Public sentiment towards the violence faced by Indian-origin motel managers in the US showcases a deep outrage and sadness regarding specific incidents, alongside broader concerns about systemic racism, media neglect, and safety for immigrant communities. Commenters express mixed feelings encompassing anger, empathy, and helplessness, reflecting a complex view on the treatment and experiences of these workers, while also highlighting the resilience of immigrant families.

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They bought them. They can often live on site with their entire family if they do all of the housekeeping it keeps costs down it's a good way to build money in America. 


https://yourmileagemayvary.com/2024/02/18/why-so-many-motels-hotels-are-owned-by-indian-americans/


https://www.npr.org/2012/06/02/153988290/life-behind-the-lobby-indian-american-motel-owners

[deleted]

This is a real phenomenon, often nicknamed the Patel Motel Cartel. 

Essentially, Indian immigrants will buy and operate a motel. The family often lives on site and does all the work themselves. Eventually, they’ll make enough money to buy a bigger, better motel or hotel franchise, and sell the original business to a relative. Gujarati Indians own something like 40 percent of the hotel/motels in the U.S., and something like 80 percent of rural/small town motels in the U.S. are specifically owned by Gujarati Indians with the surname Patel

TheRealDudeMitch

Low barrier of entry, and they can live in one of the units. 


Hence the saying "Patels own hotels"

ChickenFukr_BAHGUCK

There's a large support system among Indians for small businesses i. e. they can get loans from each other to get started. 

joepierson123

TheSlipperySloop

I stayed in such a motel just outside KC on a trip to Denver, and not only did I have a Gideon's Bible in the nightstand but also a copy of the Bagavhad Gita, which was a first for me. Not one but two religious texts to ignore

Gullible-Incident613

WilJake

I assume they’re good entry level businesses, much like 7-Eleven franchises.

jessek

I have first-hand experience with this. In the 70s I worked for an international hotel franchise. South Asians, Pakistani and some African nations were buying small, plain motels in the Midwest like crazy. One family member would come to the US and buy the property and set up shop in the manager’s unit.  Soon more and more of that family would get their paperwork and come to help. In almost every case those motels were improved rapidly and they used the resources of the franchise to their advantage. 

A large number of the owners were named Patel. The franchise staff would transfer a call to me saying that they couldn’t understand The Patel’s accent and I’d try hard not to embarrass them as I learned their accent. They had to deal with a lot of bigotry amongst staff but very rarely were they denied a franchise in these small towns. 

The small towns were often very rude and bigoted to the new owners. I’d get calls constantly from other motel owners and town staff telling me to rescind theirs membership. Guests would contact headquarters staff to complain about us shipping more hard-Rs to dedicate upon the land. But these motel and hotel operators just hung in the, expanding their operations and improving the town. 

I’ve never since been so proud to be involved in a business change. These were positive, loving and persistent folk that did everything to help their family and community. It’s a joy to see your question and to be able to share my experience.

Houseleek1

It's a cultural way of immigration they've been doing for decades. They pool money as a family or group of families and buy a business and use it to sustain the family or group as they come over. Then they use the capital to help another group or family do the same thing in the same business. It's why so many owned 7/11 franchises at one point

iampatmanbeyond

WrestleBox

Those motels and stores and gas stations are usually franchises, they have a reasonable buy-in, with the motels/hotels, it also includes housing, It's a popular choice for new immigrants with investment money (often a degree that isn't instantly transferable to be certified in the US). This isn't new, there's a 1991 Denzel Washington movie, Mississippi Masala, that's about his relationship with a woman whose Indian immigrant family owns and runs a motel.

shelwood46

A lot of times you’ll see certain ethnic communities dominate a particular industry. Often it’s because new immigrants come over and work for family or friends in the business, learn the business, and then have the knowledge and industry connections to buy and run their own business. Indians seem to be associated with low end chain hotels, Koreans with dry cleaners, Vietnamese with nail salons, etc.

blipsman

My father used to sell a lot of motels in the Midwest as a real estate broker, back in the 80s and 90s. So many Patels...

First, the family could easily live on the property in the manager's apartment. 

Second, there was a network of established immigrants who Paid It Forward, crowd funding the purchase for a new owner. (My father remembered the stacks of checks used to buy the property.)

Third, I don't know if the EB-5 visa applies to the purchase of old properties, but the requirements are much lower for rural areas. I think 5 people have to be employed?

Fourth, it doesn't require a lot of skill. The learning curve was a ramp ...

Wonderful_Adagio9346

They are all from one state in India called Gujarat. I have heard these people referred to, by other Indians, as "the Jews of India." Being located on the upper west coast of India on the Indian Ocean, they have a long history of being merchants and have spread themselves far and wide. You will find Gujaratis in Tanzania and Kenya and the UK and all over the US.

They have a strong network and system of loans so that they are able to buy businesses like this with the help of other Gujaratis. They also value ownership above having a job, so they own motels, liquor stores and convenient stores. These are the tried and true businesses they know, so they continue buying them and loaning each other money to start them.

[https://madrascourier.com/insight/how-gujarati-patels-took-over-americas-motels/](https://madrascourier.com/insight/how-gujarati-patels-took-over-americas-motels/)

Visible-Shop-1061

Somewhat wealthier Indians lately have been coming to the US and buying businesses to run with their families. Where I live they have bought every business in town aside from a gas station and the gun store. The motel, the convenience store, the beer distributor, the other gas station, and even the mechanics shop were all bought by Indian immigrants.

Ancient0wl

My husband is a plumber and his company does work for some of those cheap motels. He hates going there every time because they are badly run, and attract the worst types of humanity. Another plumber who works for them, got robbed and a lot of his equipment stolen while completing a job there. The plumbers fight over who has to go. No one wants the job.

One of the Patels running the one of motels that he recently did work for said that everyone in the family has to do their time running the motel on site. He absolutely hated it and all the scuzzy undesirables that took up residence there. He was completely disgusted and ready to be done with it. He said he was ready to pass it to the next person who had to do their time.

TheRandomestWonderer

JesusStarbox

It's not just cheap ones. I think literally, 40% of all american hotels are owned by people named "patel" alone.

It's because in their native country, this was the merchant caste. They were literally born to be entrepreneurs.

drdpr8rbrts

storm838

The way it was explained to me is that things like C-stores, motels, laudramats and the like generate immediate income. Motels offer the added benefit of providing living space. Many motels have a manager's apartment but even if they don't you can live in one of the rooms and then almost 100% of your living expenses become tax deductions

JimDa5is

It's the same thing with convenience stores and real estate. The Indians have been buying out everything recently.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHW

The super nice Iraqi man who fled Iraq in the late 80s and has ran a local market/liquor store in my neighborhood of san diego let it slip that he didn't flee cause of Sadam. he let it slep that he fled because he hit a dude with his car, killing him, and dipped. it was ambiguous as to whether or not it was on purpose (it was). 

super nice guy though! all the old rich white people who have had kids who've grown up with him think he's this shining example of what 'meirca can do for iraq

spvcejam

This is definitely enough of a trend on the East Coast and Midwest for it to be a mild stereotype, though not really malicious in my experience.

My guess is, much like other businesses, it becomes something where once one group gets their foot in the door, it's easier for others to follow the model. That's probably what I would do if the situation were reversed.

I think hotels/motels, in particular, offer a combination of built-in housing and a relatively easy business model, once you're able to scrape enough for the property. And much like convenience stores and gas stations, there are a lot of them located in less-than-desirable areas, so if you're willing to do business in those places, there's less competition. The fact that most immigrants from India seem to speak English probably helps as well. 

I googled it and found this article, which goes into more depth about it.  
[https://yourmileagemayvary.com/2024/02/18/why-so-many-motels-hotels-are-owned-by-indian-americans/](https://yourmileagemayvary.com/2024/02/18/why-so-many-motels-hotels-are-owned-by-indian-americans/)

leonchase

When I was a kid in Chicago, all the diners were owned by Greeks. I liked to imagine Greece as wall-to-wall American diners. 

Now I like to imagine northwestern India as nothing but cheap motels, with every family living in their own motel. 

Your perception is correct, though. I used to sleep in a motel every night, for years, because of my job. I’ve slept in motels in every state in the lower 48. It was a rare motel that wasn’t owned by a Patel.

karrimycele

Patel Motel Cartel

https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/04/magazine/a-patel-motel-cartel.html

OtherCommission8227

Just like convenience stores they can leverage family members for free (or very low cost) labor.

uvaspina1

Immigrants often take advantage of opportunities locals often don't want to be involved in. They work hard and succeed.

Evening_Monk_2689

AccomplishedView4709

There's preferential immigration status for being involved in management of a business in the country.  By investing in a business, it's easier for foreigners to get citizenship.  How do these people get the money for it?

Their families are typically a higher social class in their own country.  They fund them because they're in some way the black sheep of their family, and by sending them to the US, they do not cause their family social embarrassment.

This is actually in historic precedence for the US.  The youngest of the merchant class in Europe usually would not have an inheritance, so the their family would finance them to the colonies so that they would be able to make their own way.

KoalaGrunt0311

The EB-5 visa requires $1,000,000 investment in a US business for entry.

Older roadside motels, who's popularity has been waning since the growth of the interstate system fit the bill nicely, as most of the business value is in the real estate.

The Patel clan has locked into this keenly.  You buy a business, bring the whole family, and when the kids finish medical school, sell it to your cousin/nephew/arranged son-in-law, and he brings his family over.  Process repeats.

bobbystand

Stateach

Warm-Fix9012

I did some work for one here in a previous job long ago.  They usually fit very well for a large extended family operation.

The one we worked with had several rooms set aside for the family to live in, and the family then filled pretty much all the jobs at the hotel.

So they had really cheap housing and guaranteed employment for their family, as well as a cheap labor force to run the hotel.

iceph03nix

The real question is how are they able to exclude other ethnic groups that surely want in on this business too?

Carl_Schmitt

Many businesses are beachheads for immigrants - nail salons, convenience stores, restaurants, etc. A family will use them as an economic anchor for their family and will often sell them to another family member or employee when they retire.  There are many Chinese restaurants that have been around for decades and have had numerous owners chained in such a way.  And once a particular immigrant group has established in a particular industry it becomes self reinforcing - knowledge base, industry connections, etc.

DrScottMpls

A lot of people who move to other countries from India, or moved in the past (or their parents did) are small business people - shop owner/operators, etc. A hotel is a small business, so this often fits their skills and resources. Like running a small shop, a small hotel is one where it's much easier to run the business with a small profit if you effectively pay yourself little, and if you have family to work in it for effectively low pay too. Many small shop owners, Indian or other, work long hours and if they had to pay someone the going rate for those hours, their business would not make money. So having a mindset where they're willing to do that, and a family - wife, and maybe children, or even siblings and cousins - willing to do that because the business is owned by the family, makes them more likely to succeed.

tl;dr Indians are often willing to work long hours in service businesses that they own so they succeed at running a cheap low-end hotel.

FelisCantabrigiensis

Although not limited to those named Patel, wait until you see what the coffee shop chain Tim Hortons has become.  Basically entirely Indian. Not a word of a lie the Canadian govt (Hortons is bigger in Can than the US) even has an official immigration program that allows franchise owners to import coffee servers (and until last year their spouses and unlimited kids) from primarily India but also The Philippines.  Program is called LMIA and it’s total fraud from top to bottom.

GoodGoodGoody

I often wondered why so many donut shops seem to be owned by Asians, and ownership seemed to change periodically.
I was told, not sure if true, but great scheme if so, that it works like this:
A small business can only show a loss for more than 3 out of 5 years, then no longer qualities as a business.
Person 1 opens shop, operates a few year using the 3 out of 5 rule. 
Sells to Person 2 ( maybe a cousin or other relative, 3 of 5 rule resets…. and this continues.
Remember an operating loss doesn’t mean someone didn’t make money, just the business didn’t make money. Family members may have been paid well to “work” there.
There are also ways to hide cash sales.

Wish I had been smart enough to do this!

Level-Setting825

They bought them. They’re almost all Gujarati with the last name Patel, it’s a popular stereotype - “the Patel motel cartel”. It helped support immigration for them - solid cash flow, the family could live on the premises, no one else wanted them, and with hard work, they could make enough money to upgrade and could sell the original business to someone else looking to do the same, plus they have a strong network and system of loans to each other.

winteriscoming9099

I stayed at one in Orange county and it was weird.  Had me sign a release, the room was dirty.  I then asked to cancel so I could stay elsewhere and they were difficult to deal with. I went to a Hilton and paid a bit more but it was much nicer.

Denverdaddies

IIRC they get loans from the federal government to buy small businesses.

tolgren

Those cheap motels that you stayed at are either privately owned or most likely franchised. A lot of business minded Indian people operate chains like Econo Lodge, Red Roof Inn, and Days Inn. They are relatively cost effective to maintain and the corporation usually helps the franchisee start their business. You’ll also find many gas stations run by Indian people.

HippoProject

How come they own a lot of the off license shops in the UK?

sandbagger45

Add Washington to the list! I wasn't even staying there but they had a shower facility (for pay) for campers and truckers. It was like 6$ for 5 min but so necessary

msklovesmath

Running a hotel is a 24/7 job..... Most find a better paying job with way less hours.

moneyman74

A lot of money available in loans to minority small businesses owners 

Lockheed_CL-1201

It's hard to imagine now, but direct capital  investment into a business was an accelerated  path to legal immigration status, green card, then citizenship.

dudsmm

It’s a fantastic way to build generational wealth!  Lots of poor families will move here, work labor jobs, then eventually buy the business and use to to build lasting generational wealth.  I live in a predominantly Indian area, and while some came over for IT/Healthcare jobs, many came and worked in hotels, restaurants, or dry cleaners and saved until they could buy their own, and send their kids to a good college/university, while building lots of wealth.  They would then bring family members over to expand their business(es) and create a whole community.

tcspears

They buy and sell to each other and the next set of immigrants. Loan networks, etc.

Look into how Chinese restaurants exploded. Similar process.

NonSupportiveCup

It’s an easy and cheap way to start your own business.

Not just economy motels, they have mid and high end now too. On the mid and hi end they are not the face, they’ll have a management company run it.

blueprint_01

brookish

It's one big family, the Patels. [https://madrascourier.com/insight/how-gujarati-patels-took-over-americas-motels/](https://madrascourier.com/insight/how-gujarati-patels-took-over-americas-motels/)

AirlineOk3084

I’ve literally been halfway across the US when a Patel saw my ID while checking in. He knew a Patel family in my hometown, in fact it was his uncle or cousin IIRC. It’s real.

Since1831

They invest in real estate and probably have family members helping with labor etc

Birdywoman4

For the same reason the Cambodians own many donut shops....they're accessible businesses and they're good at it.

HamRadio_73

Buy a business, get a green card. Cheap motels and convenience stores are inexpensive.

dmbgreen

OYO has taken over, especially since they bought Motel 6 last year.

AuggumsMcDoggums

Many Americans believe the American dream is dead. We all want high paying jobs where we can live comfortable very quickly. 

However, Indian people are hard working people willing to buy/open small businesses and show the dream is still alive.

Crissup

No idea. But the only motel 6 I ever felt safe in was in NorCal and ran by a wonderful Indian family. I hope they’re doing well! The headboards for the beds were massive prints of Mt Shasta and surrounding wilderness. They were absolutely stunning

geekycurvyanddorky

to reliably immigrate here, you can agree to invest money into a business, like a million dollars or somewhere around there. businesses that only cost 1 million to get going are small businesses like motels.

ImportanceCurrent101

Why not? We all gotta make a living somehow.

Katskit89

WokeUpIAmStillAlive

They do the same thing Chinese families do. Spanish families are similar but not with businesses, instead with skilled labor. Indians and Asians come here and build a business with their family, or multiple families until that business has become successful, then they open another one. It’s called the American dream because they are living the shit out of it.

Leading_External_327

diffidentblockhead

And most of them are named Patel... There is an explanation in Paul Theroux's Deep South.

skivtjerry

Indians absolutely dominate the small time hospitality market. It’s a great immigrant story.

Evening-Caramel-6093

Same thing with Cambodians and donut shops, and Vietnamese nail salons. It’s an established community and niche industry of people who trust each other and can share resources

MLZ005

It’s industry-wide.

If you look at the “tales from the front desk” sub, you’ll see them talking about scammers calling and asking for Mr. Patel because so many hotels are owned by a Patel.

ritchie70

Ok-Switch9308

Lots of Indians with small motels and 7/11s. Seems like a good entry point for immigrants to own a small business.

SanchosaurusRex

I heard a podncast about one of the cheap motel chains actually help them get business loans.

stabbingrabbit

They are willing to work long hours for very little money.
Most times the whole family is involved in their endeavor.

EmploymentEmpty5871

Due_Time4158

h2ohow

Thapkibehan

GlassAd4628

Google Patel Motel Cartel, it was an easy way to get permanent residency in the 70s by investing in business, and economy motels were more attractive than restaurants that required meat handling for largely Hindu immigrants which wasn’t attractive. And you didn’t need good language skills for a motel, but required long hours. 

Motels struggled in the 70s bc of the oil embargo and declining travel, but a family who was willing to work long hours could turn a profit, which attracted Indian immigrants. 

They then traded up properties, but couldn’t get financing or insurance bc of largely racists anti immigrant sentiments, so turned to each other. 

That’s a largely simplified answer.

cbospam1

As other have said, Patel own a lot. There is a number of reasons why this has happened.

1) In India, Patels usually own a lot of business and thus have access to capital   
2) For many years, they have had a shadow banking system. When one family member migrates to the US and starts the business, they usually get the money from family members. In return, the sponsor family to come to the US. These relatives help with running and management of the business. After a while, the hotel owner has enough money and will lend to other to buy more business. As this keep going, it becomes exponential. Since the money is all borrowed by family, there is a lot of family pressure to make it work plus they can get help from family.  
3) There is a very heavy emphasis on working hard and making a name for the family. This pressure is both good and bad.   
4) There is a lot of help from family. If something breaks, family members come help to fix for free.   
5) Since extended families live together, they are able to have the grandparents take care of the kids, cook and clean which allows others to work more and make it a bit easier to succeed.

You will also see lots of Indian own other business like connivance store, restaurants and many others.

Now having said that, the next generation is not nearly as much into business and thus you will start to see the numbers start to drop off.

desidivo

It’s about residency permits. Indians have a strong middle and upper class, so there are more than enough families who can come here and put down the $200,000 business license that you need to get your business up and running and get you and your family a green card. Motels, laundromats and corner stores are all relatively cheap and easy businesses to set up and maintain. It also means that now you not only have a small business, but employment for your family. Again, the reason you see many Indians, Korean and Chinese with these types of businesses is because they have strong economies. A Guatemalan immigrant will have a very, very different challenge to obtaining a green card.

Howiebledsoe

As a huge fan of Indian cuisine, and as someone who travels a lot and frequently stays at motels owned by Indians, my only disappointment is smelling their home cooking coming from their private quarters and not being able to eat it.

vwayoor

I didn't know about them owning motels, but many do work at, or own, convenience stores and gas stations where I live. I asked some about it.

One of the most common responses were that they have bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees from back home. Those credentials won't help them here in the States without some kind of time working here to put on a resume.

Chatteramba

In Chicago, Indian Families were running many of the Dunkin’ Donuts. They worked in groups, like 2 or 3 families would pool their money for a Dunkin, staff it, live together, stack loot, bring in another family or two, buy another franchise, buy another place to live…rinse and repeat.
Quite clever. The American Dream running strong.

hellequinbull

Patels own roughly half of all hotels in the US.

joe-seppy

Many have mentioned patels but i wanted to give some anecdotal stories i was told from a patel family. They were originally from Zimbabwe and their family owns some stores in gujurat. During the British empire, the british took certain groups of indian people and moved them around to different areas and gave them specific roles within the empire. Many gujurati families were seen as entrepreneurs and businessmen and brought to places like east Africa and elsewhere to become this middle class commerce people. The city of Mumbai was founded by many gujurati families even though it was in maharashtra actually causing rifts of whether mumbai should go to gujurat or maharashtra at independence. When the empire fell, the gujurati people continued this and brought it to other countries through the money they earned in the empire. They were abandoned but had to continue making a name for themselves. They found ways to enter the US through businesses such as motels and started dominating there basically, trying to make a living for their families as best as they could. They brought more of their family from India over too to both help out here and to help their family.

AdGroundbreaking6643

Mostly they don't run them exceptionally well. Just well enough to make money.

Appropriate-Brain-64

whatever the reason, they need to start repairing and doing the upkeep in a professional manner. their hotels are always dirty, dingy and half ass.

Actual-Compote493

So their relatives can stay there when visiting

emilioml_

idowhatiwant8675309

I have worked for so many Indian hotel owners. It seems to me like they are screwing over the same people who made it possible for them to come here. The American people.
They come here run hotels horribly, pay their American employees as close to nothing as possible and offer no benefits, EVER!
Plus they take advantage of our rules and laws to our own detriment. 
There should be standards for them to run a business like any other American, but for over twenty yrs I can't get one to even offer insurance. 
I wish there would be better congressional oversight for these scams.
We allow it because on the outside it looks good for the economy, but it can't be good for the economy if its not good for the people.
Pay right and give benefits. Don't come to America to take advantage of us, take advantage of the system by doing it right. But your greed will soon label you not just as hotel and gas station owners, but as BAD businessmen, which right now, in my experience, YOU ARE!

Equivalent_Example55

Two main reasons:

1. Business opportunity to make to make money

2. The natives class this business as a job/profession which is beneath them

Apologies for being direct and to the point

EDIT:  Truth hurts 😉

BaldPleaser

There are many Indian people in the world, realistically only a very small percentage of them own motels.

motonerve

Haven't been in a hotel or motel in a few years, but I'm in and out of gas/mini marts, and can confirm that a lot of Indians are working in/running them.

michelloto

Where is the critical thinking? Charlie Kirk is an extremely popular MAGA guy with support from basically the whole of trump faction. His words are stupendous but he is still a negatively influential figure. 

The indian guy you mentioned isn't going to generate TRP for the media, so yes in a utopian society both will be covered equally. But no society is utopian. 

Its like saying hitler’s death and the death of an ally soldier will be equally reported lol. It won't, even in an ally country. 

But the angle of racism you're adding here is just naive. Victim mentality at best.

aspiringIR

What a ridiculous post, it's Charlie Kirk not a random white dude.

Itchy_Raccoon_9206

Recent incidents highlight dangers faced by Indian-origin motel managers in the US, including violence linked to robberies or disputes.

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