Vision Hospitality Group Founder and CEO Mitch Patel rose to his current position from “humble beginnings” as owner/operator of a small hotel, a role that gave him an appreciation for both the aspirations of hospitality employees as well as the hurdles owners face in pursuing their American Dream. He brings that foundation, along with decades of industry experience, to his new position as 2025 board chair of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), following his tenure as vice chair. Succeeding 2024 Board Chair Kevin Jacobs, whom he praises for “outstanding leadership … particularly in a challenging year,” Patel aims to build on last year’s advocacy successes by continuing to ensure the collective voice of the industry is heard on Capitol Hill and working to complete AHLA’s five-year strategic plan.
In the following exclusive interview with LODGING, Patel elaborates on his priorities for 2025 in view of the opportunities and challenges for owners, operators, and developers in today’s political and economic climate. He also discusses the passion for hospitality that drives him to succeed in his own business and to pave the way for anyone seeking career fulfillment in the industry.
How did your early career experiences prepare you for your leadership roles in hospitality?
I started our company with humble beginnings, owning and operating a small hotel. Those early days provided me with firsthand experience of both the challenges and opportunities our industry faces.
On one hand, I developed a deep appreciation for the people side of this business. On the other hand, as an owner, I gained a clear understanding of the daily challenges owners face, from workforce issues and market uncertainties to rising costs of doing business.
This unique perspective—empathy for the people who drive our industry and insight into the owner’s role—has prepared me for this leadership position and to advocate for protecting the business model that sustains livelihoods across the hospitality landscape. As leaders, it is our responsibility to tell our stories of the American Dream and ensure the continued success of this amazing industry for all who depend on it.
What do you find most rewarding about the hotel industry?
Our industry creates incredible opportunities for millions of people—not just to have a job, but to build meaningful careers. I’ve had the privilege to witness the opportunities our industry provides for individuals to succeed. It’s inspiring to see individuals start as housekeepers or at the front desk and work their way up to become general managers and beyond. Through these opportunities, we are truly changing lives and enhancing people’s futures. That’s a powerful and deeply fulfilling purpose.
What are the most significant hospitality industry trends that emerged in 2024, in your opinion?
In 2024, key trends include sustainability, with greater demand for eco-friendly practices, wellness-focused stays, and the integration of AI to enhance guest experiences and create greater operational efficiencies. Travelers are seeking more experiences, while workforce challenges remain critical as we strive to attract and retain talent.
From your vantage point as the leader of Vision Hospitality Group, which are the most important recent trends in hotel management specifically?
Our business model continues to be challenged. The rising costs of labor, goods, insurance, and debt has placed significant pressure on the hotelier’s business model. This has impacted the livelihoods of so many in our industry and significantly limited our ability to grow. Hoteliers need to focus on improving and growing their businesses rather than navigating outside operational challenges like labor shortages, regulatory overreach, onerous legislation, and inflation. With these issues, it’s become more important than ever to advocate for a better business environment going forward.
What are your top priorities as chair, and how do you plan to build upon your work as vice chair?
First, I would like to thank our outgoing chair, Kevin Jacobs. His outstanding leadership was instrumental, particularly in a challenging year. I am humbled and honored to be standing on the shoulders of so many great leaders who have made AHLA what it is today. We are fortunate that we have an engaged board, we are in the middle of a five-year strategic plan, and most importantly we have a talented team here at AHLA. Ultimately, our job at AHLA is to successfully advocate for this amazing industry. My priorities are to achieve that by focusing our work in a few key areas:
We will passionately tell the industry’s story to lawmakers and the general public, highlighting how hotels are a pathway to the American Dream for small-business owners, and millions of employees across the nation. Advocacy is storytelling—it’s about shaping the narrative of our industry. If we don’t take charge of telling our story, someone else will define it for us.
We will aggressively advocate for policies that promote and protect our industry. The hotel industry is inherently fragmented, making it essential to build a stronger, united coalition across every state and major city in America. Together, we can ensure our collective voice is heard at every level of government.
We will continue to grow AHLA’s footprint of industry-leading conferences, like The Hospitality Show—the world’s leading hospitality technology and operations event—as well as important AHLA Foundation events like ForWard: Advancing Women in Hospitality and the Night of a Thousand Stars Gala.
Finally, AHLA will continue its thought leadership in rallying the industry around important priorities like AHLA Foundation’s No Room For Trafficking effort as well as AHLA sustainability initiatives like Responsible Stay and Green Key Global.
On a related note, I was proud to be part of the search committee for AHLA’s new president & CEO, Rosanna Maietta, and we’re thrilled to have her back at the association. Her deep knowledge of the hotel industry, AHLA, AHLA Foundation, and our members will be vital in moving us forward in 2025 and into the future.
What do you see as the biggest opportunities and challenges for U.S. hoteliers going forward?
I’m always an optimist when it comes to the hotel industry, and looking at the legislative landscape across the nation, I think AHLA can deliver some important wins for hoteliers in the near future. This is particularly true at the federal level, where momentum to extend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and pass nationwide lodging fee transparency legislation is growing.
Ongoing challenges include the enduring workforce shortage, the lingering effects of inflation eating into the bottom lines of hoteliers, and the growing threat of state and local policies that target hotels with burdensome operational mandates. But 2024 showed once again the progress we can make when hoteliers work together and speak with one voice through AHLA, and I’m very optimistic about what we can achieve in 2025.
Please share your viewpoint on the potential impact of the presidential election result on the lodging industry.
AHLA has always been a bipartisan organization that works with every administration and every Congress to advance policies on behalf of the hotel industry, and we will continue to do just that.
Our pitch to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle is simple and effective: communities, economies, and workers in every congressional district across the nation benefit from the jobs and opportunities that are created when hoteliers get a fair chance to succeed and grow their businesses.
When it comes to the new balance of power in Washington, we’re obviously excited about the prospect of getting the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act extended, and we’ll be working closely with Congress and the Trump Administration to ensure key hotelier priorities like pass-through deductions and like-kind exchanges are maintained as part of that effort.
AHLA is an advocacy-first organization. Over the past 115 years, our organization has evolved into a unified voice that represents one of the most impactful and dynamic industries in the world, but our commitment has not changed. We will continue to advocate for this amazing industry of ours that sustains millions of livelihoods across this great nation, and I am deeply honored to be a part of it.
