One of the perks of being in the tourism industry for more than half a century is there are no strangers. Michael Neustadt has made friends in nearly all corners of the world, so much so, that he could travel to any city in retirement and is likely to know someone there.
His last 12 years serving on the United Motorcoach Association board of directors, though, has been a capstone to a 52-year career in the travel and tourism industry.
“I learned many years ago that joining an organization — be it a local club or a national association — is just the first step. The real benefits come from being part of the organization’s work,” said Neustadt, who is settling into his retirement.
His volunteer time as arguably one of the hardest working board members in the association’s history was rewarded with many lessons. He said he became a better citizen by participating in the association’s lobbying efforts and a better manager by watching his fellow board members, all of whom were part of successful businesses.
Fellow board members return the accolade. Even if they didn’t always agree with their resident “liberal,” he forced the board to look at all sides of an issue, said UMA board member Dale Krapf.
“We type A entrepreneurs are usually over-the-top Republicans. We need to be set straight once in a while on some issues. He was a huge asset. I loved the guy.”
The fiscal hawk with a can-do attitude and love of Beat Generation literature could uniquely convert business and life experience into wisdom others could use to shape thoughts and opinions, said Ken Presley, UMA’s Vice President of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs and COO. He could also get things done.
“When others on the board wanted to do something,” he said, “Mike would figure out a way to pay for it.”
Neustadt joined UMA in the 1980s, when he bought a stake in his motorcoach business. But he waited to become a board member until 2006 because he wanted to first complete his tenure on the board of the National Tour Association.
If he could pinpoint a favorite achievement on the UMA board, Neustadt says he is most proud of the success of Bus and Motorcoach News and Busrates.com.
While the newspaper was in place when he joined the board, Neustadt pushed to make the publication read less like a promotional and marketing vehicle and more like a newspaper with information people in the industry need to be successful.
Busrates.com has proven to be an important member benefit, as well. The website matches people looking for charter bus service with vetted motorcoach companies, which can provide quotes in a matter of hours. A young entrepreneur came up with the idea a decade ago, but couldn’t convince enough bus companies to participate, Neustadt said.
“He reached out to us to promote it, and we ended up buying it.”
The youthful 73-year-old stepped down from the UMA board in February, after selling his interest in Coach Tours to Trent Dwyer, his partner’s son, and Dwyer’s best friend, Colin Woodside. While he could have continued on, he says it’s time to see where the next generation of tour operators take both his business and the industry.
Millennials are changing the business in many ways, he notes, using apps to buy tickets and social media to interact with companies of every kind.
“I believe customers want instant answers now. They are going to tweet a question and want an answer in two or three hours,” Neustadt said.
While bus travel isn’t going away, the experience needs to evolve. Instead of a traditional group tour, younger travelers are drawn to tours that are led by a college professor who can explain a region’s history in depth or a chef who will take them to restaurants for cooking demonstrations, Neustadt said.
Another huge issue facing the industry is a shortage of drivers, something that may become more acute as more retire. UMA is trying to be forward-thinking, he says, with the group’s younger members are coming together in smaller groups to discuss these issues—and more.
Neustadt has always been drawn to a blend of his fiscal and travel orientations. A math major at the University of Miami, he worked his way through college as a desk clerk at a local hotel. That part-time job turned into a career. By the time he was 30, he was a hotel general manager. He worked for large and small hotels and famous hoteliers, such as Howard Johnson and Kemmons Wilson, the founder of the Holiday Inn chain.
Neustadt left the hospitality industry in the late 1970s to start his own business—a small commuter airline. When fuel prices skyrocketed, the company couldn’t get off the ground.
In 1987, he became co-owner of Coach Tours. A reputation for reliability helped grow the New York City-area business focused on providing tours and charters staffed with drivers who are friendly and who arrived on time from two buses to a fleet of 22.
Now, a different adventure lies ahead. He’s enjoying spending more time in Brookfield, Connecticut, a small town about 60 miles northeast of his native New York. There, he can finally devote the hours needed to help his wife, Cathy, a trained horticulturist, with their extensive garden.
But might adventure call again? Neustadt says he wouldn’t be surprised. After all, the world is where his friends are.
