News for the Hospitality Executive |
Hotels Were More Interesting than Selling Insurance: An Unexpected Career
by Dr.
John
Hogan, CHE CHA CMHS and
Howard Feiertag, CHA, CMP, CHME, Hospitality & Tourism Management Department, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University March 15, 2011 As we interact with different types of
people in our every
day business activities, it is amazing what we can discover if and when
we take
the time to actively listen to the stories people share.
Over the past two years, I have learned a
great deal collecting information on a number of Hospitality
Conversations® that were offered to readers on a range
of topics
that have included scheduling effective renovations, working with
recruiters,
selling hotels, maintaining quality assurance standards and
implementing
training programs. At HospitalityEducators.com, we have launched a series of articles on
internship programs at several universities with more in the pipeline. Last November, I decided to expand the Hospitality
Conversations® by speaking with individuals of different
generations
who were employed in general operations of hospitality businesses. The
first
was GEN
Xer Sean Fatzinger, who has a
passion for the food & beverage portion of our industry and the
second was
to be a Baby Boomer who had spent his 35
year hospitality career in hotel sales. Neil
Salerno for the past 15 years or so has been known as
the Hotel
Marketing Coach™ as
he worked with many
independent and branded hotel properties in establishing and
maintaining their
hotel web sites, internet marketing strategies and overall technology
marketing. Neil agreed in October to
become a guest columnist for HospitalityEducators.com with an emphasis
on
revenue management, and we had a number
of interesting phone conversations as I began to prepare the column. Neil became hard to reach by email or
phone
beginning in December and I was saddened to learn he passed away in mid
February . As I reflected on the contributions this
professional made
to our industry, I immediately thought of a person who had known Neil
much
longer than me. Howard Feiertag, my
co-author of Lessons from the Field - A
Common Sense Approach to Effective Hotel Sales, had worked with and
trained
Neil. Kathleen
Hogan,
my co-founder and the Publisher at HospitalityEducators.com immediately
suggested that perhaps Howard and I could share some insights about
Neil and
this short tribute to him. Neil
L. Salerno, CHME, CHA, Coach, Consultant & Author The official biography is on his website and it highlights some of Neil's more than
thirty-five years in the hospitality industry. Since
entering the industry in 1967, he held positions in
hotel sales,
marketing, and operations. Working his way from front desk associate,
food
& beverage management to sales management, Salerno progressed during a time of explosive growth in the
hotel
industry. He held positions in almost every area of hotel operations
and sales,
managing hotels from 60 to 1102 rooms. Comments
from John Hogan One of his
first mentors was the
previously mentioned Howard Feiertag, who was the Corporate Director
(or Vice
President) of Sales for a then small company with less than two dozen
hotels,
American Motor Inns. Neil shared stories
of the values and lessons offered by Howard (then and throughout
Feiertag's
distinguished career) on the “high touch” side of hospitality sales and
the
need to focus on the basics. Neil
preferred the sales side of the business, and when
he left American Motor Inns (which had grown to include about five
dozen
properties), he left as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, having
followed
in the footsteps of Howard Feiertag. In my conversations with him, Neil
focused on a number of things he
felt were very important:
....about Neil Salerno…. “ Didja ever think about hiring a movie
star? Well, in the business of sales, why
not? Neil was a knock-out, so to speak,
everyone turned to
look when he walked in. This guy was so good-looking, how could we not
want to
hire him. The interview did not last too
long, and I cannot recall even taking a look at an application or
resume. In
those days, if we liked what we saw, that was IT! I’ve
always said: “You can never make a
second first impression”….Neil felt right at home the first day of
work…I don’t
even think there was much training to do….I told Neil to just meet and
talk to
people and get them to stay, and have their meeting at the Meriden
Holiday Inn.
You can eat and drink all you want; you must entertain guests at all
meals….and
he sure did that very well. Many times
the general manager of the property complained to me about Neil signing
all
those guest checks for bar and meals (Bruce, the GM did not believe in
drinking, but had to put up with it since that was the way we operated
our
sales department, as our President was behind me 100%……and
speaking of our President, Joel Krish…when he
first met Neil, he fell over….he also fell in love with this Hollywood
actor,
or model). And….Neil was bringing in the
business. He worked his tail off, always complaining about his 7 day
week and
24 hour days, but he loved it. Soon after, Neil helped me by being our
regional man in
sales for New England’s 7 properties that we owned and operated ...Most
of our
sales people were female, which Neil loved, and they loved him, of
course…..They all did exceptionally well in sales. Neil was on a
commission for
what he sold and what they sold too…..so we kept them happy in their
little
regional sales team. Neil then moved on to Baltimore where we put him
in charge
of sales for our 12 properties located there. He was very popular with
our
female sales teams, as well with our male sales folks.
Neil was a big hit with our general managers
and Regional Vice President. It all
started with his good looks, wonderful personality,
dress and demeanor….all wonderful
per-requisites for sales people. Throughout his years in sales, Neil
became very
knowledgeable in the area of food and beverage since our sales folks
also were
responsible for catering sales. On many occasions, Neil found himself
in the
kitchen helping out with food preparations, plating up the food, and
making
sure it all went well at banquets. We had a few moves around the company as
we grew into
operating 50 hotels, with Neil heading up some of the planning for new
hotels
as well as getting them open, hiring, staff, doing the marketing plans,
etc. Within a few years of his employment, he
was promoted to
Vice President of sales and took for me while I took over the Food and
Beverage
Operations and then became Sr. Vice President of Operations. We worked hand in hand…. It was in 1982 that I left the company to
join another
company in West Palm Beach, Florida….another hotel management
organization with
60 hotels. Soon after, Neil had decided
to join us. He was our VP of Sales for our new brand of Royce Hotels. Needless to say, he did a fantastic job for
us. In a few years, when our Executive Vice President of Royce decided
to leave
to form his own company, he took Neil with him…that was my last
“official”
business connection with Neil. Throughout the years with Neil at AMI and
Royce, I was
also involved in conducting sales training workshops around the country
for
various national and state organizations, as well as
hotel groups. Neil also got
involved in conducting training sessions,
and we did many
together. Although eil
worked with other management companies, we did get together
periodically to
schmooze and talk about old times. During his period of time in
Sarasota,
Florida where he headquartered his Hospitality Coach business, we met
about
once a year during my visits to Florida.
Through his articles, he developed many contacts around the world, and
did
consulting on revenue management, and websites…and did it just about
all via
the telephone or on-line. Neil
was an amazing person…the ideal
sales person, well-liked by all, very well respected and a hard worker. He will be missed by all of us in the
industry.” Howard Feiertag, Inn at Virginia Tech (540) 231-9459 [email protected] Howard Feiertag, a well-known hospitality
industry
veteran, is on the faculty at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University, Blacksburg, VA, with the Department of Hospitality and
Tourism
Management, in the Pamplin College of Business. Feiertag is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), a Certified Hospitality Marketing Executive (CHME), and a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA). He is a “Fellow” and lifetime member of the Institute of Certified Travel Agents (ICTA). A life-time member of HSMAI, he has been appointed to its International’s Hall of Fame. A Charter member of MPI (1972), he has received its President’s Award for his involvement in industry education and training. In 1998 he was voted Educator of the Year by the Professional Convention Management Association. In 1999, Feiertag was inducted into the Convention Industry Council’s Hall of Leaders as a life-time achievement award in recognition for his leadership and contributions as a role model for the meetings and convention industry. In 2001 he was appointed a “Fellow” of the American Hotel & Motel Association’s Educational Institute and is the recipient of its 2001 Arthur Landstreet Award for significantly advancing the quality of hospitality education and training through his mentorship initiatives and lifetime commitment to training and development of hospitality professionals. In 2002 he was honored by the Board of Directors of Meeting Professionals International with a Lifetime Membership. In 2004, Feiertag received HSMAI’s first annual Excellence in Sales and Marketing Strategy Award. He was honored in 2004 by Virginia Tech in receiving the University’s Outreach Award for involvement in community and industry affairs. He is the co-author (with John Hogan) of LESSONS FROM THE FIELD – A COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO EFFECTIVE HOTEL SALES. He also created his audio-tape series: HOSPITALITY SALES-THE BASICS AND BEYOND. Feiertag has been writing the Sales Clinic column for Hotel & Motel Management magazine since 1980. He has contributed articles and columns to a variety of hospitality, tourism and meetings management publications over the years. He has conducted educational and training programs for The Educational Institute of AHLA, Hospitality Services of America, MPI, HSMAI, the Continuing Education Division of Virginia Tech, and is a frequent presenter for hotel companies, meeting planner, convention bureaus, and travel agent groups. “What are you doing at your hotel, restaurant or hospitality business?
Feel free to share an idea for a column at [email protected] anytime or contact me regarding consulting, customized workshops, speaking engagements … And remember – we all need a regular dose of common sense. John Hogan is a successful hospitality executive, educator, author and consultant and is a frequent keynote speaker and seminar leader at many hospitality industry events. He is Co-Founder of a consortium (www.HospitalityEducators.com) of successful corporate and academic professionals delivering focused and affordable counsel in solving specific challenges facing hospitality today. www.HospitalityEducators.com is a membership site offering a wide range of information, forms, best practices and ideas designed to help individual hoteliers and hospitality businesses improve their market penetration, deliver service excellence and increase their profitability. Individuals wishing to contribute materials may send them [email protected]. Special pricing is in effect for a limited time that also includes a complimentary copy of LESSONS FROM THE FIELD- A COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO EFFECTIVE HOTEL SALES. |
Contact: Dr. John Hogan, CHA MHS CHE |