Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Alabama hotel owner gunned down in fight with man wanting a room

Pravin Patel, 76, is survived by his wife, brothers and a sister

Alabama hotel owner gunned down in fight with man wanting a room

AN ALABAMA HOTELIER, Pravin Raojibhai Patel, was shot and killed last week after a confrontation with a man asking for a room, according to the Sheffield, Alabama, Police Department. William Jeremy Moore, 34, was arrested in connection with the incident, which comes three years after a series of similar killings of Indian American Hotel owners.

Patel, 76, was the owner of the Hillcrest Motel in Sheffield. On Feb. 8, Moore came to the motel and tried to get a room when an altercation started between the two men.


“That is when Mr. Moore pulled a handgun and shot Mr. Patel,” Sheffield Police Chief Ricky Terry said in the report. “Mr. Moore was quickly apprehended by Sheffield Police on 13th Avenue when he was trying to break into an abandoned house.  When searching Mr. Moore, the murder weapon was found in his possession.”

Jemeriz Owens, who works as a barber across the street from Patel’s motel, told a local news station that he heard three gunshots go off back-to-back. He ran to the motel and found police attending to Patel, who was dead outside his office.

"That was the shocking part, man," said Owens. "I didn't think it was going to be Mr. Patel. There's always something going on over there, but that was the last thing I would've thought would happen."

Owens told WAAY 31 News Patel was just trying to do his job.

"He was outside," continued Owens. "He was just trying to get somebody to leave, and they didn't want to leave and they shot him."

ENEWS 02 14 24 Alabama shooting Moore mugshot William Moore, 34, is being held in the Sheffield City Jail in connection with Patel’s shooting death.

Moore is being held in the Sheffield City Jail until a warrant is issued, Terry said, and he will then be transported to the Colbert County Jail.

A funeral service was held for Patel at Morrison Funeral Home in Tuscumbia, Alabama, on Feb. 12, according to Patel’s obituary. He is survived by his wife, Renukaben Patel, and children, Nital Patel (Sandeep) and Nirmal Patel (Jeenal). He also has three brothers, Harshad, Indravaden and Harendra Patel, a sister, Manju Patel, and grandchildren Jaiden, Myya, Leeya and Ariyana Patel.

His parents, Raojibhai and Maniben Patel, and another brother, Hasmukh Patel, previously passed away.

“Mr. Patel was such a nice, warm gentleman. I knew him for many years as he owned one of the motels in our area,” said Susann Hamlin, president of the Colbert County Tourism Office in Tuscumbia, in a comment on Morrison Funeral Home’s website. “Such a pleasant and sweet man with a lovely wife and children. I am so sad for the family and also, glad that I had the privilege to know him.”

Bindoo Patel also left a comment.

“I knew Pravinbhai for the last 50 years. He was a very good person by heart,” Bindoo said. “I cannot believe this happened to him.”

In 2021, Cleveland, Mississippi, hotelier Yogesh Patel was beaten to death by a guest he had had evicted from his hotel earlier in the day. In March of that year, Usha and Dilip Patel were victims of a shooting in their Elkton, Maryland, hotel that left Usha dead and her husband wounded.

Other similar incidents also were reported that year. Cecil Staton, then AAHOA president and CEO, said at the time the attacks were part of a pattern.

“America’s hotel owners are shocked and outraged by this senseless act of violence against two small business owners doing their jobs,” Staton said. “Attacks against hoteliers continue to increase, and this is yet another horrendous episode of violence against Asian Americans that is plaguing our society. It must stop now.”

More for you

Exterior view of the modern eight-story MC Hotel in Montclair, NJ, with a curved glass facade and rooftop structure, located in a vibrant downtown area, 2025

Stonebridge adds MC Hotel to Autograph Collection

Stonebridge Cos. Welcomes MC Hotel to Autograph Collection

STONEBRIDGE COS. RECENTLY added the 159-room MC Hotel in Montclair, New Jersey, to its Autograph Collection portfolio. The property is owned in partnership with CSP MC Partners LP, an affiliate of Circle Squared Alternative Investments, led by CEO Jeff Sica.

Denver-based Stonebridge is a privately owned hotel management company founded by Chairman Navin Dimond and led by President and CEO Rob Smith.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian Hospitality unveils inaugural ‘Women of Color Power List’

Asian Hospitality unveils inaugural ‘Women of Color Power List’

Women of Color Power List 2025 Debuts at AAHOACON 2025

ASIAN MEDIA GROUP USA, publisher of Asian Hospitality magazine, launched the first-ever “Women of Color Power List 2025” at the 2025 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show in New Orleans, honoring 51 women reshaping the U.S. hospitality industry. The publication is the first to spotlight the achievements of women of color, recognizing their resilience, innovation, and leadership.

Asian Media Group Managing Editor Kalpesh Solanki, Executive Editor Shailesh Solanki, and Chief Operating Officer Aditya Solanki announced the list during the conference.

Keep ReadingShow less
AAHOALending.com લોન્ચ 2025

AAHOA, બ્રિજ AAHOALending.com લોન્ચ કરે છે

AAHOA અને બ્રિજે AAHOALending.com ને AAHOACON 2025 માં રજૂ કર્યું

AAHOA અને બ્રિજે AAHOALending.com લોન્ચ કર્યું, જે હોસ્પિટાલિટી પર કેન્દ્રિત ડિજિટલ ધિરાણ પ્લેટફોર્મ છે. તે AAHOA સભ્યોને 150 થી વધુ ધિરાણકર્તાઓની ઍક્સેસ પ્રદાન કરે છે, જેમાં વધુને વધુ લોકોને નિયમિતપણે ઉમેરવાની યોજના છે, આ પ્લેટફોર્મ વપરાશકર્તાઓને ધિરાણ વિકલ્પોની તુલના કરવાની, શ્રેષ્ઠ દરો અને સુરક્ષિત ભંડોળ શોધવાની મંજૂરી આપે છે.

કોફાઉન્ડર અને CEO રોહિત માથુરની આગેવાની હેઠળના બ્રિજને ક્લબ બ્લુ ઇન્ડસ્ટ્રી પાર્ટનર તરીકે નિયુક્ત કરવામાં આવ્યા છે, જે AAHOAના પ્રોગ્રામમાં સર્વોચ્ચ સ્તર છે, તેના 300 ભાગીદારોમાંથી માત્ર 12 જ લાયકાત ધરાવે છે, એમ બંનેએ સંયુક્ત નિવેદનમાં જણાવ્યું હતું.

Keep ReadingShow less
2025માં મંદીની સંભાવના 50 ટકા : HAMA સર્વે

2025માં મંદીની સંભાવના 50 ટકા : HAMA સર્વે

HAMA 2025 સર્વે: 49% મેનેજર્સ મંદીની આશંકા ધરાવે છે

હોસ્પિટાલિટી એસેટ મેનેજર્સ એસોસિએશનના સ્પ્રિંગ 2025 ઇન્ડસ્ટ્રી આઉટલુક સર્વેક્ષણમાં અંદાજે 49 ટકા ઉત્તરદાતાઓ 2025 માં અમેરિકામાં મંદીની અપેક્ષા રાખે છે, જે 2024ના પાનખર સર્વેક્ષણમાં 19 ટકાથી વધુ છે. ટોચની ત્રણ ચિંતાઓ માંગ, ટેરિફ અને DOGE કટ અને વેતનમાં વધારો વચ્ચેનો જોડાણ છે.

HAMA સર્વેક્ષણમાં જાણવા મળ્યું છે કે લગભગ 55 ટકા ઉત્તરદાતાઓએ તેમની વર્તમાન વ્યૂહરચનાના ભાગ રૂપે બ્રાન્ડ અથવા મેનેજમેન્ટ ફેરફારો કર્યા છે અથવા કરવાની યોજના બનાવી છે.

Keep ReadingShow less