Washington, D.C., January 29, 2018 – Randy Smith, Chairman and Co-Founder of STR, contributed $5,000 to the American Hotel & Lodging Education Foundation’s (AHLEF) 2017 Annual Giving Campaign.  This is Smith’s fifth personal gift at the six-diamond level. 

As an allied member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) for more than 25 years, STR tracks supply and demand data for the hotel industry and provides valuable market share analysis for all major international hotel chains and brands. Randy is a long-time volunteer, having served on AHLEF’s Research and Project Funding Committee for nearly 20 years.

 “It is a privilege and an honor to be able to support the Foundation,” said Randy Smith. “The industry has given us so much that it is a pleasure to able to give back through AHLEF.  The Foundation has done so much to support education throughout the industry. With educational options and better understanding comes a more well- equipped industry for owners, employees, and guests.

“Year after year, Randy gives back to the industry he has worked in for decades and we are so grateful for his critical support,” said Rosanna Maietta AHLEF interim president. “These contributions are making a meaningful difference in have made a huge impact in the academic lives of hospitality management students who depend on this support to get an education and get a head start in this great industry”

The Annual Giving Campaign is AHLEF’s yearly fundraising initiative supported solely by the hospitality sector. Initiated in 1997, the program generates funds for AHLEF’s core programs that provide hospitality management students with academic scholarships, offer grants for pertinent industry research, and promote hospitality as a career of choice.  Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised through the campaigns, with the Foundation having disbursed $851,500 in scholarships alone this year.