AAHOA
036 | Effective Networking through Touchpoints and Follow Up with Binita Patel
AAHOA
Binita is currently a Vice President with HMB Hotels based in Allentown, PA, focusing on the finance and asset management aspects of the business. Prior to returning to HMB Hotels, she served as a Manager at Ramsfield Hospitality Finance, and Associate Investment Manager at Beacon Hospitality Partners, both located in New York, NY.
Binita earned a Master of Management in Hospitality at Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration with a concentration in Real Estate Finance & Investments, and a B.S. in International Business & Marketing from Drexel University. In 2008, she received the AAHOA Future Hotelier of the Year award, and she currently serves on the AAHOA Board as the Young Professional Director.
In This Episode, Binita Talks About:
- Growing up in the industry and helping out with the family business.
- Her experiences with Ramsfield Hospitality Finance and Beacon Hospitality Partners, and what it was like working in the finance side of the business during the recession.
- Returning to HMB Hotels, serving as interim GM at one of their properties, and the renewed respect she gained for operations after doing that.
- AAHOA’s Delegation to India in 2007, and how those connections she made with industry leaders continue to influence her today.
- Cornell University, the incredible experiences she had there, and how that expanded her view of the industry.
- Networking, why it’s important, ways to make a lasting impression, and how to nurture those relationships.
- Service, why she’s involved and the impact she hopes to make.
Resources & Links
- Email: binita[at]hmbhotels.com
- Binita on LinkedIn
- Binita on Facebook
- Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA)
- Cornell School of Hotel Administration
HMB Hotels
7540 Windsor Drive, Suite 206
Allentown, PA 18195
Phone: 610-395-7737
AAHOA
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330 | Youthful Perspective: Industry leader Bijal Patel mourns the loss of ‘an entire generation’ of hospitality workers
Bijal Patel, 31, is CEO of Coast Redwood Hospitality and the youngest chair of the California Hotel & Lodging Association. He’s made even more history at CHLA by agreeing to serve an unprecedented second term as the lodging industry emerges from the coronavirus pandemic. Patel is a third-generation hotelier. Being so steeped in hospitality at such a young age is not new for members of the Indian American hotelier community, but Patel fears the pandemic has drained the industry of emerging talent. Lodging Leaders spotlights Patel, who represents a leadership demographic that is fighting for the life of the hospitality industry as they watch their peers veer toward other career paths.
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329 | Ruff and Ready: ADA gives hotels a short leash when accommodating guests with service animals
Many hotels these days have made room for guests with disabilities. Hotel managers and staff should also know what the Americans with Disabilities Act says about accommodating guests with pets. During the pandemic lockdowns, a lot of people added a pet to their household and now they’re bringing Fido along on vacation. Hotel employees need to know how to cater to both consumers who are pet owners as well as guests who travel with a trained service animal. Episode 329 of Lodging Leaders podcast reports on how the ADA defines a service animal and how a hotel is legally obligated to serve a guest who comes with a dog or any other animal.