Lodging Leaders

Lina Patel’s goal is to climb mountains and her passion is to serve. Born and raised in India, Lina immigrated to the United States in the early 80’s with her parents. She grew up working in the hotel, cleaning rooms, doing laundry, working front desk shifts, and even mowing the lawn. She remembers coming home after school and immediately racing to the hotel lobby to begin her shift. Lina graduated from Wright State University with a degree in Management Information Systems and immediately started working with Lexis-Nexis, the online database company, to gain Corporate knowledge. Ultimately, she rejoined the hotel industry and started investing in multiple franchises across the Eastern United States. Lina served as an AAHOA regional ambassador program for 6 years, and she was just elected by the members to serve as AAHOA Female Director at Large to represent the Eastern Division. In This Episode, Lina Reveals: * How her journey as a second generation hotelier led her from working in the hotel growing up, to working in the corporate world for many years, to returning to hospitality and investing in multiple properties. * Why she chose to serve on multiple boards, and how getting involved in a trade association has helped her survive the 2008 recession. * That her employee retention rate is about 50%, which is better than the industry average, and some of the ways she connects with her team. * Why she is passionate about mountain climbing, and how she has been able to use her hospitality skills on the mountain, and climbing skills in the hotel. Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode * AAHOA (The Asian American Hotel Owners Association) Lina Patel * Email: linapatel@fuse.net * LinkedIn * Facebook

RJ Friedlander is the Founder & CEO of ReviewPro, the world leader in Guest Intelligence for the hotel industry. He recently negotiated the sale of ReviewPro to Shiji Group, a publicly traded company that is 15% owned by Alibaba and one of the largest hospitality technology companies in the world. Prior to ReviewPro, Friedlander worked read more

RJ Friedlander is the Founder & CEO of ReviewPro, the world leader in Guest Intelligence for the hotel industry. He recently negotiated the sale of ReviewPro to Shiji Group, a publicly traded company that is 15% owned by Alibaba and one of the largest hospitality technology companies in the world. Prior to ReviewPro, Friedlander worked extensively in the Internet and technology sector in Europe, US and Asia and spent 10 years at Grupo Planeta where he was the CEO of the Group’s Digital Media Division. RJ is an advisor and investor in a number of technology companies, widely recognized as one of the top experts in hotel technology & online reputation management, and is on the advisory board of The Hotel School at Cornell University. In This Episode, RJ Reveals: * The various places a hotelier needs to look to manage their online reputation, and how that can differ depending on your location, product and market segment. * The affects that TripAdvisor, Yelp and other social review sites have on hotels, including studies that suggest that if hotels can raise their average rating 1 star out of a 5 star rating system, they’ll be able to raise their prices by up to 11% without giving up any market share. * How hotel guest feedback has changed over the years, and how hoteliers should be adapting to this change. * Some action steps listeners can take to improve guest satisfaction and their online reputation. Download the FREE Guide How to Respond to Guest Feedback in Online Reviews, Surveys & in Person Resources & Links RJ Friedlander * Email: rfriedlander@reviewpro.com * LinkedIn ReviewPro * Website * LinkedIn Company Page * Facebook * Twitter

Paul H. Ingebretsen is a paragon of the hospitality industry. Through a career spanning four decades mostly in Latin America, he rose through the corporate ranks from Dishwasher to President. Iconic five-star hotels and resorts on four continents have benefited from his results-oriented leadership, and his excellency has allowed Paul the opportunity to host and read more

Paul H. Ingebretsen is a paragon of the hospitality industry. Through a career spanning four decades mostly in Latin America, he rose through the corporate ranks from Dishwasher to President. Iconic five-star hotels and resorts on four continents have benefited from his results-oriented leadership, and his excellency has allowed Paul the opportunity to host and serve over 100 heads of state, Fortune 500 CEO´s and celebrities throughout his distinguished tenure. In This Episode, Paul Reveals: * How his leadership role as GM, Director of Operations, and CEO has changed over the years. * His experience as a hotel owner and why he decided to sell. * His thoughts on staffing, winnowing the pool of potential candidates and hiring for personality and cultural fit over experience. * The importance of on-boarding, initial and ongoing training, and how he develops engaged teams. * His favorite management books which have assisted him in his career. Resources & Links Paul’s Favorite Management Books * The New One Minute Manager, by Ken Blanchard and M.D. Johnson Spencer * The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability, by Roger Connors, Tom Smith, and Craig Hickman * NOTE: Email Paul for his complete list of favorite management books Paul Ingebretsen * Email: pgingebretsen@gmail.com * LinkedIn * Facebook

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 read more

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 * AAHOA (The Asian American Hotel Owners Association) * AAHOA – Certified Hotel Owner (CHO) program Dina Patel * Email: dnaran@yahoo.com * LinkedIn * Facebook * Mobile: (832) 754-2759 Mirage Hospitality * Twitter * Facebook

Miraj S. Patel, CHIA, CHO is a highly motivated young professional who is currently pursuing a B.S. in Hotel & Lodging Management at Johnson & Wales University. He is the President & CEO of Houston, TX based, Mirage Hospitality, and he has spoken at various business, educational, social and legislative conferences. Miraj earned his Certification read more

Miraj S. Patel, CHIA, CHO is a highly motivated young professional who is currently pursuing a B.S. in Hotel & Lodging Management at Johnson & Wales University. He is the President & CEO of Houston, TX based, Mirage Hospitality, and he has spoken at various business, educational, social and legislative conferences. Miraj earned his Certification read more

Rupesh is the CEO of 3Hospitality and SmartGuests.com, and he operates award winning hotels in the Daytona Beach area. Known for his out of the box, innovative thinking, Rupesh has incorporated his marketing and design background into hospitality industry to deliver simple ideas that bring smiles to guest’s faces and drive revenues for his hotels. read more

Rupesh is the CEO of 3Hospitality and SmartGuests.com, and he operates award winning hotels in the Daytona Beach area. Known for his out of the box, innovative thinking, Rupesh has incorporated his marketing and design background into hospitality industry to deliver simple ideas that bring smiles to guest’s faces and drive revenues for his hotels. read more

Biran has been an AAHOA member since 2001, Lifetime Member since 2008, and proactive leader since 2010. He now serves as North Texas Regional Director and previously was an Ambassador. Under his leadership as Regional Director, North Texas repeatedly achieved record highs in PAC contributions, Lifetime Members, and paid members. Currently, he serves on the read more

Biran has been an AAHOA member since 2001, Lifetime Member since 2008, and proactive leader since 2010. He now serves as North Texas Regional Director and previously was an Ambassador. Under his leadership as Regional Director, North Texas repeatedly achieved record highs in PAC contributions, Lifetime Members, and paid members. Currently, he serves on the read more

Jay Lallu has a unique path to the hospitality business. He was born and raised in Colon, Panama. Jay could not continue his college education as his father had fallen sick. To provide for his family, he started to work at a retail store in Colon. This opened the doors for him to begin working read more

Jay Lallu has a unique path to the hospitality business. He was born and raised in Colon, Panama. Jay could not continue his college education as his father had fallen sick. To provide for his family, he started to work at a retail store in Colon. This opened the doors for him to begin working read more