Remembering Peter A. Smith | By David Brudney

Long-time hotelier and well-respected executive recruiter Peter Anthony Smith, 76, passed away at his home in Bend, OR earlier this month after a one-year courageous battle from cancer. Peter, a dear friend and colleague for more than four decades, began his hospitality industry career as trade association manager in the stable of the iconic Dorothy Gray Ryan in D.C. back in 1970.

We first met when Peter was hired away from association management to become a sales manager at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. Peter then returned to D.C. to open the first regional office for Princess Hotels and later moved the office to New York City.

His hotel career included positions as group sales manager with Boca Raton, regional director for a group of four corporate Holiday Inns in Chicago and San Francisco, sales director for the Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles, V.P. sales for La Mansion Hotel Group in San Antonio, TX and V.P. sales for Mariner Hotels in Houston, TX.

His sales savvy and heavy involvement with multi-property operations led to his first position as G.M. of the Holiday Inn in Monterey, CA, the Inn at Morro Bay, CA, and later became G.M. of the Hilton Hotel in Eugene, OR.

Peter launched his executive search business in 1997 where his specialty became identifying and recruiting GMs and sales directors for both limited service and full-service hotels for the next 20 years. He was proud of placing more than 300 candidates, and to his role in the career advancement for so many current hotel professionals.

Peter graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in political science. He and loving wife and caregiver Carrie Smith were married for 40 years. In 2012 they lost their only son Ryan to cancer. Anyone wishing may make a donation in Peter's memory to Partners in Care, the local Bend, OR Hospice or at their local hospice location.