Faculty
Dr. Zaher (Zach) Hallab
Dr. Zaher (Zach) Hallab is a Professor in the Department of Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism at California State University East Bay. He earned his PhD in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Virginia Tech and completed his master’s degrees, MBA in Marketing of Services and M.A. in Tourism Management and Development, from the George Washington University. He has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Arizona.
His teaching areas include Tourism Management, Food and Beverage, and Marketing. He is student-oriented and values quality teaching, research, and industry partnership. His scholarly research focuses on lifestyle, healthy-living, image, tourism politics, and motivations. He is among the first scholars in the field to introduce the healthy-living guidelines to the hospitality and tourism literature. His research which investigated individuals’ healthy-living patterns and their impacts on travel behavior and consumption of hospitality and tourism products and services has led to the development of relevant products and marketing strategies to suit the needs of the healthy-living segment. He has recently studied the impacts of politics on a destination’s image and attractiveness and investigated locals’ response. Dr. Hallab has collaborated with known scholars in the field and published and presented in reputable academic journals and premiere international conferences. In addition, Dr. Hallab reviewed for several journals, conferences and sat on various university and professional committees. He is an active member in various hospitality and tourism associations.
Dr. Hallab has a diverse practical background in the field of hospitality and tourism management. His major contribution at the practical level stems from his past involvement in his award-wining and famous Eastern Mediterranean-based family hospitality business, Patisseries Hallab, established in 1881.
Dr. Hallab is fluent in Arabic, French, and English. He has been to various destinations in six continents. He is an open-minded and multicultural individual who appreciates the East and the West. Dr. Hallab enjoys reading on different subjects, writing, cooking, arts, working out, and traveling to different destinations (familiar and exotic).