Thompson Hotels Adds eCornell to In-House Education Program

Luxury hotel operator will deploy online Ivy League programs to support continued development of internal leadership talent.

ITHACA, NEW YORK, February 8, 2011 -- eCornell has been selected by Thompson Hotels, a luxury hotel operator, to deliver online professional development programs as part of the company’s in-house education program.

“Thompson Hotels is committed to creating learning opportunities for all employees through education and rewarding job assignments,” stated Stephen Brandman, Co-Owner, Thompson Hotels. “We look forward to working with eCornell and making their courses an integral a part of what makes Thompson Hotels so special: it’s people, programs and practices. This partnership is a new and exciting step in building Thompson Hotels’ leadership talent as the organization grows both in North America and internationally.”

The Thompson Hotels program draws from eCornell’s catalog of over 125 online course titles, including programs in the areas of leadership, finance and systems design.

“We provide a great deal of value to forward-thinking companies like Thompson Hotels,” said Chris Proulx, CEO of eCornell. “Our Ivy League-quality courses deliver a content-rich and interactive learning experience, helping Thompson Hotel employees learn, grow and innovate within the structure of their already successful business model.”

eCornell’s unique approach to e-learning combines the most effective elements of an Ivy League classroom with the flexibility of an online learning environment. eCornell courses—while self-paced and 100% online—are “instructor-facilitated” to help guide a cohort of 20 to 30 participants through challenging, real-world exercises with practical application on the job. Built-in collaboration features enable learners to share experiences, best practices and discuss on-the-job application attempts while immersed in learning that fosters collaboration, interaction and networking amongst the cohort.

About Thompson Hotels
Thompson Hotels began its foray into the luxury hotel market in 2001 with its first project, Sixty Thompson. Since then, Thompson Hotels has expanded to include Six Columbus, Gild Hall, Smyth and Thompson LES in New York City; the famed Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and Thompson Beverly Hills in Los Angeles; Sax Chicago, Donovan House in Washington, DC, and Thompson Toronto in Canada. Thompson Hotels offer quiet luxury to their chic, urban, bohemian clientele. Upcoming properties, Thompson Belgraves London and Thompson Seoul, will be part of Thompson’s continuing drive to expand internationally. Each hotel is filled with modern design, thoughtful amenities, unparalleled service and end-destination restaurants and popular nightlife lounges. More information is available at www.thompsonhotels.com.

About eCornell
eCornell, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cornell University, provides many of the world’s leading organizations with online professional and executive development in the areas of leadership and management, human resources, financial management, healthcare and hospitality management. eCornell’s proven course development model and asynchronous instructor-led course delivery provide for engaging, rigorous and interactive learning. The company has delivered over 120,000 courses to more than 35,000 students in almost 200 countries. For more information visit www.ecornell.com/enterprise (enterprise buyers) or www.ecornell.com (small groups and individual students).

Media Contact:
Will Hipwell, VP Marketing
(607) 330-3399
whipwell@ecornell.com