AAHOA
109 | Passion, Courage and Patience with Dina Patel
AAHOA
Dina Patel, CHO was born in Bardoli, India, and immigrated to USA with her family in 1988, when she was 10 years old. Two years later, Dina’s parents bought their first independent motel in San Antonio, Texas. From day one, Dina helped out in every part of the motel.
Dina earned a BBA (magna cum laude) with a minor in Spanish from the University of Houston in 1999, then began her career working as a System Analyst for Hanover Compressor Company. Several years later, Dina left the corporate world to pursue her dream of business ownership and in 2007, she and her husband opened their first hotel, a brand-new 35-room Scottish Inn and Suites.
Since joining AAHOA, Dina has served as a Southeast Texas Regional Ambassador and completed the AAHOA Certified Hotel Owner (CHO) program. In 2015, she was elected to a three-year term as AAHOA Female Director at Large (Western Division) and to co-chair of the AAHOA Women’s Committee. Dina also serves on the AAHOA Education Committee, is an AAHOA Lifetime Member, and has been an active participant in AAHOA legislative events.
In March 2017, Dina started her new role as Vice President of Sales and Marketing with Mirage Hospitality where she will be responsible for the growth the company.
In This Episode, Dina Reveals:
- How she made the transition from employee in the oil business to hotel owner, how she chose the brand and location, how she got financing, and some of the expensive lessons she learned along the way.
- The three most important skills she developed over the years that enabled her to build her first property.
- The pressures and challenges she has faced as a female entrepreneur, why she’s involved in AAHOA, and the growth of women in leadership roles in the industry and within the association.
- The power of networking and how to build meaningful relationships with like-minded industry professionals.
Resources & Links
Mentioned in this Episode
Dina Patel
Mirage Hospitality
AAHOA
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343 | Take a Cue from Hospitality: Senior living is next big opportunity
Hoteliers and allied companies invested in both lodging and senior-living assets demonstrate how the spirit of hospitality and its best practices extend into other real-estate-asset groups. Episode 343 of Lodging Leaders podcast is the second in a two-part series that explores the hospitality industry’s growing interest in senior living.
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342 | Live Long and Prosper: Hospitality industry embraces senior living
Since she was a teenager volunteering at senior-living facilities in Boston, Serena Lipton knew she wanted a career in senior housing. But she had a difficult time finding the college program she believed would educate and prepare her to serve in the senior-living industry. After graduating from Boston University School of Hospitality Administration and working as an analyst for JLL’s Senior Housing Valuation Advisory, Lipton finally found what she was looking for. This fall she enrolled in BU’s Master of Management in Hospitality with a new concentration in senior living. She and other students are on the cusp of what BUSHA believes is a massive shift in how Americans view aging and where opportunities lie for the hospitality industry.