate students through structured competency checks and the hotel runs an unusually deep training programme; the result is the highest-rated four-star service team in upstate New York for any property that is not running a Forbes Five Star rating. The campus location is the other operational advantage: parents visiting children, faculty receiving visiting scholars, and corporate visitors to the broader Cornell research network all reach their meetings on foot.

Best Occasion Fit

Business

For any business with Cornell (recruiting visits, faculty meetings, technology transfer to Cornell labs, executive education at the Johnson School) the Statler is the only sensible booking. The location is direct, the service curriculum is explicit, the rooms are calibrated for working visits, and the building is a five-minute walk from Sage Hall and the engineering campus.

Family Holiday

For families visiting Cornell prospective students (the standard tour is roughly 90 minutes and best paired with a campus walk) the Statler is the obvious base. Book one of the Junior Suites for the parents and an adjoining room for the visiting student; the property runs a dedicated admissions weekend programme through the spring.

Practical Information

Address

130 Statler Drive
Ithaca, NY 14853
United States
On the central Cornell University campus; ten minutes' drive to downtown Ithaca and Cayuga Lake; one hour from Syracuse

Rooms & Rates

153 guest rooms and suites on the Cornell campus
Standard rooms from $275/night
Executive rooms from $345/night
Junior suites from $425/night
Premium suites from $535 to $1,030/night
Parking: $30/night self or valet

Check-in / Check-out

Check-in: 4:00 PM
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Opened 1948; rebuilt 1989; teaching hotel for the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration

Key Features

Teaching hotel of Cornell's Nolan School
Banfi's restaurant (modern American)
Mac's Cafe (campus dining)
Taverna Banfi (Italian-leaning bistro)
Steps from Cornell business school
Complimentary WiFi

Book The Statler Hotel

From $275 / night. Reserve direct or via your preferred booking channel; peak summer and holiday weekends book three to six months ahead.

Compare Room Rates →