Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

Rip Patel is growing the brand

G6 Hospitality’s new VP for franchise development, shares his story in April’s Leadership Series

Rip Patel is growing the brand

The foundation for Rip Patel’s interest in hotel franchise development was laid in his teen years. Patel, appointed in January as G6 Hospitality’s vice president for franchise development, shares that story in this month’s Leadership Series.

When he was almost 16 years old, Patel and his family were developing their first franchise hotel, a Holiday Inn Express. As part of the process, they had to undergo an inspection by the franchise representative.


“I just remember being so nervous and all the family being nervous. This was kind of a make it or break it for us,” Patel said. “He came in and just went through everything while we're just sweating, and everything worked out. I always remembered and appreciated that particular meeting, and I thought that's something that I definitely want to do in the future.”

That future is now, and Patel has definite goals for his new position.

A lifetime of experience

Patel is a second-generation whose parents moved to the U.S. and began managing a friend’s hotel in Tennessee when he was 4 years old and his sister was 1.

“They ran the whole thing from housekeeping to front desk to maintenance,” Patel said. “A lot of times, my mom would have my sister in the housekeeping cart on the bottom while she's making up rooms and I'd be running towels, doing laundry, whatever I could at that time, while my dad was handling the other stuff.”

AH APRIL LS G6 Rip Patel HI Express Rip Patel said he was inspired to work in franchise development after observing the process when his parents developed their first franchised hotel, a Holiday Inn Express in Texas.

They then moved to California and then Texas where they were able to buy a 15-room hotel. It was a 24-hour operation with the whole family doing housekeeping, running the front desk and doing maintenance.

“While my buddies were out having a good time on weekends, I was cleaning rooms, doing laundry, and everything else you can imagine in a hotel,” Patel said. “That's when I knew I would always be in this industry.”

Patel also realized at that point that he preferred development over operations. That led his footsteps toward G6.

Working for the brand

After graduating Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant management, he was hired at Atlanta- based U.S. Franchise Systems under AAHOA co-founder Mike Leven. He joined G6 10 years ago and served as director of franchise development until his recent promotion.

His goal for the new job is simple.

“The same it's always been is to grow the brand with great ownerships. That's our focus,” Patel said. “Finding the right markets, working with the right folks and getting hotels open.”

Marketing G6 to franchisees is easy, Patel said. The company sells itself.

“The biggest thing is our business model. It's a low overhead, more bottom-line profit system,” Patel said. “No breakfast, no rewards program, our rooms are efficiently designed, requiring less labor, less maintenance, overall operations model requires less staffing. We have so many things that really create a bigger bottom line for our owners. And that's why we've been so successful for the last 60 years.”

AH APRIL LS G6 Rip Patel big 6 Rip Patel started with G6 10 years ago and served as director of franchise development until his recent promotion.

Franchisees’ concerns are generally about topics out of the company’s control, Patel said.

“It's the economy, its interest rate, its rising costs, labor shortages. And you know, we hear them loud and clear,” Patel said. “G6 has owned and operated thousands of hotels, so it's not that we don't know this, we've seen it firsthand, and we appreciate these problems.”

Along those lines, the company did see a slowdown in 2023.

“It was a slowdown, but it wasn't unexpected, and I think our owners were prepared. They were ready for it, and that's on the retail side,” he said. “But our owners also we're like, ‘Heck, we know what this brand is, we know what it does.’”

G6 did have a record year for development signings, Patel said. They signed 120 deals.

“That was really fueled by our Studio 6 brands, Studio 6, and Studio 6 Suites. Economy extended stay lodging still continues to be very, very strong and 60 percent of our signings were for that segment, for those brands. And even this year, that trend is continuing.”

Keeping the light on

Patel said the light will definitely stay on for 2024, referencing the Motel 6 motto “We’ll keep the light on for you.”

“We're going to be visiting several markets throughout the year, having VIP events where the development team will be, in particular markets, very strategic markets, and, we'll be sending out a lot of notices,” Patel said.

AH APRIL LS G6 Rip Patel family From left, Rip Patel’s wife Lichi Patel, daughters Emma and Eyva along with Rip.

Patel expectations do not rely on the state of the economy.

“This economy segment that we're in, it's obviously recession proof. We've seen that just these past few years what it can do for hotel owners and then not only just the brand but the segment,” Patel said. “We've been a safe haven for owners to park money during rough times because they know that we're going to continue to have cashflow, we're going to continue to appreciate at our assets.”

More for you

HAMA Launches 20th Student Case Competition in USA
Photo Credit: iStock

HAMA launches 20th student case competition

Summary:

  • HAMA is accepting submissions for its 20th annual student case competition.
  • The cases reflect a scenario HAMA members faced as owner representatives.
  • Teams must submit a financial analysis, solution and executive summary.

THE HOSPITALITY ASSET Managers Association is accepting submissions for the 20th Annual HAMA Student Case Competition, in which more than 60 students analyze a management company change scenario and provide recommendations. HAMA, HotStats and Lodging Analytics Research & Consulting are providing the case, based on a scenario HAMA members faced as owner representatives.

Keep ReadingShow less
Stonebridge hotel management expansion
Photo credit: Stonebridge Cos.

Stonebridge adds Statler Dallas to managed portfolio

Summary:

  • Stonebridge Cos. added the Statler Dallas, Curio Collection by Hilton, to its managed portfolio.
  • The hotel, opened in 1956 and relaunched in 2017, is owned by Centurion American Development Group.
  • The property is near Main Street Garden Park, the Arts District and the Dallas World Aquarium.

STONEBRIDGE COS. HAS contracted to manage the Statler Dallas, Curio Collection by Hilton in Dallas to its managed portfolio. The hotel, opened in 1956 and relaunched in 2017, is owned by Centurion American Development Group, led by Mehrdad Moayedi.

Keep ReadingShow less
G6 Hospitality Texas hotel advocacy
Photo credit: G6 Hospitality

G6, THLA expand franchise support in Texas

Summary:

  • G6 Hospitality and the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association will support Texas hotel advocacy.
  • G6 adds an economy-brand perspective to policy and support discussions.
  • The two will co-host workshops for market education and talent development.

G6 HOSPITALITY, PARENT of Motel 6 and Studio 6, recently joined the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association to expand a statewide coalition on advocacy, public safety and market growth for its Texas franchisees. The company brings an economy-brand perspective to discussions that influence policy, operations and guest experience across the state.

Keep ReadingShow less
Peachtree EB-5 approval
Photo credit: Peachtree Group

Peachtree’s FL development gets EB-5 approval

Summary:

  • Peachtree secured EB-5 approval for a Florida multifamily development project.
  • The 240-unit community in Manatee County is backed by $47 million in construction financing.
  • It is Peachtree’s fourth EB-5 project approval since launching the program in 2023.

PEACHTREE GROUP RECENTLY secured EB-5 approval from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for Madison Bradenton, a 240-unit multifamily development in Bradenton, Florida. It also raised $47 million in construction financing with a four-year term for the project on a 10.7-acre site in Manatee County.

Keep ReadingShow less
Travel & Tourism Deals Fall 8% Globally
iStock

Report: Travel and tourism deals down 8 percent

Summary:

  • Global travel and tourism deal activity fell 8 percent YoY in H1 2025.
  • Venture financing dropped 25 percent and private equity fell 20 percent.
  • North America recorded a 10 percent decline while Central America dropped 12 percent.

THE GLOBAL TRAVEL and tourism sector recorded an 8 percent year-on-year decline in total deal activity during the first half of 2025, according to market data firm GlobalData. Reduced investor appetite was seen across major deal types: mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture financing.

Keep ReadingShow less