At this year’s Altos awards, we are recognising Rising Stars in the industry who have gone above and beyond to achieve amazing results and have raised the eyebrows of industry leaders and experts. This headline category is determined by public vote, with the winner revealed during the awards ceremony on Thursday, December 1st at the Tate Modern in London. Good luck to all the nominees!
Rising Star Nominees
Jake Seage, Head of Corporate Sales at STAY
Jake’s interest in the hospitality sector started at a young age; he started out as a bar supervisor at Royal Ascot years ago and has worked in the industry both in service and in global mobility. At Cycas, Jake successfully opened 4 Marriott Residence Inns in Europe in the short time frame of 1.5 years. He then relocated to Amsterdam for a mentorship, after which he furthered his experience in the industry at Marlin before moving into his role at STAY Camden. Jake has been actively involved with ASAP for over 9 years, recently becoming Deputy Chairman ahead of his appointment as Chairman in 2023.
David Wright, Portfolio Development Manager & Business Development Manager at Mansley Serviced Apartments
David has worked at Mansley Serviced Apartments for 13 years, starting at the very bottom and now currently holding the dual role of Portfolio Development Manager and Business Development Manager. In the past year alone, David has set about endlessly networking and establishing new contacts helping to drive up the awareness of the Mansley brand, leading the company to secure ‘Best Operator of 51-200 Units’ at the Serviced Apartments Awards. David’s drive and personality have catapulted him to become a known figure in the industry.
Lisa Alarcon, COO at Tempd
Lisa is a Certified Corporate Housing Professional (CCHP) with extensive experience in both commercial and residential property management as well as expertise in corporate housing. She often volunteers on several conference planning task forces and was the former Events & Education Chair for the Apartment Association of New Hampshire. At Tempd, Lisa ensures that the properties in their network are functional, furnished, and finessed, with a strong sense of home so guests immediately feel comfortable and at ease.
Flo Stich, COO at Turbosuite
Flo was recently appointed as COO at Turbosuite, a young startup based in Sevilla, Spain, with a completely new approach to Revenue Management. After having shown incredible growth in Spanish-speaking markets, Flo’s mandate is to bring this innovative technology to Europe and North America. Flo is a highly regarded thought leader in the industry, noted for his humour and outspokenness, particularly in regard to short-term rentals. He boasts an impressive network of C-suite executives, built over the years thanks to his dedication and hard work within the industry.
Kamil Krzyżanowski, CEO at Renters.pl
Renters.pl supports apartment owners in managing short-term rentals, increasing their ROI by up to 50%. Renters.pl’s portfolio has over 1,600 properties and their monumental success has meant that they are the only Polish company included in the Top 50 Short Term Property Managers ranking. Kamil and Renters.pl continue to take the industry by storm and have become Marriott’s first partner in Poland. Their five-star approach to each hotel room and the guest experience has solidified their position in the industry, as has their innovative approach to guest communication; during the pandemic, they introduced a messenger app that serves as one point of contact, meaning that guests did not have to risk COVID-19 by interacting with the team face-to-face.
Kaushik Das, Managing Director at High Sky Hospitality
High Sky Hospitality has a selection of properties for corporate stays in India’s most sought-after locations. Kaushik and his team went above and beyond during the pandemic, with his staff helping guests suffering from COVID-19, ensuring that they had a top-quality stay despite being unwell. Staff kept up the high quality of service at the hotel, delivering food and making sure everyone felt safe and secure despite the pandemic, reassuring guests throughout.
Andrew Ozigi, Founder and Chairman of home.ly
Andrew founded home.ly in 2016 and hasn’t looked back since. With several years of hands-on experience, grit, and perseverance, home.ly specialises in providing serviced apartments. Like many, home.ly suffered during the pandemic, but Andrew analysed market data and trends to bound back, harnessing his knowledge to acquire large apartment blocks from other providers and improving their ESG rating. His innovative approach has led to home.ly becoming a million-pound business that boasts occupancy rates of over 80% in London’s prime locations such as Camden, Liverpool Street, and King’s Cross.
Sanjog Charan, Director of Relocation Services at IKAN Relocation
Sanjog is an integral part of IKAN Relocation and has personally relocated over 150 families with a 100% satisfaction rate, always achieving fantastic results from both RMCs and direct clients. His extensive knowledge of all aspects of global mobility, particularly corporate housing, is nothing short of impressive. He also specialises in immigration, a hot topic in India as more people relocate to be in a buzzing, culturally diverse country.
Jon Lawry, CEO at The Urban Butler
Jon and Urban Butler have had a whirlwind 12 months in which they raised Series A investment capital, appointed advisors and subsequently an advisory board, appointed an operations manager to develop a sustainable growth strategy, and much more. Most importantly, Jon has created a flexible work-from-anywhere culture, which has brought The Urban Butler team closer together as it has had a positive impact on the personal lives of his staff. By prioritising his staff’s work/life balance, Jon has created a warm, welcoming culture that allows people to work around their personal lives. A natural people person, Jon speaks at large conferences and has an impressive industry network.
Congratulations to all the nominees! Cast your vote by midnight on Friday, November 4th. While all of these nominees are stars in our eyes, you may only vote once.
