Page 78 - Life In Naples March 2022 Flipbook

Q&A with Mr. Ritz-Carlton at FGCU, Part 2 of fees have unfortunately joined in with facility fees, resort
Many hotels in their effort to not be left out of the world

fees, cancelation fees and now there are early signs of arrival or
departure date change fees.
Ed Staros Sizes Up The Industry, Jobs And More In my mind, there is nothing more inhospitable, especially when

fees are developed solely as an additional revenue source. Who
he Naples impact on Florida Gulf Question: Can you see the long-term impacts of reservation knows? Maybe in the future the hospitality industry will spin off a
Coast University’s Lutgert School of options such as Airbnb? secondary tier for those hotels who love their fees. That second tier
T Business keeps growing. Staros: I think Airbnb and other companies like it are here could be named the ACCOMMODATION INDUSTRY?
The Lutgert family developed Park forever. Even Marriott International has a new division called How sad would that be.
Shore, Naples High School alumnus Chris Homes & Villas by Marriott. Postscript
Westley is its dean and the executive who That said, it is a different product. I am sure that many families Staros: After two years of pandemic-related cancellations,
helped build and manage both Ritz-Carlton would like to rent a short-term home or villa having the entire FGCU’s resort and hospitality management programs is happy to
by Jeff Lytle resorts in Naples is blending the hospitality family together for what most likely is a lesser price than multiple announce the 2022 Wanderlust celebration will be held April 22 at
administration program at Florida Gulf Coast guest rooms at a full-service hotel. Then again, there are others who The Ritz-Carlton Naples! And to make the celebration even more
University into the business school. enjoy taking their families to a full service hotel and truly being on special, FGCU has chosen two honorees -- Michael Watkins, third
Ed Staros is executive-in-residence, mentoring and guest- vacation without the chores of cooking, grocery shopping, cleaning, generation Naples hotelier, and Mike Martin, FGCU president,
lecturing students in the administration program he helped push bed making etc. who has announced his retirement December 2022.
and launch decades ago. He still takes to heart Steven Covey’s I believe there is room for both in today’s world. For information on tickets and sponsorship tables, please contact
book, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” and urges Question: Is there anything else important happening in the Event Coordinator Angela Bell at angela@gsma.pro or 239-275-5758
students to follow suit. industry that you care to address?
This is the second of a two-part question/answer session with Staros: There is a topic that I find tremendously disappointing
the 48-year hospitality veteran. The rest was in February’s -- all of the newly developed additional fees. This phenomenon
Life in Naples. has been going on in the airline industry for the last two decades
Question: How will hotels locally and nationally be able to and has grown to a multi-billion dollar annual revenue stream. It
attain sustainable stable, skilled workforces? started with a modest baggage fee and has unfortunately grown
Staros: When I took past president of FGCU Bill Merwin for fees for most anything. Now there are major cancelation fees,
out to lunch approaching 19 years ago, we in the hospitality departure date change fees, return date change fees, seat selection
industry here in Greater Naples / Fort Myers were asking the fees, get-on-the-plane-early fees, headset fees and baggage fees!
same question.
The purpose of my luncheon with Dr. Merwin was to pitch
the idea of adding a Hospitality Management Program to
FGCU. I told / sold him on the need to be able to grow our own
future employees, supervisors, managers and leaders.
Dr. Merwin shared with me the process that a state university
has to go through to get approval to add a new school, beginning
with a comprehensive demographic study (a Pannell Kerr Forster
type study) to make sure the demographics prove the need.
I then asked Dr. Merwin how much time and money would
that take. His answer was $40,000 to $50,000 to hire a reputable
firm and approximately three to four months. Then FGCU would
need to prove the case in Tallahassee that Southwest Florida
needs a hospitality school.
I then asked Dr. Merwin if the hospitality community gave
him the money would he be enthusiastic about supporting a
resort and hospitality school at FGCU? Dr. Merwin’s answer was
yes – 100 percent!
Today the Resort Hospitality Management Program has
joined the Lutgert College of Business as a business degree
program that covers comprehensive leadership skills in finance,
economics, accounting, supply chain, ethics and more.
With thousands of past FGCU hospitality graduates already
in the industry and thousands more to come – in addition
to recruiting Florida State, Central Florida and Florida
International hospitality graduates into the mix -- I do believe we
will be able to attain a sustainable, stable skilled workforce!

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