The Temple University School of Tourism and Hospitality Management will team up with a Fort Washington hotel to sharpen students' sales skills. About 40 students will work with the Holiday Inn Fort Washington on the project.

The goal is for them to come up with a way to "reintroduce" the hotel. It coincides with the hotel's takeover by Intercontinental Hotel Group, a conglomerate with its U.S. base in Atlanta. The hotel is managed by Salisbury, Md.-based Marshall Management.

"This truly is a one-of-a-kind experience for these students, many of whom wish to pursue careers in the hospitality or sales industries," said Greg DeShields, director of industry relations and adjunct professor at Temple.

The newly renovated hotel offers meeting space that can accommodate events with up to 350 people.

Students will be divided into two teams representing two types of sales approaches. Using a database of businesses within 15 miles of the hotel, one team will cold call office complexes, while the other team will target specific companies to set up face-to-face meetings.

For the hotel, the goal is sales leads, said DeShields. The sales blitz is a chance for students to build relationships and develop business leads.

"[Students] are provided with very measurable goals where they can learn invaluable sales techniques within their own local Pennsylvania environs," said Ron Callari, vice president of sales and marketing at Marshall Management.