Texas Students Explore Hospitality Careers

On Monday, February 2, 2026, the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association (THLA) and the Future Hotel & Tourism Professionals (FHTP) hosted the inaugural Groundhog Job Shadow Day, a statewide career awareness initiative designed to expose students to the diverse, high-opportunity careers available in the lodging industry.

In its first year, Groundhog Job Shadow Day engaged 200 students statewide, connecting them directly with hotel leaders and operations teams across Texas. Students toured properties, rotated through hotel departments, and learned firsthand what it takes to operate a successful hotel—far beyond what most people associate with the industry.

The response from hotels and educators was overwhelmingly positive. Teachers shared that students returned energized and inspired, while hotel leaders reported that students were professional, engaged, and asked meaningful questions.

As one educator shared, following the event:

“Our students were highly engaged throughout the experience, asking thoughtful questions, taking notes, and actively participating in discussions. Most importantly, they left with an even greater level of enthusiasm and interest in pursuing careers within the hospitality industry.”

A Houston-area hospitality teacher added:

“Your warmth, professionalism, and willingness to share your time created an experience that was both educational and truly inspiring… Opportunities like this have a lasting impact.”

What Students Learned

Students had the opportunity to explore hotel departments including Front Office, Guest Services, Sales & Events, Housekeeping, Food & Beverage, Culinary, Engineering, and Leadership Management.

Students described the most interesting parts of the day as:

• “The level of professionalism around the hotel.”
• “Getting to see the behind-the-scenes of EVERYTHING.”
• “Seeing how the kitchen works… how much each worker loves what they do and how passionate they are.”
• “Learning about plus one service!!”
• “Seeing sales and events.”
• “Going on the roof and seeing all the kitchen appliances.”
• “The luxury presidential suite.”
• “Learning the in-depth details of each job.”
• “I liked working at the front desk. I made room keys, and I checked people out.”

One student summed it up best:

“Getting to see how a hotel operates on a daily basis and how everyone has their own part… hearing their stories and how their work matters.”

Students were surprised by the wide variety of careers, the level of coordination required, and the behind-the-scenes operations that guests never see.

Comments included:

• “The number of different positions.”
• “The number of people you don’t see that keep the business running.”
• “No college degree required.”
• “The thing that surprised me the most was how much every job was involved with one another.”
• “If you are a good leader, everything runs smoothly even if you aren’t physically at the job.”
• “That there are specific jobs to coordinate events… there’s a whole team.”

Most importantly, 90% of participating students reported that the experience increased their interest in pursuing a career in hospitality.

Hotel Partner Feedback

Hotels across Texas expressed appreciation for the opportunity to invest in the next generation of hospitality leaders. Many shared that they enjoyed:

• Sharing their passion for hospitality with students
• Seeing students’ curiosity and enthusiasm
• Answering meaningful questions
• Helping students understand career growth opportunities
• Showing students the many pathways beyond “front desk” roles

Hotel staff comments included:

“Students were prepared and engaged and asked meaningful questions.”
“Fresh set of eyes—the students’ curiosity and enthusiasm.”
“The opportunity to engage with the incoming generation.”
“The quality of the individuals that we met… great soft skills and focus.”
“Being able to share our experiences growing in hospitality and show the opportunities for many different skills within the industry.”
“The opportunity to excite young students to join the hospitality workforce.”

Participating Hotels

THLA extends sincere appreciation to the following hotels and hospitality partners who hosted students for Groundhog Job Shadow Day:

• Loews Arlington Hotel & Convention Center
• The Lamar Hotel, Arlington
• Drury Plaza Hotel Dallas Arlington
• JW Marriott Austin
• The Hilton Austin
• Kalahari Resorts and Conventions
• AC Hotel Austin Hill Country
• Westin Domain, Austin
• Hilton Garden Inn Domain, Austin
• Home2 Suites Domain, Austin
• Hotel McCoy College Station
• Texas A&M Hotel & Conference Center
• Embassy Suites Corpus Christi
• Holiday Inn Corpus Christi Airport
• Omni Dallas Hotel
• Hotel Drover, Fort Worth
• Comfort Inn & Suites Frisco Plano
• The San Luis Resort, Galveston
• Residence Inn Dallas Grand Prairie
• Hyatt Regency Houston – Downtown
• The Westin Houston Memorial City
• Marriott Marquis Houston
• Westin Houston Downtown
• Hilton Americas, Houston
• Thompson Hotel, Houston
• Westin Irving DFW Airport
• Westin Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas
• Aloft Lubbock
• Overton Hotel and Conference Center
• Texas Tech University Skyviews Restaurant
• SpringHill Suites Midland
• Hampton Inn Midland
• Insignia Corporate Office
• Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa, San Antonio
• Omni La Mansion Del Rio, San Antonio
• The Emily Morgan Hotel – a DoubleTree by Hilton, San Antonio
• Marriott Rivercenter & Marriott Riverwalk, San Antonio
• Hilton Palacio del Rio, San Antonio
• SIGNIA BY HILTON LA CANTERA RESORT & SPA
• Baywood Hotels
• Residence Inn San Antonio SeaWorld/Westover Hills
• Home2 Suites San Antonio
• Tru by Hilton San Antonio Lackland/SeaWorld
• Grand Hyatt San Antonio
• The Westin Riverwalk San Antonio

Participating Schools & Districts

THLA also thanks the outstanding educators and school leaders who helped make student participation possible, including transportation coordination, student preparation, and classroom connection to real-world learning:

• Dan Dipert Career and Technical Education Center (Arlington ISD)
• Sam Houston High School (Arlington ISD)
• Birdville Center of Technology and Advanced Learning (Birdville ISD)
• Cedar Park High School (Leander ISD)
• Vandegrift High School (Leander ISD)
• Travis Early College High School (Austin ISD)
• Elgin High School
• Hutto High School
• New Waverly High School
• Roy Miller High School (Corpus Christi ISD)
• Richardson High School
• Castleberry High School
• Denison High School
• Texas City High School
• Azle High School
• Scarborough High School (Houston ISD)
• Blanson CTE High School (Aldine ISD)
• Sulphur Springs High School
• Slaton High School
• Tahoka High School
• Lee High School (Midland ISD)
• Boerne High School
• Alamo Heights High School
• McCollum High School (Harlandale ISD)
• CAST Lead High School (East Central ISD)
• Natalia High School
• Brackenridge High School (San Antonio ISD)
• Samuel Clemens High School (Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD)
• University of Houston
• University of Texas at San Antonio

A Powerful Workforce Pipeline in Action

Groundhog Job Shadow Day demonstrated what is possible when Texas hotels and Texas educators collaborate to expose students to real careers, real leaders, and real opportunity.

The initiative reinforced a critical message: hospitality is not just a job—it is a career pathway offering leadership development, transferable skills, advancement opportunities, and strong earning potential.

THLA is proud of the success of the inaugural Groundhog Job Shadow Day and looks forward to expanding participation in 2027.