My New Book is Now Available

Hospitality Sales and Marketing:  An Evolutionary Journey with Howard Feiertag

1st Edition

Howard Feiertag

We are pleased that you have come to check out our Blog!  We started this Blog about 8 years ago, and are pleased to note that during this period we have had over 51,000 visitors from all over the world who have downloaded articles via our topic search engine. All the articles have been published in Hotel Management publication in my Sales Clinic column, where I have contributed in each issue from 1980-2015.

Although our Blog will continue, the articles are no longer available to our visitors.  You will still find a wide variety of tip sheets, forms and handouts which relate to the hospitality industry but at this time all my columns appear in my new book, “Hospitality Sales and Marketing... An Evolutionary Tour With Howard Feiertag”, published by Apple Publishing.  Here's a link to the flyer announcing this new book.  Click here if you'd like to purchase a copy.

Howard

Hospitality and Tourism Management Department to be Named for Howard Feiertag

Originally published in the Virginia Tech News

February 5, 2018

Howard Feiertag was honored for his lifetime contributions to hospitality education and practice at a gala held in metro Washington, D.C., last November. Photo by Holly Cromer.

The internationally ranked Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech will be renamed the Howard Feiertag Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

The naming recognizes a generous contribution to the department from hospitality industry icon and longstanding faculty member Howard Feiertag.

“Naming the program after an industry giant like Howard reflects the department’s commitment to industry outreach and exemplifies our dedication to excellence in instruction and research that is timely and relevant,” said department head Nancy Gard McGehee.

The gifts will help fund a professorship, a research fellowship, departmental operations, and student learning activities. Feiertag already supports a University Libraries research collection aimed at making hospitality research easily accessible to industry professionals, academic faculty, and students.

“Howard’s contribution will take the program to the next level and shape future generations of industry leaders,” said McGehee.

The renaming of the department will occur summer 2018.

Highly regarded nationally and internationally, the department is ranked No. 2 in the nation and No. 6 worldwide among hospitality and leisure management programs in the 2017 QS World University Rankings.

“Howard Feiertag is certainly part of the reason Virginia Tech is home to one of the world’s leading hospitality and tourism management programs,” McGehee said.

Through a career spanning more than 55 years, including 28 at Virginia Tech, Feiertag has distinguished himself as a leader and innovator. “Howard is revered not only for his expertise and experience; he embodies what it means to truly make a difference in people’s lives,” McGehee said.
“He is beloved by the thousands of our alumni and industry partners who can attest to how Howard has impacted them personally. I know because I have heard many of these stories, told to me by so many who consider him a mentor,” she added.

Last November, Feiertag was honored for his lifetime contributions to hospitality education and practice at a gala held in metro Washington, D.C. More than 200 alumni, students, faculty, and hospitality industry leaders attended, and many more contributed to a video montage and 50-page memento book filled with anecdotes and words of thanks.

Feiertag, who holds certifications as a meeting professional, hospitality marketing executive, and hotel administrator, teaches hospitality and tourism management meetings and sales courses.
He has been writing a monthly column for Hotel Management magazine for more than 35 years and is co-author of “Lessons from the Field — A Common Sense Approach to Effective Hotel Sales.”

His numerous industry honors include lifetime achievement awards of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International and the Virginia Society of Association Executives Career Services Award, Events Industry Council Hall of Leaders Award, Fellow of the Institute of Certified Travel Agents, and Fellow of the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s Educational Institute.

At Virginia Tech, Feiertag received the university’s Award for Excellence in Outreach, an honorary lifetime membership in the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, and the Student Choice Award from the Student Alumni Associates.

A World War II and Korean War veteran, Feiertag earned a bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University through the GI Bill. “As the youngest of 10 children growing up in Brooklyn, college was never even thought of as a possibility,” Feiertag said. “I hope that my contribution can support a program of excellence that will provide opportunities for other young people that they never thought possible.”

Said McGehee: “I am grateful to Howard for demonstrating his trust in our stewardship of his extremely generous contribution. Permanently associating the Feiertag name with the department is an honor.”

Allison Toupin, who graduated in 2017 and now works as a revenue manager at Marriott's corporate headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, was among the many students Howard Feiertag mentored. Photo by Holly Cromer.

Feiertag Hospitality Academy-to-Industry Research Collection

The Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management in the Pamplin College of Business has established the Feiertag Hospitality Academy-to-Industry Research Collection in the University Libraries' VTechWorks.

View the Collection Here

MPI June 2018 Interview with Howard

Honoring a Lasting Legacy

Here's a link to a recent article about me in Meeting Professionals International

Who is Howard Feiertag?

Video Highlights - Lifetime Achievement Gala

Howard Feiertag’s Gala Speech

Hospitality and Tourism Management Gala in Metro Washington, D.C., to Honor Howard Feiertag

Originally published in Virginia Tech News November 2017

Howard Feiertag chats with other guests at an Ut Prosim Society dinner in March.    

Hospitality and tourism management instructor Howard Feiertag joined Virginia Tech in 1989. He had been recruited to his new job from Servico, a hotel management company in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he had been a senior vice president for operations.

It was only going to be for a few years, he thought, of his teaching job at Virginia Tech. That was more than 28 years ago.

“This year, Howard is 89 years young. He gets up every day, works out, and comes to work in his cashmere jackets and with his positive attitude,” says Nancy Gard McGehee, head of the highly ranked Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management in the Pamplin College of Business.

On Nov. 2, Feiertag will be honored for his lifetime contributions to hospitality education and practice, at a gala in metro Washington D.C., where 200 alumni, students, faculty, and hospitality industry leaders are expected to gather.

Roger Dow, CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, will serve as emcee of the event at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, which will also recognize student scholarship award winners.

The department is ranked No. 2 in the nation and No. 6 worldwide. It recently relocated its master’s program to Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church, where McGehee says it is experiencing considerable success. “It’s only our second year in D.C., and we have more than 30 students from nearly every continent in the world,” she says.

“In many ways, Howard is the embodiment of our program — a business focus, attitude of hospitality and service, and excellence in everything we do,” says McGehee. “He has had an impact on thousands of folks in the business and continues to influence and mentor students.”

Feiertag, who holds certifications as a meeting professional, hospitality marketing executive, and hotel administrator, teaches meetings and sales courses.

His numerous honors include Fellow of the Institute of Certified Travel Agents, Exhibit Industry Council Hall of Fame member, Lifetime Achievement Award of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International, Virginia Society of Association Executive Career Services Award, Fellow of the American Hotel and Motel Association’s Educational Institute, and Virginia Tech’s Outreach Award.

Feiertag has been writing a monthly column for Hotel Management magazine for more than 30 years and is co-author of “Lessons from the Field — A Common Sense Approach to Effective Hotel Sales.”  

Feiertag earned a bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University. 

National Honors and Awards

Originally published in Virginia Tech Business Magazine of the Pamplin College of Business Fall 2015

Howard Feiertag, an instructor of hospitality and tourism management, was a recipient of one of the Top 30 CMP Influencers Award, sponsored by the Convention Industry Council, which administers the Certified Meeting Professional program.  The award marks the 30^th anniversary of the program.  Feiertag has been a Virginia Tech faculty member since 1989.  He teaches Hospitality Sales and Meetings and Convention Management.

Howard Feiertag Recognized Among Top 30 Professionals in Meetings Industry

Last Fall I was recognized among the top professionals in the meetings industry with the Top 30 CMP Influencers Award.  Thank you very much to Sookhan Ho for her nice release published in the VT News:

Howard Feiertag recognized among top 30 professionals in meetings industry 

Howard Feiertag, an instructor of hospitality and tourism management in the Pamplin College of Business, has been recognized as one of the top 30 professionals in the global meetings and events industry.

Feiertag will be honored, along with other recipients of the Top 30 CMP Influencers Awards, at a reception later this month in Reno, Nevada. The awards are sponsored by the Convention Industry Council, which administers the Certified Meeting Professional program and is marking the program’s 30th anniversary.

More than 75 individuals were nominated by their peers for the award. According to the council, the recipients were selected by a committee, based on the number of votes in a Facebook poll, personal influence on peers, and community/leadership presence.

A Virginia Tech faculty member since 1989, Feiertag teaches hospitality sales as well as meetings and convention management.

He was a senior vice president at Servico, a hotel management company based in West Palm Beach, Florida, before joining the university.

His 30 years in the hospitality industry include serving as the first convention bureau manager in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Orlando, Florida. His many professional honors include induction to the Convention Industry Council Hall of Fame and the Lifetime Achievement award from the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International.

Feiertag, who was among the first to receive the CMP designation in 1985, earned a bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University.

Making A Difference

MAKING A DIFFERENCE has been my philosophy of life for all my adult years. Whether it is making a difference in someone's life or career, just one person at a time or with a whole group of people. In my own mind I have felt that I have been accomplishing that mission.  However, when I received this letter from one of my students, at the end of this past semester, it blew my mind. This is how it works, one person at a time.

I challenge everyone to do something to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in someone's life, just one person at a time.

Helloooo Howard,

First and foremost, I want to thank you for an amazing semester. You are a powerful man who represents Virginia Tech for its truest form of wisdom. I have always believed that education is not knowledge. Education is simply knowing facts, reading books, and envisioning. However, you taught me more than what any book can ever teach me. You have raised my knowledge. You taught myself, and the rest of the class, something that no textbook ever has, and that is the power of influence; which is true leadership. In my eyes, you are the ideal example of a leader.

I didn’t come to your class once for an attendance point, I didn’t do the work because I had to, and I didn’t participate because I needed to. I came to your class to learn from you, I did the work because I wanted to, and participated because I was comfortable. In high school, I was never the person to really raise my hand to answer a question, or ask something. And being in large classes doesn’t give me much of an opportunity to speak up. Your class was the first small class I had ever taken, and the best I will ever take. I got to step out of my comfort zone, and listen while comprehending information to the point where I had no problem of answering a question. I may not have always been right but even when I was wrong, you didn’t make me feel uncomfortable or be put on the spot. That’s really hard to find in professors these days.

While I have learned so much in your class that I can carry out in the future, one thing stands out: the importance of listening. If I had to compare my listening skills from the beginning of the semester to now, the difference would be extraordinary and I wanted to thank you for that. I work in sales, and I cannot begin to express how important listening is when I’m talking to a client. Sometimes I ramble on and on about how great a pair of sunglasses may be, but that is meaningless if it doesn’t have what they want, like polarization for instance. I cannot wait to go back to work and apply everything I learned from you. Again, thank you for an amazing semester and your time. Have a great summer! I’ll be sure to visit you next year!

Best Regards,
Rayan