- Funeral services for Ravi Patel will be held Jan. 25 at 4 p.m. IST.
- A funeral procession will follow from Tara Towers, Anand.
- The service will be livestreamed on YouTube.
FUNERAL SERVICES FOR Ravi Patel, a leader of AAHOA and founder of Charlotte-based SREE Hotels, will be held Jan. 25 at 4 p.m. local time at his residence in Anand, Gujarat, India. Patel died Jan. 21, leaving a legacy that helped shape the modern Asian American hotel ownership community.
A live broadcast of the service will be available on YouTube, allowing friends, colleagues and industry members worldwide to participate. A funeral procession will follow from his residence at Tara Towers, Karamsad, Vidyanagar Road, to Kailash Bhoomi, Hari Om Nagar, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Anand, Gujarat.
Patel, who lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, remained chairman of SREE Hotels and an active mentor in the hospitality industry until his death, according to AAHOA. Born in Nadi, Fiji, he later returned with his family to their hometown of Nadiad, India, before coming to the U.S. in the mid-1960s to pursue higher education.
He studied chemistry and physics at Saint Xavier’s College and earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Auburn University in Alabama. After working in the tire industry in the Midwest, Patel began his entrepreneurial career, first with restaurants and later in lodging.
In 1980, he founded SREE Hotels with the purchase of a roadside motel in Florence, South Carolina. Drawing on his engineering background, Patel converted the property into an EconoLodge, laying the foundation for what would grow into a hotel management and development company with partnerships including Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide Holdings and IHG Hotels & Resorts.
Patel co-founded AAHOA and served as its chairman from 1992 to 1993, playing a pivotal role in the organization’s formative years. During his tenure, he helped draft the association’s bylaws and establish its first headquarters—efforts that continue to shape AAHOA’s governance.
Mike Patel’s reflections
Mukesh “Mike” Patel, a past AAHOA chairman and longtime friend, reflected on Ravi Patel’s moral clarity and leadership.
“Ravi was a straightforward leader who stood firm for what was right, even when it was uncomfortable,” he said. “While many remained silent as members faced exploitation, Ravi chose to speak up and act.”
Mukesh Patel also credited Ravi Patel with helping author and implement AAHOA’s 12-Point Fair Franchising Industry Benchmark, which strengthened protections for hotel owners and reshaped franchisor-owner relationships.
“He believed deeply in that work because it reflected his core values of equity and integrity,” he said.
Patel is survived by his wife, children, extended family and a global network of colleagues and mentees who credit him with building institutions, empowering owners and advancing fairness in the hospitality industry.
“Ravi was not just a leader; he was an architect of this organization,” said Kamalesh “KP” Patel, AAHOA chairman. “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.”
AAHOA President and CEO Laura Lee Blake said Patel’s commitment to education and self-reliance left a lasting imprint on the association. “He believed that through knowledge and unity, our community could achieve anything,” she said. “He was a mentor to so many and will be deeply missed.”
Family to hold tribute
Family members said the loss has been felt deeply, both personally and professionally.
“At the end of the day, it’s the loss of a great icon in the hospitality industry,” said Vinay Patel, Patel’s nephew and principal and head of external affairs at SREE Hotels.
Vinay Patel said funeral services are being held in India to accommodate immediate family members, including Patel’s wife, who remains there. A celebration of life is planned in Charlotte following the family’s return to the U.S.
Beyond hospitality, Patel was active in philanthropic and community initiatives. He served as a trustee of Charutar Health Foundation Corp., USA, which raises funds for healthcare programs operated by Charutar Arogya Mandal in Gujarat. He also played a role in fostering cultural unity through community and faith-based leadership.
Former AAHOA chairman Jayantilal “JK” Patel, who worked closely with Ravi Patel during the association’s early years, passed away in October. Together, their contributions are widely regarded as foundational to AAHOA’s growth and influence.
As funeral services approach, industry leaders and family members say Ravi Patel’s legacy will endure through the organizations he helped build, the communities he strengthened, and the values he championed.
