U.S. Hotel Stock Index Upticks in January

---

According to STR, the Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index ended January with a 13% increase to 2,288. The index ended 2011 at 2,025. The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index also outperformed the S&P 500 and the MSCI REIT (RMZ) in January, which increased 4.4 percent and 6.3 percent, respectively.

"The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index started the year off strong, showing investors are confident in the hotel industry," said Randy Smith, chairman and co-founder of STR. "The industry is up against tough comparisons in 2012, and we hope to see performance growth that will further illustrate the strength of the industry."

"Hotel stocks continued their strong upward trend in January as favorable supply-and-demand characteristics dispelled investors' concerns that the lodging up cycle was slowing," said David Loeb, senior hotel research analyst and managing director at Baird. "Earnings season is fast approaching and expectations, which are fairly high, are for management teams to give upbeat commentary regarding the 2012 outlook. Recent economic indicators continue to bolster investor confidence in the lodging cycle's strength and duration."

The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index -- the first widely available U.S. hotel stock index in the hotel industry - was created in partnership by Robert W. Baird & Company and STR.