MIAMI, October 18, 2018: The International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) announced Emily Wilson as the recipient of the fourth annual Lori Raleigh Award for Emerging Excellence in Hospitality Consulting. Wilson was honored at the ISHC annual conference, held this year in Miami Beach, Fla. The guest of honor received a complimentary registration and travel allowance to attend the three-day event, including access to global hospitality experts featured throughout the conference program and exclusive ISHC member networking events. Wilson also was awarded a complimentary one-year Associate Membership to the ISHC to further professional relationships and continue experiencing all that the Society has to offer through events and interacting with top hospitality industry consultants from around the globe.
“It is important to ISHC to recognize and encourage young talented individuals who are on the path to becoming future industry leaders. Emily’s achievements and success this early on in her career are quite impressive. We’re thrilled to have her join the ranks of the best of the best in hospitality consulting as an Associate Member of ISHC,” commented Andrea Belfanti, ISHC executive director.
Wilson is a vice president and asset manager at CHMWarnick, a global hotel asset management and owner advisory services firm. She is responsible for enhancing asset value on behalf of a wide range of property types and brands, with direct asset management responsibility for approximately $750 million in client investments. She specializes in implementing strategies for optimizing performance of select-service hotels and large-scale convention properties and has identified significant value upside opportunities through revenue management and group booking strategies. Emily was named as one of “The Hotel Industry’s Top Rising Talent Under 30” by Hotel Management in 2014 and has authored several published articles on hotel ownership issues. Prior to joining CHMWarnick in 2013, Wilson worked in operations for Ocean Properties, where she held a variety of management positions within the front office and housekeeping departments, as well as served as a member of the task force team, where she served as an interim general manager. Wilson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management from the University of New Hampshire and certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management from Cornell University. Wilson is a member of the Hospitality Asset Managers’ Association and sits on the Advisory Board as the University Scholarship Coordinator for Come Unity, a non-profit organization that partners with East African communities to develop sustainable solutions to poverty.
“Being awarded the Lori Raleigh Award for Emerging Excellence from the esteemed members of the ISHC is quite an honor. As women in hospitality, I feel it is our duty to build bridges for the next generation, which is exactly what this award stands to do. Becoming a member of this close-knit organization will provide networking opportunities that I plan to leverage, not only for my career, but for the advancement of all women within the industry. In my field of hotel asset management, I am often the only woman sitting in meetings. I’ve learned how to make my voice heard and my ideas respected, but I look forward to the day when the room is half filled with other women. Since I’ve only worked in the industry for a decade or so, I look forward to decades to come and the changes we will make together.”
The award is named in honor of Lori Raleigh, who is well known as an advocate for continuing education in hospitality consulting and for supporting young talent with creative and passionate leadership. Raleigh is the founder of The Travers Group and served as the executive director of the ISHC from 2000 to 2013. She also contributed to two important industry texts, co-authoring Hotel Investments: Issues & Perspectives and serving as co-editor and contributing author of Hotel Asset Management: Principles and Practices.
Candidates for The Lori Raleigh Award had to meet the below criteria at the time of nomination:
- 35 years of age or younger at the time of the award presentation
- Five years’ experience in a hospitality-related field with a minimum of three years of specific hospitality consulting experience
- Recognized by leaders within their company or other industry constituents familiar with their work as exceptional and leadership material
- Must be working for a company that provides third-party consulting or advisory services to the hospitality industry and be actively involved or responsible for providing advisory services to clients of the firm
For more information on The Lori Raleigh Award, please visit www.ishc.com/awards.
