Posts

Imesh Vaidya

188 | Lawsuits, Legislation & Licensing with Imesh Vaidya

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Imesh is a second-generation hotelier from New Mexico who has owned and managed hotels for more than 25 years. He currently owns and manages 7 franchised properties and he has two more under construction and scheduled to open in 2019.

Imesh has served on the franchise advisory councils of LaQuinta and IHG, and has led the New Mexico Lodging Association for three years. He has also been active in AAHOA in a variety of leadership positions, and currently serves on the Board of Directors.

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Michael (Mick) McKeown

164 | If You See Something, Say Something with Mick McKeown

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Michael (Mick) McKeown is the Executive Director of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) and Campaigns at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He brought over fifteen years of expertise in state, city, and local government prior to his appointment at DHS. As Executive Director, Mick oversees the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) and its 40 Council members as well as the ongoing policy work of the subcommittees; He leads the Blue Campaign which heightens the public’s familiarity with human trafficking and its identifiers; and heads the “If You See Something, Say Something®” campaign which raises public awareness on the indicators of terrorism and terrorism related crimes and how to recognize them.

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095 | The Smartest Room with Tarun Patel

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Tarun S. Patel is a second generation hotelier and entrepreneur specializing in Hospitality Management and Development, Deal Structure, Finance and Accounting. He’s Principal of Pacific Hospitality Company, and Founder and CFO of Pracrea Inc, a Silicon Valley based startup offering software-as-a-service solutions used by commercial real estate brokers and owners to manage the sale of their listings and properties. Their solution, TheHotelInventory.com, provides a virtual meeting place for hotel buyers and sellers that helps hotel sellers and brokers market their properties, and hotel investors find their next investment.

Tarun earned a BS, Finance and Economics from San Diego State University.

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090 | Hotelier Vendor Relations with Atul Patel

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Atul G. Patel, CHO is a second generation hotelier. He and his family moved to the United States in 1979 and settled in Tifton, GA, where his family bought their first independent hotel. After learning the trade in the family business, Atul went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Emory University, and a Master’s Degree in Finance Georgia State. He now has an interest in seven properties, and he and his partners manage a portfolio of five.

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016 | Adapting to Change, Delivering the Right Product, and Government Affairs with Ash Patel

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Ashwin “Ash” Patel entered the lodging industry in 1992 as a resident-manager and partner of a 54-unit Econo Lodge in Flagstaff, AZ. In 2004, he started Southwest Hospitality Management, LLC, with ownership interest in hotels that have affiliations with a variety of national chains, including Marriott, La Quinta Hotels, Choice Hotels, Wyndham Worldwide Hotels, Hilton Hotels, InterContinental Hotels, and Best Western International. Headquartered in Mesa, AZ, Southwest Hospitality Management provides both third-party and distressed-hotel management services, as well as investment opportunities through syndication. Read more