A 2023 report by the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) stated that Indian Americans own 40 percent of all hotels and motels in the United States, approximately 20,000 properties. 70 percent out of these are owned by Gujaratis with the surname “Patel”. Their story has been documented in a book written by author Mahendra K Doshi. Titled ‘Surat to San Francisco,’ the book tells the story of how the Patels rose to prominence in the US hotel and motel industry. It was written after myriad interviews with Patels and others from the hotel landscape.
The Gujarati Patels have a huge ownership in the hotel and motel business in the US and in the next 10 years, they might own 75 percent of all properties categorized as so because they’ve attained that “status”, says Doshi in an interview with New India Abroad (NIA). “They can demand things and get it done,” Doshi says, highlighting the influence of the Gujarati hotel owners.
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