The winning entrants have been announced for a competition helping women embark on a career in hotel ownership and development.

She Has A Deal, a real-estate investment platform that endeavours to create pathways towards hotel ownership and development for women, has awarded its grand prize to Celeste Companies.

The competition process

The winners were announced at an event held in early June 2021, marking the culmination of a process in which participants completed more than 12 hours of intensive investment education over the past year, delving into key areas such as how to source, evaluate and raise capital for hotel deals.

A virtual preliminary round saw the selection of five teams, which then moved onto the competition finals. On the day, these entrants pitched to a judging panel made up of top-level hotel business executives, as well as entrepreneurs and investors.

In an event held at Hilton’s Innovation Gallery at Hilton McLean Tysons Corner in Virginia, and broadcast on the She Has a Deal website, three prizes were awarded.

She Has A Deal 2021 winners

The Viewer’s Choice award, which was voted for by a livestream audience, went to PEN Investments by Nadia Cismesia, Polina Shavrina and Emma Toppi of Michigan State University. Second place was secured by Eden Investment Management by Angel Deng and Kayleen Fan, with a cash award of US$5,000, and the grand prize went to Celeste Companies by Emma Claire Spring.

As the overall winner, Spring was awarded $50,000 in deal equity through SHaD Prosperity Fund I, a platform for investment in women-led hotel ventures.

Spring, who is a graduate of Washington State University, said: “I have dreamed of becoming a hotel owner since I was a little girl, and I’m proud to say that dream will now become a reality.

“I am so incredibly grateful for everything I’ve learned, the people I’ve met, and the confidence I’ve gained from this experience. This is just the beginning of my hotel ownership experience. I’m excited to see what the future brings and to continue breaking the glass ceiling.”

The winning pitch

Spring pitched a Delta Hotel conversion project in Chantilly, Virginia, putting forward plans to undertake a renovation, add meeting space and introduce an American-style casual dining concept. Her proposal included detailing the process of negotiating key money and identifying a management company.

Noah Silverman, global development officer for the US and Canada at Marriott International, said: “It was an incredibly inspiring day. The future of our industry is in good hands, and it’s clear that more and more of those hands will belong to women.”

Tracy Prigmore, founder of She Has a Deal, added: “I’m so proud of Emma Claire. All of the pitches were extraordinary, and she really put in the work to stand out. For a solo pitcher to win just shows that, if you want something badly enough and are willing to work for it, big things can happen.

“After holding a scaled-back version of the pitch competition last year due to the pandemic, it was thrilling to be able to execute everything we envisioned. I am so grateful to our sponsors, especially founding sponsors Marriott International and Hilton, for helping us bring this to life.”

Applications for the 2022 competition will be accepted from 24 June – 15 September 2021.

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