Atlanta Lodging Outlook 2016
On Wednesday, September 9, 2015 the Georgia Chapter of the Cornell Hotel Society held its annual Atlanta Lodging Outlook breakfast seminar. A crowd of 325 area hotel industry professionals attended the 17th annual seminar. This year’s event was held at the InterContinental Hotel in Buckhead. Our host was Brian Ettelman ’87, Director of Catering.
Atlanta Lodging Outlook is organized by the CHS Georgia Chapter with promotional assistance from the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association. The seminar is designed to provide hotel owners and operators with the information they need to prepare their marketing plans and budgets for the upcoming year.
The CHS Georgia Chapter was honored to have Professor John B. (Jack) Corgel Ph.D., the Robert C Baker Chair of Real Estate, serve as moderator for this year’s forum. CHS chapter President Sophia Lin-Kanno ‘05 opened the proceedings, followed by Jim Sprouse, President of the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association.
During the first half of the seminar, Professor Corgel facilitated a discussion on real estate development activity in Atlanta, and how it impacts the local lodging industry. The panelists included Jim Stormont (Johnson ’85) – President & Lead Principal of the Stormont Hospitality Group, David Marvin – Founder and President of the Legacy Property Group, and Robert Voyles – Principal & CEO of Seven Oaks Company, LLC.
Following the discussion on real estate development, a panel of local area experts presented their outlook for 2016:
- Roger Tutterow Ph.D., Professor of Economics at Kennesaw State University
- Mark Vaughan, EVP and Chief Sales Officer for the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Mark Woodworth ’77, Senior Managing Director of PKF Hospitality Research, a CBRE Company
Proceeds from the event help support the Georgia chapter’s scholarship fund.
