AAHOA Elects New Board Members at the 2013 Annual Convention
April 3, 2013 - The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), one of the leading forces in the hospitality industry, has elected new Board members to complete its Board of Directors for the 2013-2014 term. The elections were held Friday, March 29 during the 2013 AAHOA Annual Convention & Trade Show at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. The AAHOA membership elected Bharat “Bruce” Patel, CHO as the association's newest Secretary. Prior to his election to serve as Secretary, Bruce Patel served as a Director at Large for AAHOA.
The 2013-2014 Board of Directors is comprised of the following Officers and Directors, with the terms of the newly elected members indicated below:
Officers
• Chairman, Mehul B. Patel, CHA, CHO
• Vice Chairman, Pratik R. Patel, CHA, CHO, MBA, MSIS
• Treasurer, Jay R. “Jimmy” Patel, CHO
• Secretary, Bharat “Bruce” Patel, CHO
• President, Fred Schwartz
Immediate Past Chairman
• Immediate Past Chairman, Alkesh R. Patel, CHO
Regional Directors
• Central Midwest Regional Director, Hitesh S. Patel (Elected to a 1-year term)
• Florida Regional Director, Jayesh “Jay” Patel, CHA
• Gulf Regional Director, Nimesh A. “Nick” Zaver, CHO
• Mid East Regional Director, Bhavesh B. Patel, CHO
• Mid South Regional Director, Ramesh K. “R.K.” Patel, CHO
• North Carolina Regional Director, Pratik Bhakta
• North Central Regional Director, Dilipkumar S. “Dipak” Patel, CHO
• North Georgia Regional Director, Atul G. Patel, CHO
• North Pacific Regional Director, Suresh P. “S.P.” Patel
• North Texas Regional Director, Mehul B. Patel, CHA, CHO
• Northeast Regional Director, Jayesh R. Patel, CHO
• Northwest Regional Director, Arvind G. Patel
• South Carolina Regional Director, Mitesh Patel, CHA, CHO
• South Central Texas Regional Director, Pratik R. Patel, CHA, CHO, MBA, MSIS
• South Pacific Regional Director, Anand G. Patel, CHO
• Southeast Texas Regional Director, Dipak N. “Danny” Patel
• Southeast Regional Director, Jay Patel (Elected to a 1-year term)
• Southwest Regional Director, Dinesh S. “Dan” Rama, CHO
• Upper Midwest Regional Director, Chandresh Brahmbhatt
• Washington District Regional Director, Shailesh (Sly) Patel, CHO (Elected to a 1-year term)
Directors at Large
• Director at Large, Bharat “Bruce” Patel, CHO
• Director at Large, Hitesh “H.P.” Patel, CHA, CHO (Re-elected to a 3-year term)
• Director at Large, Jayesh “Jay” Lallu, CHO
• Director at Large, Jay R. “Jimmy” Patel, CHO
• Director at Large, Jitendra “J.D.” Deva
• Director at Large, Ketan Patel
• Director at Large, Sunil B. Patel, CHO (Elected to a 3-year term)
• Female Director at Large, Eastern Division, Jagruti Panwala
• Female Director at Large, Western Division, Komal “Tina” Patel, CHO
• Young Professional Director, Dave Patel, CHO
Allied Director
• Allied Director at Large, Rajan Batra, Senior National Account Manager, HD Supply (Appointed to a 2-year term.
“We are the youngest group of Officers in the history of AAHOA and our generation is different,” explains Chairman Mehul Patel. “As a board, we are ambitious and eager, we're resourceful, and we multi-task. Now we're bringing those qualities to our leadership of AAHOA.”
When accepting the chairmanship of AAHOA on the concluding Gala Night of the Annual Convention in Houston, Mehul unveiled a slogan that captures the attitude he brings to his new responsibilities: “Next Is Now.”
“We're the next generation of hoteliers who are taking AAHOA to the next level with the next wave of programs -- and we're doing it now,” emphasized Mehul.
“The energy and vision of this new board are sure to put the unmatched reach and resources of AAHOA to good use,” said Fred Schwartz, President of AAHOA. “We are well positioned to achieve a new level of results in programs and progress that our members want, need, and deserve.”
About AAHOA
The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) is THE voice of owners in the hospitality industry. Founded in 1989, AAHOA is now one of the fastest-growing organizations in the industry, with more than 11,000 members owning more than 20,000 hotels that total $128 billion in property value. AAHOA members employ 578,600 full- and part-time workers with a $9.4 billion payroll. AAHOA Officers include Chairman Mehul Patel, CHA, CHO; Vice Chairman Pratik Patel, CHA, CHO, MBA, MSIS; Treasurer Jay “Jimmy” Patel, CHO; Secretary Bharat “Bruce” Patel, CHO; and President Fred Schwartz, each of whom works closely with a 33-member Board of Directors to provide direction for the association. AAHOA is dedicated to promoting and protecting the interests of its members by inspiring excellence through programs and initiatives in advocacy, industry leadership, professional development, member benefits, and community involvement.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a global leading lodging company based in Bethesda,Maryland, USA, with more than 4,200 properties in 80 countries and territories. Marriott International reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands, including: The Ritz-Carlton®, BVlgari®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott Hotels®, Delta Hotels and Resorts®, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Gaylord Hotels®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Courtyard®, Residence Inn®, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, TownePlace Suites®, Protea Hotels® and MoxyHotels®. Marriott has been consistently recognized as a top employer and for its superior business ethics. The company also manages the award-winning guest loyalty program, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® program, which together surpass 50 million members. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at 
