STR's Amanda Hite Named One of '30 Influential Women in Hospitality'

Amanda Hite, president and CEO of STR, has been named by Hotel Management Magazine as one of "30 Influential Women in Hospitality."

"Choosing 30 trailblazing women in hospitality is no easy task—and that is a good thing, we say," said David Eisen, editor-in-chief of the Questex Hospitality Group. "The hospitality industry, not unlike other industries, historically has had a scarcity of influential women among its ranks—those who are turned to for leadership, for direction, for prudent input. Fortunately, this is changing, with many more women in the types of positions that they always deserved but were not awarded due to a sometimes intransigent corporate mentality. Now, women make up a greater proportion of executive-level roles, which is why it is so difficult to only choose 30 women for our list. However, we feel that these select women are blazing a path not only in hospitality, but in business."

Hite is in her 12th year overall with STR and her second as president and CEO. She served as president and COO for the previous five years before adding the CEO title in June of 2016.

"I'm honored to be named with so many women making incredible contributions to the industry," Hite said. "Serving as a role model and being in a position to empower the advancement of women in our industries is a true passion of mine. I'm grateful to Hotel Management for highlighting our efforts."

Amanda Hite at the 2017 Hotel Data Conference. (Photo: Event Coverage Nashville)

Under Hite's leadership, STR's employee base has more than doubled to 300-plus people in 15 countries, and the company's global-leading data sample has grown 210% to more than 7.8 million hotel rooms in 58,000 hotels around the globe. The company also has expanded its data and analytics platform into the self storage and health club sectors.

Last year, Hite led the implementation of STR's updated corporate brand, which unified the company's global entities and aligned its expansion into additional market sectors. In addition, STR completed a 35,000-square-foot expansion to the company's North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

Hite, a recipient of The M&A Advisor 40 Under 40 Emerging Leaders Award in 2015, also serves on the boards of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and the U.S. Travel Association in addition to a number of leadership roles around the hospitality industry.