Recent research by Turner College management professor Kirk Heriot and colleagues from the College of Charleston and Fresno State University examines the City of Columbus’ lawsuit (in 2006) over uncollected accommodation taxes against online travel agencies, such as Expedia and Orbitz. As a result of the lawsuit, the companies delisted Columbus hotels from their websites, a situation that existed until the lawsuit was settled (after a few years). As Heriot and his colleagues indicate in their 2018 publication in Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, the episode provided for a non-experimental “real life” exploration of the power balance between online travel agencies and municipalities.
That exploration indicates that online travel agencies have less power than is generally assumed, as the City of Columbus emerged victorious in their claim to associated accommodation taxes, while local hoteliers experienced an increase in revenues. According to the authors, an important takeaway from their research is that delisting is not the deterrent that conventional wisdom suggests. That said, another takeaway concerns the expected cost of a lawsuit like that initiated by the City of Columbus. As they advise, any taxing authority should assess the likelihood of a courtroom success before commencing legal action against an online travel agency.
The Turner College's new marketing intern Lizzy Grant , a senior marketing major from Newnan who previously attended Gordon State College, where she played varsity soccer, and is scheduled to graduate from the Turner College in May of 2024, has hit the ground running in her new position. She recently played a large role in the creation of a video tour of the Synovus Center, the main campus home of the Turner College. The video helps to guide new students on where to go in the building and who they can talk to if they help. The video showcases the Student Services Center, the main lobby, and more. The video is played as part of a loop on video screens placed throughout the Synovus Center. Lizzy's list of activities at CSU is impressive. She is the Treasurer of the Turner College's Marketing Club, the President of Marketing for the Turner College's chapter of the Financial Management Association, and an Ambassador for the Turner College. She is also the Treasurer of her s
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