Connecting With Teachers

This summer, the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association (THLA) strengthened its commitment to building Texas’s future hospitality workforce by participating in two of the state’s premier educator conferences.

THLA exhibited and presented at the Career & Technical Association of Texas (CTAT) Annual Professional Development Conference in Fort Worth for Career and Technical Education administrators and teachers, as well as the Family & Consumer Sciences Teachers Association of Texas (FCSTAT) Annual Professional Development Conference in Austin.

These conferences provided an outstanding opportunity to connect with educators, share industry resources, and demonstrate how meaningful partnerships between schools and the hotel industry can prepare students for successful careers.

Preparing Students for Success Through Customer Service

At both conferences, THLA presented information on the Lone Star Customer Service Training & Certification program, highlighting how Texas high schools can implement the training to equip students with one of the hospitality industry’s most sought-after skills—exceptional customer service.

The interactive five-module program teaches students how to

• Create memorable guest experiences
• Communicate professionally
• Serve guests with awareness and respect
• Deliver authentic Southern hospitality
• Successfully recover from service challenges

Students who complete the training can earn the Lone Star Customer Service Certification, giving them an industry-recognized credential before they graduate from high school.

Bringing Hospitality Careers to Life

THLA also presented a session on Groundhog Job Shadow Day, the statewide initiative that allows high school students to spend a day behind the scenes at Texas hotels, exploring careers they may never have considered.

The session featured a panel of educators and students who participated in the 2026 event:

• Jill Greer, Texas City ISD
• Bobbie Lynn Wier, Texas City ISD
• Alexa (Student)
• Alicia (Student)

Panelists shared firsthand experiences about how spending a day inside a hotel transformed students’ understanding of the hospitality industry. Rather than viewing hotels as simply a place to stay, students experienced the wide variety of professional careers available in operations, sales, culinary, engineering, human resources, finance, marketing, event management, and executive leadership.

By exposing students to real hotel environments while they are still in high school,
Groundhog Job Shadow Day helps students:

• Explore career pathways before making postsecondary decisions.
• Connect classroom learning to real-world applications.
• Build professional networks with industry leaders.
• Gain confidence in workplace expectations.
• Discover exciting careers that often go unnoticed.

A Turnkey Experience for Teachers

One of the greatest advantages of participating in Groundhog Job Shadow Day is that THLA provides a completely turnkey experience for educators. Teachers receive ready-to-use resources that eliminate the burden of planning, including:

• Hotel registration and matching with schools
• Sample schedules for participating hotels
• Student permission forms
• Parent communication templates
• Employer guides
• Press releases
• Social media graphics and promotional materials
• Teacher implementation resources

By handling the logistics and providing comprehensive materials, THLA makes it easy for teachers to offer an exceptional work-based learning experience without creating additional work for already busy educators.

Behind-the-Scenes Hotel Experiences

As part of the FCSTAT conference, THLA organized two exclusive hotel tours for hospitality educators.

The Driskill Hotel: Teachers toured Austin’s historic Driskill Hotel, where General Manager Markus Puereschitz shared the property’s remarkable history and discussed its recent renovation. Educators gained valuable insight into preserving a historic landmark while delivering a modern luxury guest experience, providing stories and examples they can bring directly into their classrooms.

1 Hotel Austin: Teachers also had the rare opportunity to tour 1 Hotel Austin while it was still under construction. Hosted by Shannon Booth, Director of Group Sales, the experience provided a behind-the-scenes look at everything involved in opening a new luxury hotel—from design concepts and sustainability initiatives to operational planning and
staffing. It was a once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity that few hospitality professionals ever experience.

Connecting Government and Hospitality
Beyond hotel operations, THLA also helped educators better understand the importance of public policy and industry advocacy. Chris Wagner, THLA Legislative Analyst & Researcher, hosted two tours of the Texas State Capitol for teachers attending the FCSTAT conference. The tours provided educators with a firsthand look at the legislative process and highlighted the important role advocacy plays in supporting Texas’s hospitality and tourism industry.

Experiences like these help teachers connect classroom instruction with real-world government, public policy, and industry leadership, giving students a broader understanding of how legislation influences one of Texas’s industries.

Investing in the Future Workforce

THLA’s presence at these summer conferences reflects the association’s ongoing commitment to supporting educators and strengthening the hospitality talent pipeline.

By providing classroom resources, industry-recognized training, work-based learning experiences, hotel partnerships, and professional development opportunities, THLA is helping teachers inspire the next generation of hospitality professionals.

Together with educators and industry partners across Texas, THLA continues to ensure that students graduate with the knowledge, skills, and real-world experiences needed to thrive in one of the state’s most dynamic and rewarding industries.