(Washington, May 27, 2015) - Randy and Carolyn Smith contributed $5,000 to the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation's (AH&LEF's) 2015 Annual Giving Campaign. This is their third personal gift at the six-diamond level. Randy Smith is CEO of Smith Travel Research, Inc. (STR), a long-time corporate donor to AH&LEF's Annual Giving Campaign. STR made seven six-diamond level donations to the Campaign.

As an allied member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) 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, serving on AH&LEF's Research and Project Funding Committee for more than 19 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 in this manner. The Foundation has done so much to support education throughout the industry and with better understanding comes a better industry for owners, employees and guests. Thanks for this opportunity."

"Randy and Carolyn are committed to bringing the best and brightest into the field, and providing them with our program's tools, research and education programs, that guarantee the future of hospitality," said Joori Jeon, AH&LEF president/COO.

The Annual Giving Campaign is AH&LEF's yearly fundraising initiative supported solely by the hospitality sector. Initiated in 1997, the program generates funds for AH&LEF's core programs that provide hospitality management students with academic scholarships, offer grants for pertinent industry research such as diversity and technology advancement, and promote hospitality as a career of choice. Hundreds of thousands has been raised through the campaigns, and the Foundation is scheduled to disburse more than $1 million this year. 

AH&LEF is the not-for-profit affiliate of AH&LA and is funded solely by charitable donations from progressive hospitality leaders and companies within the industry. In 2014, AH&LEF disbursed approximately $1 million to prepare promising college students for a career in hospitality, to attract and retain talented industry professionals, and to fund valuable research for the industry. Since the Foundation's inception, more than $19 million has been distributed through its scholarship, education, outreach, and research programs.