Expert on Global Lodging to Speak at Next Quarterly Tourism Luncheon

Chapel Hill, NC (September 6, 2007) – Randy Smith, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Smith Travel Research (STR), the leading authority on current trends in occupancy, room rate and supply/demand data for the global lodging industry, is the guest speaker at the September Orange County Tourism Partnership coordinated by the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau.

Each month, STR obtains revenue data from over 30,000 properties around the world, accounting for over 4-million rooms. In addition, STR collects daily lodging performance data from over 18,000 U.S. hotels with over 2.3-million rooms.

Smith will speak on hotel trends impacting the U.S. and the region, as well as future forecasts in the lodging industry.

The Orange County Tourism Partnership is a quarterly forum designed to meet and discuss key issues relevant to travel and tourism in Orange County and its towns and communities.

The luncheon is Thursday, September 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Chapel Hill’s Courtyard by Marriott Hotel at 100 Marriott Way next to the Friday Center.

Participants are invited to bring plenty of business cards to share during the networking portion of the luncheon and afterward. The cost for the event is $10, which is to be paid directly to the Courtyard by Marriott. Cash or check is acceptable.

For additional information or to RSVP, contact Tina Roberts at the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau at (919) 968-2060 or email . The deadline to register is September 17.


Did You Know?

UNC was the first state-supported university in the U.S. and enrolls nearly 30,000 students from all North Carolina counties, all U.S. states and more than 100 foreign countries.