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Florian Zach

Associate Professor
Florian Zach
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Location:

355 Wallace Hall, Virginia Tech
295 West Campus Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061
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Contact:

florian@vt.edu
540-231-8425

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Biography

Florian Zach is an Associate Professor in the Howard Feiertag Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Tech, USA, where he teaches the Capstone Strategic Management course to all business students. Prior to joining the Pamplin faculty, he successfully led the extension of the Washington State University Hospitality Business Management program to the Vancouver, WA satellite campus. Previously he was the Assistant Director of the National Laboratory for Tourism and eCommerce at Temple University.

His research focuses on strategic management with applications to hospitality and tourism, innovation adoption, market entry and positioning strategies. His articles appeared in leading business and tourism & hospitality journals such as Production and Operations Management, Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Management, Journal of Travel Research, International Journal of Hospitality Management, and Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research. Alongside numerous academic conference presentations, he has been an invited visiting professor at Lianneus University, Sweden (2021-2022), a visiting research fellow at the University of Surrey (2026) and the Leopold Franzens University, Innsbruck, Austria (2026) and delivered several invited speeches.

His research has been recognized with awards and grants such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration SeaHAB grant, Hong Kong Research Grant Council, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research Best Paper Award, several conference best paper awards, and two Dean’s Fellows awards.

He received his Masters in International Economics from the Leopold Franzens University, Innsbruck, Austria and his Ph.D. in Business Administration from Temple University.

Research

Research Area 

  • Innovation adoption
  • Market entry
  • Positioning strategies

Research Methods

  • Regression, panel data
  • Structural equation modeling
  • Social network analysis

Representative works

Zhang, H., Bianco, S., Zach, F.J., & Xiang, Z. (2026). Survival of the fittest: Standardization by professional short-term rental hosts under severe uncertainty. Tourism Management, 111. doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2025.105249 [Publisher] [Google Scholar] [Open Access – VTechWorks] (P) (ABDC list: A*)

Jiang, J., Zach, F.J., & Bruce, N.I. (2025). Impact of Recreational Marijuana Legalization on Hotel Performance and Operations: A Bayesian Causal Inference Approach. Production and Operations Management. doi:10.1177/10591478251345522 [Publisher] [Google Scholar] (P) (ABDC list: A*)

Zhang, H., Xiang, Z., & Zach, F.J. (2025). Generative AI vs. Humans in Online Hotel Review Management: A Task-Technology Fit Perspective. Tourism Management, 110. doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2025.105187 [Publisher] [Google Scholar] [Open Access – VTechWorks] (P) (ABDC list: A*)

Bianco, S., Zach, F.J. & Singal, M., (2025). The Effect of Short-Term Leases on Hotel’s Agglomeration and Market-Entry Strategies: A Game Theory Approach. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research. doi:10.1177/10963480251328372 [Publisher] [Google Scholar] [Open Access – VTechWorks] (P) (ABDC list: A) (Best Paper Award)

Zhang, H., Zach, F.J., & Xiang, Z. (2024). Optimal distinctiveness of short-term rental property design. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 120. doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2024.103737 [Publisher] [Google Scholar] [Open Access – VTechWorks] (P) (ABDC list: A*)

Zach, F.J., Schnitzer, M., and Falk, M. (2021). Product diversification and isomorphism: The case of ski resorts and “me-too” innovation. Annals of Tourism Research 90. doi: 10.1016/j.annals.2021.103267 [Publisher – Open Access] (P) (ABDC list: A*)

Teaching

Undergraduate

  • MGT 4394 Strategic Management (capstone course)

Graduate

  • HTM 5944 Graduate Seminar

Ph.D. Supervision

  • Huixian Xie (expected 2029)
    Research interest: Strategic Management in Hospitality and Tourism
  • Yutong Han (expected 2024): Co-chair with Zheng Xiang.
    Research interest: Social Media Marketing and AI
  • Huihui Zhang (graduated 2024): Co-chair with Zheng Xiang.
    Dissertation: Strategizing in Response to Environmental Uncertainty in the Hospitality Industry: A Data-Analytical Approach
    Placement as Assistant Professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University
  • Simone Bianco (graduated 2023): Co-chair with Manisha Singal.
    Dissertation: A Study of Resource-Based Market Entry Strategies in the Hotel Industry.
    Placement as Assistant Professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Information for Ph.D. applicants: Please reach out if you are interested in my research and research methods. A background in quantitative analysis or programming is preferred. VT offers several courses to learn and improve quantitative research methods.

Professional Engagement

Conferences

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