The International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) today announced Alison Hoyt as the winner of the second annual Lori Raleigh Award for Emerging Excellence in Hospitality Consulting. Hoyt attended the ISHC annual conference from September 22-24 in Seattle, Wash., where she was officially presented the award. The event provided an opportunity for Hoyt to network with members and experience the conference program, in addition to the one-year associate ISHC membership she received for further relationship building with top industry consultants and professional advancement the exclusive society has to offer.

“Alison epitomizes young leadership and motivation, proving to be the ideal candidate for the award. She is an analytical-minded problem solver and highly respected by senior executives within STR, portraying professionalism beyond her years and a command of the hospitality industry that exceeds her experience,” said Kristie Dickinson, ISHC award committee chair and senior vice president of CHMWarnick. “She has demonstrated superior work in analytics and custom product development, and leads in many extracurricular activities, such as writing for industry trade publication Hotel News Now, among a plethora of other achievements. Her strong work ethic and drive in career progression are remarkable, and we are confident that this award will inspire her to continue to grow towards becoming a top industry leader.”

Hoyt currently is working at STR as director of consulting and analytics and taking leadership roles on internal committees, having been promoted twice within four years at the company. Her responsibilities include overseeing consulting assignments, developing analytical models and templates, creating custom products and presenting industry data. Additional duties include finding new industry applications for 30 years of hotel performance data, training new associates, assisting with internal projects such as STR’s online data platform and representing the company as a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events. During her tenure with STR, Hoyt has developed custom data templates for several clients, designed underwriting templates in order to streamline their due diligence processes and worked with several of the major hotel firms in evaluating the validity of their competitive sets. Prior to STR, Hoytworked at Starwood and at her family's ski resort in New Hampshire. She attended Cornell’s Hotel School, is president of the Colorado-Rocky Mountain chapter of the Cornell Hotel Society and is certified in hotel industry analytics from AH&LA. She also is vice president of adoptions for Save the Giants Rescue, a volunteer dog rescue organization.

“The Lori Raleigh Award for Emerging Excellence provides an opportunity to propel my professional career forward and forge personalized industry relationships, which are so crucial to the consulting practice and my future in the industry. This recognition also is near and dear to my upbringing in the hospitality industry, being the youngest of the fifth generation of my family’s resort in New Hampshire, and I only hope to continue my growth moving forward,” Hoyt noted. “Becoming acquainted with all areas of the hotel industry throughout my career, I trust the win will set an example of goals future candidates will strive to achieve, knowing the unique experience and exclusive opportunities the award can bring to their career progression.”

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. She 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.

About ISHC

The International Society of Hospitality Consultants is truly the leading source for global hospitality expertise, represented by over two hundred of the industry’s most respected professionals from across six continents. Collectively, ISHC members provide expert services in over fifty functional areas and have specialized skills in virtually every segment of the hospitality industry. ISHC is dedicated to promoting the highest quality of professional consulting standards and practices for the hospitality industry. Candidates undergo a rigorous screening process, ensuring that all ISHC members have a reputation of integrity and are qualified by their experience, training and knowledge to develop and express sound judgment on industry issues. Additional information about the organization, along with a directory of ISHC members, is available on the ISHC website at www.ishc.com.