Photo: AAHOA’s leadership honored industry icon Mike Leven during the opening general session on April 25. From left, Secretary Vinay Patel; Vice-Chairwoman Jagruti Panwala; Chairman Hitesh (HP) Patel; Treasurer Biran Patel; Interim President/CEO Rachel Humphrey and Leven.
Owners, operators, managers and developers—and executives gathered to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) at its annual convention and trade show in San Diego, CA.
Taking to the conference stage as the opening general session’s first speaker was another reminder of the organization's start: industry icon Mike Leven. As president of Days Inn back in the late 1980s he, together with the late Lee Dushoff of Hotel Partners, was a seminal force in helping fight against the discrimination Asian Americans faced at the time and pushed hard to get AAHOA off the ground.
For his contributions to the organization, AAHOA’s board of directors presented Leven with a “Lifetime Achievement” award.
Noting how the efforts of Leven and Dushoff helped make AAHOA members “part of the mainstream of the lodging industry,” former chairman H P Rama said the organization was establishing a scholarship in their name at Kennesaw State University in Georgia.
In his speech, Leven also pointed to the significance of AAHOA’s incoming chairwoman, current Vice-Chairwoman Jagruti Panwala, who will be the first female in that slot as of April 27.
In his speech, current chairman Hitesh (HP) Patel noted 2018 was an “exceptional” year for AAHOA. “Building on a record year in 2017 was no easy task, but this is AAHOA and this is America, where anything is possible. AAHOA continued its exceptional growth in membership, advocacy and, importantly, education,” said Patel, telling the audience, “AAHOA’s growth and progress over this past year could not have been possible without your sacrifice to our association…it’s no secret that AAHOA continues to grow. Our voice is louder and more people are listening to what we have to say.”
Interim President/CEO Rachel Humphrey observed that the 30th-anniversary celebration presented “a time to reflect on all we have accomplished over the past decades and to look at all of the great things yet to come.”
Treasurer Biran Patel introduced a panel of four AAHOA members who have achieved “the kind of success that exceeds even the wildest American Dream,” he said.
Chip Rogers, president/CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association and former president/CEO of AAHOA, moderated the panel, which was comprised of Mitch Patel, CEO/Vision Hospitality Group; Al Patel, president/Baywood Hotels; Mehul Patel, chairman/CEO, NewcrestImage; and Jay H Shah, CEO of lodging real estate investment trust Hersha Hospitality Trust.
Overall, the panelists agreed to be passionate about the hospitality life was a key component in driving success but must be put in the context of having a balanced life whether with family or other personal commitments.