I stayed at the Holiday Inn and all I got was poisoned.

[CoolBreeze]

The Holiday Inn Express here in Charleston where one man died, another barely alive,
and many sickened from carbon monoxide last week… was owned by the Patel Family.


Who Are The Patels?

The Patels are an extremely large family of Indians belonging to a popular Gujarati caste. The name Patel means "landowner". Since their arrival to the United States several decades ago, they have purchased a massive amount of property, mostly in cheap motels and SRO hotels.

"Patel Motel" phenomenon

The "Patel motel" phenomenon, as it is popularly known, has made a major impact on the American hospitality industry.

Amongst Indian immigrants to US, the surname is the second most common last name, following Singh. "The trend started in the early 1940's, though the real growth took place in the 1960's and 1970's.

A sizable number of Indian immigrants to the United States came in the 1960s and 1970s, when the motel industry was booming. Many of them bought up undervalued and dilapidated properties and turned them into businesses.

As many as 60% of mid-sized motels and hotel properties, all over the US, are owned by the people of Indian origin. Of this nearly one-third have the surname Patel - a popular one among Indian Gujaratis(those that came from Gujarat).

"According to the Asian American Hotel Association (A.A.H.O.A), 50 percent of hotels and motels in the United States are owned by people of Indian Origin".

A large immigrant population of Gujurati's came in the 1960s and 1970s. These Patels known as the founding fathers, worked hard and saved then invested in a lot of properties. Having a steady amount income and savings, they called over their distant relatives and friends from the villages of India. Upon their arrival, they would already have financial assistance from the founding fathers and start up their own businesses. Even though Patels are evenly spread throughout the country they still have held onto their vast network, which has definitely been a key to their entrepreneurship.