Atlanta, GA (May 20, 2019): The International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) today announced that nominations are being accepted for the fifth annual Lori Raleigh Award for Emerging Excellence in Hospitality Consulting. Launched in 2015 in honor of Lori Raleigh, founder of the Travers Group and executive director of ISHC 2000-2013, the award honors young, successful industry professionals with leadership qualities and a perceived bright future in hospitality consulting.
“The Lori Raleigh Award for Emerging Excellence in Hospitality Consulting provides an opportunity to recognize young professionals, who demonstrate early career success and leadership qualities,” said Andrea Belfanti. “For any industry to succeed, there must be a constant influx of new perspectives, innovation and talent. ISHC looks to recognize the emerging class of hospitality consultants who are on the path to becoming future industry leaders and joining the exclusive ranks of ISHC membership.”
Candidates for The Lori Raleigh Award must be 35 years of age or younger at the time of the award presentation and meet the criteria for ISHC’s associate membership including five years’ experience in a hospitality-related field with a minimum of three years of specific hospitality consulting experience. They also must be recognized by their company leaders or other industry constituents who are familiar with their work as an exceptional example of a future leader within the field. At the time of nomination, a candidate must be either a self-practitioner or working for a company that provides third-party consulting services to the hospitality industry and be actively involved or responsible for providing advisory services to clients of the firm (e.g., hospitality consulting firms, third-party hospitality asset managers, architects, designers, food and beverage consultants, hospitality lawyers, purchasing companies, etc.). Prior award winners are not eligible for nomination, while prior nominees who have not previously won remain eligible. Winner must be available to attend the ISHC annual conference for the award presentation in Vienna, Austria at the Andaz Vienna Am Belvedere, September 12 – 14, 2019.
Nominations are due by June 15, 2019. Winners will receive a one-year Associate Membership to ISHC, including access to all meetings and networking functions, as well as complimentary registration and travel allowance to attend to the 2019 annual conference to receive the award.
Last year’s winner was Emily Wilson, vice president and asset manager at CHMWarnick, a global hotel asset management and owner advisory services firm. Wilson is responsible for enhancing asset value on behalf of a wide range of property types and brands, with direct asset management responsibility for approximately $750M 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. Wilson 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, a certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management from Cornell University and recently completed leadership training through The Castell Project. Wilson is a member of the Hospitality Asset Managers’ Association and sits on the Board 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 has been an incredible honor. Having the opportunity to meet other ISHC members and leverage the network for professional growth has been highly beneficial. In the field of Asset Management, I am constantly seeking new and better ways to build value for hotel owners and being part of this network allows for on-going learning of industry best practices. Knowing this award is named for a trailblazing woman in the industry encourages me to keep moving forward in my career and help widen the path to leadership for other women to follow” said Wilson.
“It is important to ISHC to give back to the hospitality industry and foster new talent, and it is wonderful to recognize emerging consultants that already are making an impact,” said Andrea Belfanti, ISHC executive director. “Since the award winner is invited to be an associate ISHC member for a year and to attend our annual conference, we hope this will be a real career catalyst by providing unique educational and networking opportunities. ISHC believes in the power of collaboration and idea exchange and the immense impact that can have on an individual and the industry.”
For more information on The Lori Raleigh Award, please visit www.ishc.com/awards or go directly to the nomination form here.
