Summary:
- Ravibhai Patel, former AAHOA chairman, died on Jan. 21.
- He co-founded and led the association from 1992 to 1993.
- AAHOA mourned a visionary and founding pillar of the organization.
RAVIBHAI PATEL, A past AAHOA chairman and founder of Charlotte-based SREE Hotels, died on Jan. 21. Less than 24 hours later, his family was struggling to process the loss.
“At the end of the day, it's the loss of a great icon in the hospitality industry, as far as we're concerned,” said Vinay Patel, Ravibhai’s nephew and principal and head of external affairs at SREE. “He was our founder. He was a great leader, a visionary and a mentor to not just people in this building, but people in the community, the industry as a whole.”
Ravi lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he remained SREE's chairman and a mentor in the industry, according to a statement from AAHOA. Born and raised in Nadi, Fiji, he moved back with his family to their hometown of Nadiad, India, before coming to the U.S. in the mid-1960s to study engineering, Vinay said.
He studied chemistry and physics at Saint Xavier's College and earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Auburn University in Alabama, Vinay said. “He worked in the tire industry in the Midwest for a while, and then after that, his entrepreneurship started.”
Ravi started off with restaurants, and then in 1980 he founded SREE with the purchase of a roadside motel in Florence, South Carolina. Using his engineering background, he converted it into an EconoLodge, which became the foundation of the company he co-founded with Chandra Patel, AAHOA said.
He helped SREE Hotels grow into a management and development group, partnering with Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide Holdings and IHG Hotels & Resorts.
AAHOA said in its statement that it mourned the loss of a visionary and founding pillar of the association.
Ravi co-founded the association and led it from 1992 to 1993, helping shape its early years, AAHOA said. He worked to give hoteliers tools for ownership and management and support the next generation of Asian American owners.
"Ravi was not just a leader; he was an architect of this organization,” said Kamalesh “KP” Patel, AAHOA chairman. “During his tenure as chairman, he turned a formative idea into reality by drafting our bylaws and establishing our first headquarters. His transition from chemical engineering to hospitality is a testament to the American Dream, and his legacy lives on in the 30-plus hotels he built and the thousands of hoteliers he inspired."
He was a trustee of Charutar Health Foundation Corp., USA, a nonprofit that raises funds for the healthcare programs and facilities of Charutar Arogya Mandal in Gujarat, India.
Laura Lee Blake, AAHOA President and CEO, said Ravi's focus on education and his 'do-it-yourself' ethic shaped the early AAHOA.
"He believed that through knowledge and unity, our community could achieve anything. He was a mentor to so many and will be deeply missed. We extend our prayers and deepest condolences to his wife, his children, and the entire SREE Hotels family," she said.
Vinay said the family is still making funeral arrangements.
“We're trying to get the immediate family out to India. Everything will be out in India to get the funeral services done, and his wife still out there,” he said. “When they all return back to Charlotte, we'll do a celebration of his remarkable life.”
Former AAHOA chairman Jayantilal “JK” Patel passed away on Oct. 28 at 85. Family, friends, and colleagues remembered him for his professional achievements and personal warmth.
