The Statler Hotel at Cornell University has been honored for excellence in customer service by the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce. The hotel's director of training also was honored by the chamber.

Sandi Chambers, chair of the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, presented the Sandi Chambers Customer Service Award to the hotel in recognition of its "outstanding commitment to customer service and customer satisfaction." The presentation was made Dec. 19 at the hotel.

In receiving the award, James Hisle, managing director of the Statler Hotel, thanked hotel employees for their dedicated service. Customer service, according to Hisle, is at the top of the hotel's mission statement. "We are a customer-service driven teaching hotel," he said. "This is what we sell--outstanding customer service. It is what our industry is all about."

Tim Durnford, director of training at the Statler Hotel, also was honored by the chamber as 1996 committee chairperson of the year. The award recognizes his outstanding service as chair of the Visitor Industry Council and for facilitating a program on customer service presented by Cornell alumnus and best-selling author Ken Blanchard. The event, held last July at the hotel, attracted more than 800 business and community leaders.

The chamber announced the winners of its year-end awards at its monthly board meeting Dec. 18.