Most industries have some kind of Hall of Fame or in the case of the hospitality industry, a Hall of Honor.
Such is the case in both many states individually and at the Conrad Hilton School in Houston. Each year, from the inception in 1996 of the Hall of Honor through 2016, industry leaders were recognized. These included J. W. Marriott, Conrad N. Hilton, Ray Kroc, Ernest and Julio Gallo and Walt Disney to name a few.
The Hall of Honor Gallery is located off the main lobby of the Hilton University of Houston and features specially commissioned portraits of each inductee by artist Robert Lapsley. According to the college, “personal papers, memorabilia and corporate histories are archived and displayed in the Massad Family Library Research Center and Hospitality Industry Archives at Hilton College.” This memorialized the inductees' achievements and leadership and provided an appropriate tribute to the companies they conceived and built during their lifetimes.
According to the archives, “on September 25, 1996, Conrad N. Hilton, J. Willard Marriott, Vernon Stouffer and Kemmons Wilson became the first honorees inducted into the newly established Hall of Honor at a gala ceremony attended by more than 350 people.
Today, we are seven years removed from the last induction. It is difficult to keep up with a concept like this — after all, it is not like baseball, where millions of fans know their players for years. This is an industry with millions of employees but someone needs to keep up with who the players are that make this industry tick. Since that original induction ceremony, there are myriad industry leaders who were inducted, some of whom are still active in our industry. They include Chris Nassetta, Jack DeBoer, Randy and Carolyn Smith, Steve Rushmore, Stephen Bollenbach, Mike Leven, John Q. Hammons and 50 or so more.
Each year, we lose industry icons that pass away after 50 to 60 years of service to our industry. Two that we lost last month include Howard Feiertag and Bruce Baltin. Even though I never worked directly with Howard, I looked to him as my idol and mentor. He once offered me a job but I didn’t want to relocate to Florida from Arizona. My wife is happy that I didn’t move because we never would have met! Howard was not only a great hotel marketer, speaker and author but also a great hospitality educator and a mensch. Bruce Baltin was arguably one of the greatest hospitality consultants ever to serve our industry. If I ever wanted advice on a hotel project, I knew that he was as good as anyone at answering the question. He was also a great leader who gave of his time for students, clients and colleagues.
There are many since 2016 who I would have liked to see honored in this Hall of Honor. Peter Yesawich is one, Arne Sorenson another and many of you out there know some superstars who someday should be honored. Think in terms of hoteliers Mit Shah, Mitch Patel and other entrepreneurs. There are some great tourism industry CEOs, media including the late Jerry Merkin and consultants such as Suzanne Mellen and Karen Rubin. Additionally, lawyers — Jim Butler, as an example — have pioneered hotel law.
There are many others who should be considered. I am writing this to try to stimulate new life into either the Conrad Hilton program or a new way to honor our top contributors. I could think of no better place than to have this appear in CoStar’s Hotel News Now. Maybe some great idea will fill the void before more industry icons pass away.
Robert A. Rauch is founder of R.A. Rauch & Associates, a hospitality management and consulting firm based in San Diego.
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