AT 82, Nurjehan Saju still runs errands as the principal of site at the Howard Johnson in Ocala, Florida. She beams with pride when mentioning that among the city's 37 hotels, hers ranks number 9.
Standing in the sunlit lobby of her Howard Johnson, Nurjehan's commanding presence reveals the formidable business acumen and pioneering spirit that have defined her remarkable journey in American hospitality. Her story isn't simply one of business success – it's testament to breaking cultural barriers and redefining gender expectations.
Born and raised in Duma, Tanzania, to parents who had migrated from Gujarat, India, Nurjehan became aware of gender inequality at an early age. She noticed the stark differences in freedoms granted to her brothers compared to the restrictions imposed on her and her sisters.
"I realized that my brothers enjoyed much greater freedom with regard to bedtime, dress choices and intermingling with members of the opposite sex," she recalls to the Women of Color Power List 2025. By the time she was 7, her elder sisters had already been married off, leaving her to grow up alongside brothers of similar age.
When Nurjehan arrived in the United States in 1973 with her husband and two sons, the cultural differences struck her immediately. "I found the change in the cultural ethos shocking and pleasantly revealing," she says, her eyes lighting up at the memory.
In America, she discovered a society where gender roles weren't as rigidly defined. "Women had almost equal presence in public spaces as men, and they were in control of their lives. I did not see them as being hindered by their sex, sexuality, the way it was back home."
This revelation ignited a transformation within Nurjehan. "I strongly came to believe that I am the master of my own destiny," she notes with conviction.
Nurjehan's intellectual journey took her through prestigious institutions. She attended Harvard before completing a double major in religion and American history at the University of Florida. Later, she studied women and gender roles at Emory University in Atlanta until 2010, when she joined Hotel Development & Management Group (HDG), co-founded by her sons Navroz and Azim Nurjehan. Today, she serves as executive consultant in the company's Legacy Division.
Her academic background, particularly her favorite book, Mill on the Floss by George Eliot (the pen name of Mary Ann Evans), further shaped her views on gender equality. The novel's examination of women's societal roles in the mid-1800s inspired Nurjehan to break free from traditional constraints and become her family's primary breadwinner.
"One thing is I know for sure is women have been endowed with strength and understanding that when we apply ourselves, we amaze," Nurjehan says. "Women struggle, women preserve and women advance, but we fail to believe in ourselves."
Initially, Nurjehan helped her husband run a boutique store in New York City while raising their children. When her husband found other employment, the store's responsibilities fell entirely to her. "I was completely on my own. My family was in either Canada or back in Tanzania," she recalls.
Despite managing the store successfully, Nurjehan felt unfulfilled. Her path to hospitality began unexpectedly during a trip to the public library with her children. While browsing an encyclopedia, she discovered an article about the motel industry.
"It was love at first sight. The information captivated my desire. And I wanted to run a motel from that moment. And then the long search for a motel started."
The pursuit wasn't easy. With a newborn daughter and the boutique store to manage, Nurjehan soon realized that New York's property market was beyond their financial reach. Undeterred, she turned her attention to Florida, where motel properties were more affordable.
To raise funds, she started offering dress-alteration services at her boutique, significantly improving revenues. Eventually, they discovered a struggling property in Ocala being offered at a nominal price.
"The first lesson for me was that the motel had to be kept open every day, all day," she says with a laugh. "We've never seen any business like that."
Through hard work and perseverance, the once-failing motel began to thrive. However, disaster struck in 1993 when a tornado severely damaged their property. Without insurance coverage, debts mounted quickly.
This crisis became a pivotal moment for the family. Despite Nurjehan's hopes that her sons would pursue careers outside the demanding hospitality industry – both had attended law school – her eldest son Navroz stepped in to help with the struggling business. Azim soon followed, and together they transformed a single damaged motel into HDG, a company that now boasts nearly 30 hotels.
At the heart of Nurjehan's leadership philosophy is a deep respect for her employees. "I have never considered myself as a leader," she insists. "I view my employees as people just like me, much like my family."
This approach has fostered remarkable workforce diversity at her Howard Johnson. The hotel employs people from the Philippines, South America, Africa, and Europe, united by common values and shared goals.
For this matriarch of hospitality, retirement remains a distant concept. When asked about the secret to her longevity in the industry, she simply states that she loves challenges, adding: "Nobody can stop you from getting what you want in life but yourself."
