At a time in our competitive industry when outside-the-box thinking is all but a requirement, the professionals featured by HOTELS can inspire you to think differently. This week, it’s Mitch Patel, CEO of Vision Hospitality Group. Last week: Harry Harris, founder of development company SUSD. Stay tuned for other profiles of hoteliers challenging the status quo — they’re all featured our April People Issue.
Mitch Patel never figured on joining the family business, but when the opportunity to develop and run a hotel came his way, he didn’t waste much time ditching his budding career as a civil engineer. He had seen enough to know that traffic studies and road design weren’t going to hold his interest long-term.
Contributed by Megan Rowe
He had grown up helping his parents run several motels, but he had never managed, much less built, one himself. Undaunted, he cashed in his US$3,000 savings account, cobbled together small loans from family and friends and convinced a local lender to bet on him. He designed the site, served as contractor, hired subcontractors, got the Homewood Suites by Hilton up and running and launched it as the general manager. He picked up the requisite skills the hard way — on the job.
“It wasn’t easy — it took a lot of hard work and dedication — but after 18 months we became the number one hotel in Chattanooga,” Patel says. And while he wasn’t thinking about expanding beyond that first Homewood Suites, the process of creating and running the hotel stirred a passion. “I finally found my groove, things started clicking and I realized this was for me,” he recalls.
And how. Twenty-one years later, Patel is CEO of Vision Hospitality Group, developer and operator of 34 full- and select-service properties under Hilton, Marriott and InterContinental flags, with another 16 in the works. His 1,100-person team expands as the company grows. In recent years Vision was named Marriott International developer of the year, Hampton developer of the year and Hilton multi-brand developer of the year.
Finding a winning formula
Patel has succeeded with a simple formula: Create a strong culture, build to last and “bend the brand as much as you can.” The formula has produced properties that consistently post high ADRs and top rankings on TripAdvisor. No one needed to teach Patel what he considers the most important lesson: Treat people with respect.
Given two styles — leading through fear or through deep admiration and respect — Patel chose the latter. But he realizes leaders don’t do it alone. “You have to surround yourself with people who have great skills and attitude — you can’t teach attitude. Then you give them the best chance to succeed.”
Patel has cultivated that admiration and respect “by making deposits in an emotional register. You have to engage with your team,” he says. He preaches getting to know team members’ likes, hobbies and families. Vision says it offers competitive wages and benefits, celebrates work anniversaries and makes an effort to create a fun workplace. It also provides sabbaticals to employees.
“We want this to be an extension of our staff’s lives, not just a place to clock in and clock out,” Patel explains.
True Blue, Vision’s corporate culture, is defined by seven values: dedication, integrity, respect, excellence, community, teamwork and spirit. In the past, his managers would recruit, then indoctrinate; today, they are more likely to look for people who already share those values.
As for bending the brand, Patel is a fan of designing hotels to reflect the community and the local neighborhood, so Vision properties often feature local art or amenities like rooftop bars where they make sense.
Road ahead
Patel says not much keeps him awake at night, but rising construction costs, labor costs and impact challenges that recent mergers have created are all on his mind. So is Airbnb, of course.
It’s hard to escape the impact that Airbnb has had on travel, but Patel sees its strength not as value but personal experiences. As a hedge against Airbnb, Vision’s “bend the brand” approach has morphed into the company’s first boutique hotel, The Edwin, which will open this year in Chattanooga; Patel plans to do a handful more. “I love storytelling, taking a building that’s 100 years old and bringing it back to life, creating unique food and beverage — it’s a great opportunity,” he says. He also is hatching a plan to launch a small branded collection a la Thompson or Ace, with up to 10 locations.
Vision’s boutique approach will stress value; Patel thinks most boutique hotel rates are out of reach for many travelers. “If you look at most markets, you have mainstream branded hotels and then Airbnb, and nothing in between. That’s our opportunity,” he says.
Going forward, Patel says he is focused more on quality than quantity. “We don’t want to be the biggest, we simply want to be the best. We would rather have 20 to 30 hotels that are award-winning and have maintained our culture with great people than have 50 mediocre hotels.”
The Mitch Patel of today isn’t so different from the engineer who returned to his hospitality roots 21 years ago. It’s evident when he speaks about the business that his passion remains strong, but he has realized the importance of carving out time for family, so he has learned to delegate more. And his success growing Vision Hospitality has stoked a confidence that might have been lacking at the beginning.
“That’s very powerful,” he says. “Confidence helps you believe you can do great things — it has to start with that.”