Gateway Market Intelligence
Independent, primary-source research for STR investors and hospitality operators in the Great Smoky Mountains.
The STR and hospitality investment market has grown rapidly — but the quality of publicly available market data hasn't kept pace. Too many investors are making six and seven-figure decisions based on headline occupancy estimates, platform-promoted averages, and outdated tourism board statistics.
We built Gateway Market Intelligence to change that: to produce the kind of rigorous, independently compiled research that institutional investors take for granted, and make it accessible to individual operators and investors at a price point that makes sense.
Every report is built from the ground up using primary and secondary data sources. We cross-reference multiple sources for every key metric and are transparent about methodology throughout. If we can't verify a number, we don't publish it.
Primary Sources
STR performance databases, lodging tax filings, national park visitor records, and on-market transaction data.
Cross-Referenced
Every key metric is verified against multiple independent sources before it appears in a report.
Transparent
We document our sources and methodology so readers can assess the basis for every conclusion.
Our current coverage focuses on the Great Smoky Mountains region of Tennessee — one of the highest-performing STR and drive-market hospitality corridors in the United States.
Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park — the most-visited national park in the United States with 13.3 million annual visitors. Full and LITE report editions available.
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Home to Dollywood — the most-visited ticketed attraction in the Southeast — and a 10M+ annual visitor draw. Full and LITE report editions available.
Additional market reports are in development. If you have a specific market you'd like to see covered, we'd be glad to hear from you.
David Blake
David spent 26 years founding and running a specialist firm that acted as commercial agent for some of the world's leading intergovernmental research organisations — including the OECD, the IMF, and the World Bank — distributing their reports, data, and online publications to corporates, government departments, and university libraries worldwide.
That career was built on one principle: that the right data, packaged correctly and put in front of the right buyers, has real commercial value. Gateway Market Intelligence applies exactly that philosophy to the STR and hospitality investment market — producing research of the quality that institutional buyers expect, for individual investors who need it.
Ready to See the Research?
Browse our full range of market reports, or get in touch if you have a question about our research or methodology.