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Nominations Open for the 2025 ALIS Caribbean and Latin America Rising Star Award to Be Presented at ALIS CALA – Image Credit ISHC
The International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) in partnership with The Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) presented Ben Weprin, Founder and CEO of AJ Capital Partners and creator of several hospitality brands such as Graduate Hotels, Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts, Field & Stream Lodge Co., with the 2025 Pioneer Award. Each year, the award recognizes an individual considered a pioneer in their field by making an outstanding contribution, achievement, or improvement in the hospitality industry.
Pictured left to right: Aaron Anderson, ISHC Awards Committee Co-Chair and Contributor, The 26 CO, Andrea Belfanti, CEO ISHC, Ben Weprin, Founder and CEO, AJ Capital Partners, Kristie Dickinson, ISHC Chair and Managing Director/EVP, CHMWarnick, Jeff Higley, ISHC, President, The BHN Group by Northstar
Kristie Dickinson, ISHC Chair and Managing Director/EVP of CHMWarnick, presented Weprin with the award during the conference plenary session. Dickinson later commented, “Ben is a visionary brand builder, storyteller, and investor in the hospitality space. He has a solid track record in uncovering success in niche markets that others may have overlooked, developing brands such as Graduate Hotels in university markets, among others, which have redefined product types through highly experiential offerings. Ben is relentless in his pursuit of transformative hospitality investments, ensuring that historic and culturally significant properties are revitalized to foster vibrant, community-driven experiences. He is one of ISHC’s youngest recipients of the Pioneer Award, if not the youngest, and it was an honor to present Ben with this award and interview him at the ALIS Conference.”
“Hospitality has captivated me since the start of my real estate career. It’s an industry where everything feels tangible – the human connection, thoughtful design, authenticity, and placemaking that transforms spaces into unforgettable destinations,” Weprin notes. “At AJ Capital, we’ve had the privilege of crafting distinctive brands and timeless independent hotels, including our most recent project, Coral Sands Inn & Cottages in Harbour Island. The visionaries on this list, icons like Ian Schrager and Barry Sternlicht, whom I’m fortunate to call mentors and friends, have been a constant source of inspiration throughout my journey, and I am honored to stand aside them.”
Established in 1996, ISHC Pioneer Award winners are selected on a basis of three criteria: active involvement in the hospitality industry; contribution to the industry; and personal/organizational attributes and qualities adhering to professional standards recognized and respected by industry peers.
“Ben’s vision for Graduate Hotels exemplifies the pioneering spirit that the award represents in addition to solidifying the important influence experience-based properties have had on the overall hotel industry,” said Jeff Higley, President of The BHN Group. “Curating a collection of hotels with local significance and national impact is a noteworthy and feat that will serve as inspiration for future hotel trailblazers.”
Past recipients of the Pioneer Award include:
- Tracy Prigmore (2024)
- Alejandro Zozaya (2023)
- Peggy Berg (2022)
- Marilyn Carlson Nelson (2020)
- Jack DeBoer (2019)
- Wing T. Chao (2018)
- Ian Schrager (2017)
- Lyndall DeMarco (2016)
- Stephen Kaufer (2015)
- Michael Bedner (2014)
- Steve Rushmore (2013)
- Chip Conley (2012)
- Kathleen Taylor (2011)
- Leland C. Pillsbury (2010)
- J.W. Marriott (2009)
- Jean Gabriel Peres (2008)
- Stanley Selengut (2008)
- Jean-Claude Baumgarten (2007)
- James E. Burba (2007)
- Stelios Haji-Ioannou (2006)
- H.P. Rama (2006)
- Costakis Loizou (2005)
- Barry Sternlicht (2005)
- Christel DeHaan (2004)
- Regis Bulot (2004)
- Bill Kimpton (2002)
- Jonathan M. Tisch (2001)
- Michael A. Leven (2000)
- Jack Vaughn (1999)
- George Johnson (1998)
- Randell A. Smith (1997)
