Step into any U.S. hotel industry convention today, and the room tells the story all to clearly–Indian hotel proprietors are everywhere. They have built a giant presence over the years, and their ownership includes much of the budget and mid-scale hotels. Yet with the expansion comes friction.
Some longtime American hotel owners say their style of doing business is disappearing. The issues aren’t solely in the number of owner. Many say some Indian owners are more focused on slashing costs than anything else.
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The important ones among the complaints are hesitation to invest in upgrading properties and edging rates so low it lowers the market. Some say thai pulls industry standards down. Others say it’s merely a matter of competing differently.
There is a catch-all term among insiders–”Indian Mentality” or IM, for a penchant for short term survival rather than sustainable growth. They also perceive themselves as being shut out of a network that keeps business within Indian families.
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Patel families are said to only sell to other Patels. Some view this as an impenetrable system. These changes have resulted in unspoken tension among American-born hoteliers and Indian owners.
But is this anger actually about business tactics, or is there something more? Immigrants disruoted industries forver. Indian hoteliers toiled, frequently using cost management and family ties.
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Where others might take shortcuts, others simply competed better. The sector isn’t what it was. Those who refuse to change might get left behind.
Loyalty and camaraderie run deep among Indian hotel proprietors. Some of them began with nothing, accepting long hours and sacrifices. Their approach is not the same, but the outcomes are testimonies to themselves.
The question is not who runs the hotels–it’s if the business is changing in a manner that profits everyone. Workers, visitors, and companies alike require a system that functions.
If anything needs to be repaired, it’s not nationality, but how the business runs. Quality of service, good pay, and reinvestment must be the priorities. The battle isn’t Indian vs American ownership–it’s who will construct a better future.
