The Department of Hospitality, Hotel Management and Tourism in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences continues to build itself into one of the country’s top programs by hiring Dan Eichler as an assistant professor of the practice.
Eichler brings more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, with almost 20 years in management or director-level positions. He also has more than 10 years of experience as a college instructor.
“As an assistant professor of the practice, Dan brings a rich and diverse professional background in the hospitality industry to benefit our students and bring the department the wisdom that only comes with practical experience,” said Brian King, Ph.D., head of the Department of Hospitality, Hotel Management and Tourism. “He also brings extensive contacts in the hospitality industry, which will enhance our efforts to garner even more attention for our department and further reinforce its position as one of the top programs in the country.”
Professional experience in hotel management, hospitality
In joining the department, Eichler said he will draw from his extensive background in the industry and share that with the students.
“I believe that learning is greatly enhanced by relating real-life experiences to concepts and bringing them to life,” he said. “I like to use relevant topics and personal examples to emphasize the importance of the subjects being presented. I am passionate about the hospitality industry and desire to share that passion with students and help them succeed in an industry I love.”
Prior to joining the department, Eichler was director of sales and marketing for the Wyndham Garden Hotel in College Station, where he was responsible for opening, soliciting and negotiating contracts for the 135-room hotel.
Before that, he served as general manager of The Langford in College Station, where he was responsible for all aspects of a 114-unit senior living community in four key areas: resident satisfaction, engaged staff, favorable financial results and managing clinical care for those living in assisted living and memory care.
Eichler also has experience as corporate director of sales and marketing for Oldham Goodwin in College Station, where he oversaw a portfolio of 11 multibranded hotels with annual sales of over $29 million. Additionally, he was general manager for White Lodging-Courtyard Austin South and the Valencia Hotel Group-Hampton Inn and Suites Austin-Airport, both in Austin.
His further industry experience has been as an assistant general manager, sales manager and director, assistant front office manager and restaurant operations supervisor.
“My 30 years in the hospitality industry have afforded me numerous real-life experiences, as well as knowing about the experiences of others in the industry, that I can share with my students. Besides knowing best practices in the hospitality industry, I also have seen many worst-case scenarios, and often these negative experiences provide the best learning opportunities.”
College-level teaching experience, professional affiliations
Eichler has a master’s degree in hospitality management from the University of Houston and a bachelor’s in business administration with a focus on marketing from Baylor University.
He has 10 years of experience providing higher education instruction. Most recently, he has been an adjunct professor at Blinn College, where he taught Introduction to Hospitality and Convention and Group Management Services. He was previously an adjunct professor at Austin Community College, where he taught Purchasing and Front Office Procedures as well as Introduction to Hospitality and Hospitality Internship.
Additionally, while pursuing his master’s degree, Eichler was a teaching assistant who helped in the training and performance evaluation of 50 students in all aspects of fine dining service. Eichler is a board member and past-president of the Brazos Valley Hospitality Association. He also served on the board for the Texas Hotel and Lodging Association and Austin Hotel and Lodging Association.
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