Mark Young
Mark Young, Ph.D., is director of the Hospitality Industry Archives at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel & Restaurant Management, University of Houston.
A Look Back: The Accomplishments of Curt Strand
In July, hotel industry giant Curt Strand passed away at the age of 99. Among his many accomplishments, Strand was the last living link to the exciting era of early international hotel development. He...
Historic Hurdles: COVID-19 Is Not the First Event to Completely Disrupt the Hotel Industry
The lodging sector is currently getting pummeled. Amidst an economic downfall, there are fewer travelers and resort and convention business almost all but evaporated. Things are dire, but history teaches us that it could...
The Texas Hotel Short Course: Broadening the Availability of Lodging Education
In the late 1930s, the need for qualified personnel to staff hotels was becoming critical. The number of degreed hospitality programs at the nation’s universities and colleges, however, were few. Compounding this issue was...
Merriel Abbott Paved the Way for Women in the Hotel Industry
What many people first see when looking at the picture below from the 1949 Hilton Hotels Managers Meeting is a long table full of men, which is nothing unusual for the time period. Then,...
How Hotels Used Throwaway Wrappers to Promote Their Brands
The phrase "today's trash is tomorrow's treasure" can be applied to several items in the hospitality industry archive, but especially to the archive’s collection of hotel soap wrappers. The archive is a wealth of...