Alec Dalton

2019 YOUNG ALUMNI OF THE YEAR RECIPIENT

A passion for exceptional guest experiences fuels Alec Dalton’s leadership in service science. He pivoted from hotels to headquarters over the past decade, starting with the operation of five luxury properties and then holding various corporate roles with industry pioneers like Marriott International, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. In 2018, Hotel Management Magazine recognized him on the “30 Under 30” list for rising hospitality executives. More recently, Alec co-authored the international best-selling book Customer Experience, a guide to experience marketing, operations, and strategy.

Alec currently serves as Senior Manager of Global Quality for Marriott International. Alec balances improving guest experiences worldwide while maintaining profitable, on-strategy hotels across 30 award-winning brands, like St. Regis, Westin, and Courtyard. He is chiefly responsible for developing systems, tools, and training to help operators enhance the performance of nearly 7,500 hotels in the Marriott portfolio. He also partners with senior executives as an internal consultant on operations strategy and research.

Beyond Marriott, Alec serves on the Advisory Board of HorizonCX, a boutique customer experience consultancy. He previously worked in lodging operations for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts and Grand Heritage Hotel Group. The Council for Six Sigma Certification recognizes him as a Certified Six Sigma Green Belt, and the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute named him a Certified Rooms Division Executive and a Certified Hotel Industry Analyst. Alec holds membership in the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the American Society for Quality, and the Customer Experience Professionals Association.

Alec graduated from Boston University with dual bachelor’s degrees from the School of Hospitality Administration and the Questrom School of Business. His involvement in the SHA community included co-founding the university’s chapter of AH&LA, recruiting prospective students as a Dean’s Host, and ultimately serving as President of the school’s student government in his senior year. Alec earned membership in several distinguished organizations, including Eta Sigma Delta, Beta Gamma Sigma, Alpha Kappa Psi, and BU’s Scarlet Key Honor Society. Upon his graduation, he was conferred the Dean’s Leadership Service Award for his contributions to student life. In honor of his faculty advisor and trusted mentor, Alec now serves on the leadership committee for the Mike Oshins Freshman Experience Fund.

In addition to his recent book, Alec’s scholarly research has been published in the Journal of Foodservice Business Research and in Hospitality Management Learning Modules by Pearson. Along with Drs. Peter Szende and Michelle Yoo, he is the co-editor of a forthcoming textbook on hospitality operations management. He frequently lectures on topics in hospitality operations and quality management, often returning to the classrooms of SHA to share knowledge with the next generation of hospitality leaders.