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AAHOA calls for national response after multiple hoteliers killed
Three hotel owners slain in 72 hours spur urgent call for industry-wide safety reforms
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Malvika Choudhary - Mon, 13, Oct 2025
- 15:18 EDT
- 15
AAHOA / Representative image / AAHOA/ Unsplash
The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) called for a coordinated national response following a string of killings that left three hotel owners dead within a span of 72 hours last week.
Two hoteliers — Anilkumar Patel and Pankaj Patel — were fatally shot on Oct. 2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, both men, aged 54, were attacked at a motel on Eddleman Road. The suspect, Alvaro Luis Ozuna-Sierra, 38, was arrested the following day in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Also Read: Four dead, at least 20 injured in South Carolina island shooting
A day later, another hotelier, Rakesh “Rocky” Ehagaban, was shot and killed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while responding to a disturbance outside his property. The incident also left a police officer and the suspect wounded before authorities took the suspect into custody.
“These are not just statistics—these are members of our community, our friends, and our colleagues,” said AAHOA chair Kamalesh (KP) Patel. “Our hearts break for the families of those who lost their lives in these senseless tragedies. No one should ever face such danger while working to serve guests and support their families.”
Calling the incidents “a critical wake-up call for law enforcement, policymakers, and the broader hospitality industry,” Patel said AAHOA stands ready to collaborate with every level of government to confront the growing threat to hotel owners and workers.
AAHOA president and CEO Laura Lee Blake said the association will convene safety and security experts, coordinate with local authorities, and equip hotel owners with tools and resources to strengthen protection measures.
“Hotel owners and operators are the backbone of America’s hospitality industry, and their safety must be an absolute priority,” she said. “Together, we will honor those we’ve lost by ensuring their tragedies lead to meaningful and lasting change.”
The Charlotte shooting occurred at a property previously cited for safety violations and closed by city officials, while the Pittsburgh case involved Ehagaban’s attempt to assist during a violent dispute.
The killings follow a series of fatal attacks targeting hotel owners, including the September murder of a Dallas hotel manager and earlier cases in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Sheffield, Alabama.
In response to recent incidents, AAHOA held a virtual learning session providing hotel owners and operators with guidance on strengthening security, conducting due diligence, mitigating risks of crime, and supporting employees coping with trauma.
Representing nearly 20,000 members who own about 60 percent of hotels in the United States, AAHOA said it remains committed to driving industry-wide action to ensure the safety of those who “keep America’s hotels open and communities thriving.”
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