Like many among the second generation of Indian-American hoteliers, Bharat (Bruce) Patel can say he was born into the business. The Dallas-based owner and developer, along with his younger brother and sister, was raised in the small apartment of a motel owned by his father, A.V. Patel, providing them with a thorough grounding in every aspect of lodging. “It was really enriching for me from an educational perspective,” Patel says, “watching my father, especially, and all the hard work and discipline in his system. It helped me have a greater appreciation of life in general, especially to be able to absorb those values on a day-to-day basis.” This strong family upbringing set Patel on the right path to achieve hospitality career success. Next month, the 41-year-old hotelier will hit a career milestone when he assumes the chairmanship of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA).
Patel says his father impressed upon him and his siblings that education came first. “He came to this country as one of seven siblings and accidentally pursued the American Dream—get an education, work hard, and create a better life for your family,” he says. “Without an education, we were told, you can’t really grow in every aspect of life.”
Patel graduated near the top of his class at the University of Houston’s hotel school, then from the University of Texas/Dallas where he received his MBA. “I took my studies very seriously, but along the way I also loved athletics—basketball was my number-one love,” he says. “I wasn’t part of a formal athletic program, but basketball has really been an important part of my life, though more as a spectator these days.”
Even as he was finishing his college education, Patel continued working in the family business, with an eye toward learning every department inside and out, growing RevPAR in their limited-service properties, and getting into the development arena. Over the next few years he mastered operations, grew RevPAR (as much as 12 percent in one year), and got involved in developing hotel projects throughout Texas.
Today Patel, his father, and brother, Danny, head up Dallas-based Dabu Hotels, which owns 12 properties spread across five major franchise brands. Patel has also been involved in the development of another dozen hotels, most flagged with major brands in the Dallas, Austin, and Houston markets. “Location and brand fitness really matter,” he says. “My brother and I have passed on development opportunities because of inferior location sites or inappropriate brand selection.”
Although the Patel family has more lodging projects planned, they aren’t rushing the matter, particularly due to the uncertainty surrounding the U.S. economy. Patel considers the present-day economic cycle to be at its peak, with possibly another year to go in its current situation. “Maybe even longer from a hotel perspective, depending on what happens with the ever-concerning global economy,” Patel says.
As he was learning the business, Patel was assimilated into another dimension of the Indian-American hotel experience: Through his father’s participation in the formation of AAHOA, he steadily got more involved in the organization’s activities, beginning in the mid-1990s. “My father was a board member and subsequent officer of AAHOA, and so naturally our family was volunteering a lot at that time,” he says. “When I first got involved, AAHOA was looking to get recognized by the hotel industry,” Patel continues. “Today, AAHOA is a major part of the industry. We owe that to a lot of past chairmen, past board directors, and volunteers and leaders throughout AAHOA’s history.”
While AAHOA may be a fully matured trade organization with membership at an all-time high (15,000), there’s still room to grow, Patel says. The organization could double its membership over the next 10 years, he explains, noting the potential in second-generation hoteliers, as well as hotel professionals from the overall industry. “We’re instrumental in creating smarter, more aware hotel owners and developers through our education programs,” Patel says.
In looking toward the year ahead, Patel takes confidence from the strategic continuity that will be handed over to him by 2015 Chairman Jay R. (Jimmy) Patel. “As incoming chair this year, alongside my fellow officers and my board of directors, our challenge will be to accelerate our reach,” he says. “To assist in shaping the hotel environment to make it friendlier to develop and operate hotels, we’ve got great partners, like the AH&LA and others, to create a unified industry.
“And when you look at the challenges in general, they range from more of an industry perspective than anything,” he continues. “While the pundits are showing a pretty good picture of RevPAR, rate, and occupancy for 2016, there’s a shaky global economy, which is a cause for concern that mandates awareness for our owners. There are also matters of the franchisor/franchisee balance, the regulatory environment, legislative issues that face our members, as well as the industry in general. And we’ve got a gridlocked political system, which does not help our economy in general, and it certainly does not assist in a small-business economy where our owners lie.”
Come April, Patel will be ready to take on the chairman’s mantle. He’s been preparing for it his entire life.
