The second installment of LODGING’s 2024 Owner Series focuses on the remarkable career story of Sanjay Patel, CEO/president of Brahmas Management & Investment Group, who immigrated from India to America and rose from night auditor to multi-property owner. Look for the third installment later this month.
A prime example of how the American Dream can be realized with hard work, Sanjay Patel, CEO/president of Tampa, Florida-based Brahmas Management & Investment Group, immigrated from India to America in 1996 with just $10 in his pocket and built his hospitality career from the ground up. What he lacked in initial funds, he more than made up for with a combination of dedication and business savvy, which facilitated his rise to GM and ultimately owner of a portfolio of 11 hotels.
Upon arriving in United States, Patel worked for a small hotel in Tampa, Florida, owned by one of his uncles. “Every time he would go on a trip, he would let me handle his hotel. And that’s when I came to realize that this was something I liked to do, and I wanted to pursue my career in the hospitality industry. So, I went out there and looked for a job,” Patel recalled. He landed a position as a night auditor with a local independent hotel, a job that eventually gave him the opportunity to learn more about various hotel roles, from housekeeping to the front desk. In three short years, Patel moved to a larger hotel in southwest Florida, where he ultimately became GM.
A key takeaway from his rise to GM is that Patel took no shortcuts; in fact, he did the opposite. “I didn’t take a day off in three years. As a 20-year-old, I could have easily gone to bars and clubs and so on, but I chose to work up to 16 hours a day for three years,” said Patel. That sacrifice was driven by passion and an internalization of the mission of the hotel he was working for, irrespective of his role. “Every dollar that was coming in, I acted as if it was coming in for me as an owner, instead of just being an employee,” he explained. “I used to take more pride in bringing the occupancy and ADR higher than perhaps the owner did. Every room that wasn’t sold was hurting me. That’s the passion I had, and that passion transferred to the team.”
Ascent to Ownership
As Patel was accustomed to thinking like an owner while he was an employee, it was natural for him to aspire to actual ownership. His breakthrough opportunity came in 2001 when he met a doctor who was a friend of the owner of the hotel where Patel served as GM. Witnessing firsthand Patel’s dedication to hospitality and his obvious talent, the doctor realized his potential to be a stakeholder in a hotel business venture he was trying to launch. “He said, ‘I came across this property in Pinellas Park [Florida], and I need someone to run it, because I’m a doctor and don’t have the experience.’ I had the experience, but unfortunately, I didn’t have the funds to invest in the hotel,” Patel explained. “And that’s when we worked out an agreement where I became a partner, and we bought our first hotel.”
After the first year of the hotel being open, its revenue more than doubled, from $250,000 to $650,000, and Patel was able to repay his portion of the loan. That impressive achievement was due in large part to the hard work of Patel and his family and only two on site housekeeping employees, as the hotel had no other onsite employees. “We made sure that we personalized the experience for every guest that came in and built up enough repeat business,” he said. “And based on my experience from my previous five years in the hotel industry, I was able to adjust the ADR to maximize occupancy, which reached almost 95 percent at one point.”
That successful ownership experience was the foundation for Brahmas Management & Investment Group, and subsequently Patel leveraged the franchising approach for strong performance across his converted hotels, beginning with a Comfort Inn. Six other Choice Hotels-branded properties eventually comprised his portfolio, which now includes 11 hotels. “Franchise relationships provide a lot of benefits to help a business succeed,” he maintained. “For example, franchise companies like Choice have a platform where the marketing is done right, and the biggest challenge as a hotel owner is marketing your property. Choice has a very good name out there for a midscale property. I felt that it brought a lot of value, and I’ve learned a lot from their team as well.”
Inspiring Lender Confidence
In addition to his fruitful relationships with franchisors, Patel has established strong connections with banks over the years by proving his business ventures to be solid investments. Financing for the first property where Patel had an ownership role was due to his partner’s credit level, but bank representatives would then visit to inspect the property, “and they would see how I do business and how I’ve grown,” he related. “So, during the economic downturn, the bank had some properties that were bankrupt or distressed and they asked me to help bring business back in, so they didn’t lose money from the sale of the property.” That kind of trust level paved the way for financing for his future projects.
Empowering Employees
The doctor that Patel partnered with for his first hotel recognized his talent and gave him that life-changing opportunity, and Patel tries to do the same with his staff members. He identifies employees who are as passionate and hard-working as he is and offers them a chance to be a stakeholder in the business. “If I see a hard-working employee, it doesn’t matter they are at the front desk or in housekeeping, and I don’t look for a degree. I look at the passion the person has,” he explained. “I train them the way I was trained, based on all my expertise from last 27 years in the industry. And once they are ready, I offer them a position in one of my new projects.” Thus, having realized his own American Dream, Patel gives back by helping to realize it for others.
