LODGING LEADERS
046 | Stop Selling and Start Listening with Howard Feiertag
LODGING LEADERS
Howard Feiertag, CHA, CMP, CHSE, is an industry veteran, with more than 50 years of service to the industry. He is currently on the faculty of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, where he teaches Hospitality Sales as well as Meetings and Convention Management.
A prolific writer, Howard has been writing the Sales Clinic column for Hotel Management magazine since January 1980, and has authored many other articles for a variety of industry publications. He is charter member of Meeting Professionals International, having helped organize that organization in 1972.
Howard’s industry certifications include CHA, CMP and CHME, and he has been recognized with lifetime achievement awards, as well as lifetime memberships in HSMAI and MPI. The Convention Industry Council inducted Howard into the Hall of Leaders in recognition of his lifetime contributions to the industry.
Prior to joining Virginia Tech he spent 29 years in the hospitality industry with his last employment as Senior Vice President of a hotel management company operating 60 hotels. Howard started his hospitality career in 1962 when he was recruited to become the first Convention Bureau Manager in Charlotte, NC, following that he was recruited to become the first Convention Bureau Manager in Orlando, FL. His career continued in hotel sales, food and beverage, and hotel operations with hotel management companies.
In This Episode, Howard Reveals:
- His proven step-by-step process for successful selling.
- WHO should be selling at hotels, including what to do, and what not to do.
- What metrics really matter when measuring sales efforts.
- How to create a targeted sales action plan to increase revenue, from identifying which market segments historically have resulted in your highest sales, to setting goals, and defining the action steps to reach them.
- How the Pareto principle (also known as the 80/20 rule) applies to hospitality – Identifying the 20% (market segment, customers, etc.) that drives 80% of your revenues so you can focus your efforts there.
Resources & Links
Posts to Check Out
Howard Feiertag
- Email:
howardf[at]vt.edu - Howard’s Blog
- Howard Feiertag Interview with Casey Worley on YouTube
Hospitality and Tourism Management Department
Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0104
LODGING LEADERS
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330 | Youthful Perspective: Industry leader Bijal Patel mourns the loss of ‘an entire generation’ of hospitality workers
Bijal Patel, 31, is CEO of Coast Redwood Hospitality and the youngest chair of the California Hotel & Lodging Association. He’s made even more history at CHLA by agreeing to serve an unprecedented second term as the lodging industry emerges from the coronavirus pandemic. Patel is a third-generation hotelier. Being so steeped in hospitality at such a young age is not new for members of the Indian American hotelier community, but Patel fears the pandemic has drained the industry of emerging talent. Lodging Leaders spotlights Patel, who represents a leadership demographic that is fighting for the life of the hospitality industry as they watch their peers veer toward other career paths.
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329 | Ruff and Ready: ADA gives hotels a short leash when accommodating guests with service animals
Many hotels these days have made room for guests with disabilities. Hotel managers and staff should also know what the Americans with Disabilities Act says about accommodating guests with pets. During the pandemic lockdowns, a lot of people added a pet to their household and now they’re bringing Fido along on vacation. Hotel employees need to know how to cater to both consumers who are pet owners as well as guests who travel with a trained service animal. Episode 329 of Lodging Leaders podcast reports on how the ADA defines a service animal and how a hotel is legally obligated to serve a guest who comes with a dog or any other animal.
