Ed Brock is an award-winning journalist who has worked for various U.S. newspapers and magazines, including with American City & County magazine, a national publication based in Atlanta focused on city and county government issues. He is currently assistant editor at Asian Hospitality magazine, the top U.S. publication for Asian American hoteliers. Originally from Mobile, Alabama, Ed began his career in journalism in the early 1990s as a reporter for a chain of weekly newspapers in Baldwin County, Alabama. After a stint teaching English in Japan, Ed returned to the U.S. and moved to the Atlanta area where he returned to journalism, coming to work at Asian Hospitality in 2016.
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.”
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.”
“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.”
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.
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.”
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.
Student teams must prepare a financial analysis, a recommended solution and an executive summary for board review, HAMA said in a statement.
“Each year, the education committee looks forward to the solutions that the next generation of hotel asset managers bring, applying their own experiences to issues in ways that reveal new directions,” said Adam Tegge, HAMA Education Committee chair. “This competition demonstrates that the future of hotel asset management is in good hands.”
The two winning teams will each receive a $5,000 prize and an invitation to the spring 2026 HAMA conference in Washington, D.C. HAMA will cover travel and lodging.
Twenty industry executives on the HAMA education committee will evaluate submissions based on presentation quality, the statement said. HAMA mentors volunteer from September through November to assist teams seeking feedback and additional information. Schools will select finalists by Jan. 15, with graduate and undergraduate teams reviewed separately.
The competition has addressed topics in operating and owning hospitality assets and HAMA consulted university professors to update the format for situations students may encounter after graduation, the statement said.
This year’s participants include University of Denver, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Boston University, Florida International University, Michigan State University, Columbia University, Morgan State University, Howard University, New York University and Penn State University.
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Asian Media
Group USA Inc. and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.
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.
It has an outdoor pool and more than 26,000 square feet of meeting space, Stonebridge said in a statement. The downtown Dallas property is near Main Street Garden Park, the Arts District, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Deep Ellum, Klyde Warren Park, and the Dallas World Aquarium.
“The Statler is an extraordinary asset with a storied history in Dallas, and we are thrilled to welcome it to our managed portfolio,” said Rob Smith, Stonebridge’s president and CEO. “Its blend of modern hospitality with timeless character makes it a natural fit within our lifestyle collection. We look forward to honoring the property’s legacy while enhancing performance and delivering an elevated guest experience.”
Stonebridge, based in Denver, is a privately held hotel management company founded by Chairman Navin Dimond and led by Smith. The company recently added the 244-room Marriott Saddle Brook in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, to its full-service portfolio.
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.
The two will co-host workshops, forums and tech showcases to support market education, best-practice sharing and talent development statewide, the duo said in a statement.
“As we join THLA, our goal is to contribute to a stronger Texas lodging ecosystem—advocating smart policy, elevating safety and guest experience and providing collaborative learning opportunities for our franchisees and employees statewide,” said Sonal Sinha, G6 Hospitality's CEO. “We’re proud to add our voice and scale to THLA’s efforts while equipping our franchisees with Texas-specific resources to operate confidently and grow.”
The company will support discussions on competition, consumer protection, tourism promotion and workforce initiatives for independent and branded hotels, the statement said. OYO CEO Ritesh Agarwal is chair of G6 Hospitality.
“G6 Hospitality’s membership strengthens our initiatives that help advance Texas hotels," said Scott Joslove, THLA's president and CEO. "Their reach in the economy segment brings valuable insights to policy development, workforce initiatives and community safety programs that benefit properties in every market and price point."
THLA works with state and local leaders to promote business growth, protect consumers, and support hotels with legal guidance, policy insights and education, the statement said. The association will provide Texas-specific compliance and operations training for G6 owners and teams alongside G6’s standards.
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.
The approval allows the company to advance its EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, which directs foreign investment to U.S. job creation, Peachtree said in a statement.
“Madison Bradenton reflects the strong demand for high-quality multifamily housing in growing markets,” said Adam Greene, Peachtree’s executive vice president of EB-5. “This project underscores our ability to pair EB-5 financing with secured lending, delivering attractive opportunities for investors while meeting critical housing needs.”
The project will include five four-story apartment buildings with elevators, a two-story carriage building and a clubhouse, with residences averaging 1,027 square feet and featuring private patios or balconies. The location provides access to employment centers, healthcare facilities and Siesta Key Beach.
Atlanta-based Peachtree is led by Greg Friedman, managing principal and CEO; Jatin Desai, managing principal and CFO and Mitul Patel, principal.
This is Peachtree’s fourth approved I-956F application, following projects such as Home2 Suites by Hilton in Boone, North Carolina; SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Bryce Canyon, Utah and TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Palmdale, California. In May, Peachtree secured USCIS approval for four regional centers—South, Northeast, Midwest and West—allowing it to sponsor EB-5 projects in those territories.
The EB-5 visa program allows foreign investors to obtain a green card by investing in a U.S. commercial enterprise that creates jobs, the statement said. Investors who contribute at least $800,000 to a project that creates or preserves 10 full-time jobs for U.S. workers are eligible for permanent residency.
Separately, Peachtree launched the $250 million Special Situations Fund to invest in hotel and commercial real estate assets affected by capital market illiquidity.
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.
GlobalData’s analysis shows venture financing deals fell by about 25 percent and private equity deals dropped by around 20 percent compared to the same period last year. M&A activity proved more resilient with a smaller 3.5 percent decline in volume. North America saw a 10 percent decline while Central America saw a 12 percent decline.
“The overall decline underscores a broader trend where macroeconomic factors and investor sentiments are reshaping deal-making strategies within the industry. The subdued activity suggests that dealmakers are becoming increasingly cautious, likely due to macroeconomic challenges and volatile market conditions,” said Aurojyoti Bose, lead analyst at GlobalData. “The decline in venture financing and private equity deals, suggests a dent in investor sentiment, emphasizing a trend of reduced risk appetite.”
The Asia-Pacific region posted growth, with deal volume rising 11 percent in H1 2025, driven by increased activity in Japan and India. In contrast, Europe saw a 19 percent drop, the Middle East and Africa fell 39 percent and South and Central America declined 12 percent.
Among major markets, the US, China and Germany all recorded declines in deal announcements while the UK maintained deal volumes at similar levels to last year.
GlobalData notes that historical figures may change if additional deals from earlier months are disclosed later.
Last year saw a 12.6 percent decline, with a total of 347 mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture financing deals reported in the global travel and tourism sector during the first half of 2024.