About our author Dr. John R. Walker, DBA, FMP, CHA, is the McKibbon Professor of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of South Florida and a Fulbright Senior Specialist. John's years of industry experience began with management training at the Savoy Hotel London. This was followed by terms as food and beverage manager, assistant rooms division manager, catering manager, and general manager with Grand Metropolitan Hotels, Selsdon Park Hotel, Rank Hotels, Inter-Continental Hotels and the Coral Reef Resort, Barbados, West Indies. John has taught at two- and four-year schools in Canada and the United States. In addition to being a hospitality management consultant and text author, he has been published in The Cornell Hotel Restaurant Administration Quarterly, The Hospitality Educators Journal, and the New York Times. He is a 10-time recipient of the President's Award for teaching, scholarship and service, and he has received the Patnubay Award for exemplary professional performance through teaching and authorship of tourism and hospitality publications.

John is an editorial advisory board member for Progress in Tourism and Hospitality Research. He is a past president of the Pacific Chapter of the Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (CHRIE). He is a certified hotel administrator (CHA) and a certified foodservice management professional (FMP). John is married to Josielyn T. Walker, and they have twins, Christopher and Selina. The Walkers live in Sarasota, Florida.