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| Jerry Daly |
PHOENIX, AZ—Officials of the Lodging Conference, a national
hospitality conference targeting hotel owners, operators, developers and
investors, announced it will present Randy Smith, chairman and
co-founder of STR, Inc., with its annual
"Above and Beyond Award,” a distinction is given to a hotel
industry executive who has made a valuable contribution to his or her community
and/or to society at large.
Additionally, the conference will recognize Ed Watkins,
editor-at-large for Hotel News Now, and Jerry Daly, co-founder and
chairman of Daly Gray, Inc., with lifetime achievement awards.
“Over the years, Randy and his team at STR have developed
and produced some of the most useful forecasting tools the hotel industry has
ever had,” said Morris Lasky, conference co-founder.
“Not only have his
reports helped the industry predict and prognosticate every turn in the
hospitality real estate cycle, but his commitment to the industry at large is
well documented."
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| Ed Watkins |
A 40-year hospitality veteran, Smith has received numerous
accolades for his work in the industry.
In 2011, Smith was named one of the “Twenty-Five Most Influential
Executives of the Business Travel Industry" by Business Travel News and
was the recipient of the 2011 Stephen W. Brener Silver Plate Award presented by
Lodging Hospitality.
Additionally, he
and his wife, Carolyn, were inducted into the Hilton Hospitality Hall of Honor
that year. In 2010, he received the ALIS Lifetime Achievement Award.
Smith is a member and past co-chairman of
the Industry Real Estate Financing Advisory Council (IREFAC) and the 2002
recipient of the group's prestigious Everett Johnson Award. He also is vice-chair of the American Hotel
& Lodging Foundation Funding Committee and a charter member of the
International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC).
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| Randy Smith |
Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Ed Watkins is
editor-at-large for Hotel News Now. Before joining HNN in 2013, Ed served as
editor of Lodging Hospitality Magazine for more than 40 years.
After nearly
five decades covering the industry, Watkins will retire from full-time industry
reporting at the end of the year.
“Ed has covered virtually every event of importance that has
impacted the hospitality industry for the past four decades, and I’ve enjoyed
reading his columns for years,” said Lodging Conference Co-Founder Harry
Javer.
“He has built a solid reputation
as an impeccable journalist who asks thorough, thought-provoking
questions. Over the years, readers have
benefited from his in-depth approach and insightful articles.”
Prior to founding Daly Gray, Inc., a communications firm
that specializes in the business of hospitality, in 1987, Jerry Daly played a
key role in the successful launch of the Embassy Suites, Hampton Inns and
Crowne Plaza hotel brands as the senior communications officer for Promus Hotel
Corporation, formerly Holiday Corporation.
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| Morris Lasky |
His work has been recognized for its results-oriented creativity, and he
has received more than 50 international, national and regional communications
awards, four Golden Quills and the Silver Anvil.
A communications pioneer, Daly
is credited with launching the first no-smoking campaign in 1970 and writing
the hotel industry’s first crisis communications plan.
“Jerry has been active in all aspects of hospitality communications over
the years, including everything from associate newsletters to taking companies
public,” said Lasky. “His thoughtful,
creative, hands-on approach to public relations has helped companies grow and
professionals flourish.”
The 20th Annual Lodging Conference will be held at The
Arizona Biltmore Resort from October 20-23, 2014. The awards presentation will
commence at 1:15 pm on Tuesday, Oct. 21. For more information, go to
www.LodgingConference.com or call Brent Tinter at 800-252-3540
For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please
contact:
Chris Daly, media
(703) 435-6293
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