NU Students Earn Top Honors At Inaugural Smith Travel Research Competition
Four students from Niagara University’s College of Hospitality and Tourism Management captured first place at Smith Travel Research’s inaugural Market Study Competition.
The competition was held Nov. 8 at the HX: The Hotel Experience conference (formerly the International Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Show) in New York City.
Niagara seniors Jenna Roberts, Carl Bailey, Adam Zarczynski and International University of Applied Sciences exchange student Fabian Lehmann spent two months preparing a comprehensive analysis of market research data of the Greater Buffalo (N.Y.) hotel market.
Father Maher, unbeknownst to the team, had placed a friendly wager on the outcome of the competition with the Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., a 1985 Niagara alumnus who serves as president of DePaul University. Father Maher offered to send Buffalo chicken wings to Chicago if DePaul won while Father Holtschneider promised Chicago-style deep dish pizza would be sent to Monteagle Ridge, should the NU team triumph. A deep dish pizza – with Buffalo chicken baked in – will be headed north soon.