Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index rises 2.9% in August

The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index outperformed both the MSCI REIT (RMZ) (-0.4percent) and the S&P 500 (+2.0 percent) in August 2012.

"The hotel industry recorded favorable performance during August," said Randy Smith, co-founder and chairman of STR. "With the third quarter coming to a close, investors are starting to look toward 2013. STR is expecting 2012 to finish the year with reasonable increases though 2013 may be a softer year for the hotel industry."

"Macroeconomic news was light during August, and the risk-on trade worked well-a reversal from the previous three months when hotel stocks significantly underperformed the broader market and other real-estate sectors," said David Loeb, senior hotel research analyst and managing director at Baird. "August industry-wide (revenue-per-available-room) trends were solid in the 7-percent to 8-percent range, and investors have begun shifting their focus to 2013, given expectations for continued strength into year-end."

The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index was rebalanced on 24 August 2012 to account for the one-time special dividend distributed by Choice Hotels International.

About the Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index

The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index was set to equal 1,000 on 1 January 2000, as its starting point. The Index reached its peak of 3,178 on 5 July 2007. The Index's lowest point occurred on 6 March 2009, when it dropped to 573.

The Index is available exclusively on www.hotelstockindex.com and www.HotelNewsNow.com. The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index is a cobranded index created by Robert W. Baird & Co. (Baird) and Smith Travel Research, Inc. (STR). The market-cap weighted Index is comprised of 15 of the largest market capitalization hotel companies publicly traded on a U.S. exchange and attempts to characterize the performance of hotel stocks. The Index is maintained by Baird and is hosted on HotelNewsNow.com. The Index is not actively managed and a direct investment cannot be made in it.

The companies that comprise the Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index: Choice Hotels International, DiamondRock Hospitality, Hersha Hospitality Trust, Hospitality Properties Trust, Host Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, InterContinental Hotels Group, LaSalle Hotel Properties, Marriott International, Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, RLJ Lodging Trust, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Sunstone Hotel Investors and Wyndham Worldwide.

About Baird
Baird is an employee-owned, international wealth management, capital markets, private equity and asset management firm with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Established in 1919, Baird has more than 2,600 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients. Baird oversees and manages client assets of $89 billion. Committed to being a great place to work, Baird ranked number 14 on FORTUNE's "100 Best Companies to Work For" in 2011- its eighth consecutive year on the list. Baird's principal operating subsidiaries are Robert W. Baird & Co. in the United States and Robert W. Baird Group Ltd. in Europe. Baird also has an operating subsidiary in Asia supporting Baird's private equity operations. For more information, please visit Baird's Web site at www.rwbaird.com.