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AAHOA mourns death of ex-chairman Ravi Patel
He was a founding member of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association.
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Staff Reporter - Mon, 26, Jan 2026
- 16:18 EST
- 17
Ravi Patel / aahoa.com
The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) mourns the passing of Ravi Patel, a founding member of the organization who served as its chairman from 1992 to 1993.
Ravi, the founder of Charlotte-based SREE Hotels passed away on Jan. 21, leaving a legacy that helped shape the modern Asian American hotel ownership community. His funeral was held in Gujarat, India.
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In a statement, AAHOA chairman Kamalesh Patel said Ravi played a key role in the association’s early years.
“During his tenure as chairman, he took a formative idea and gave it a home—literally and figuratively—by drafting our bylaws and establishing our first headquarters,” he said.
Ravi entered the hospitality business in 1980 after acquiring a roadside motel in Florence, South Carolina, which he later converted into an EconoLodge. The project became the starting point for SREE Hotels, which he co-founded with Chandra Patel.
As AAHOA chairman, Ravi focused on building professional capacity among hotel owners and on expanding participation by Asian American hoteliers in the industry, the association said.
AAHOA president and chief executive officer Laura Lee Blake said Ravi had also been active as a mentor within the organization. “He believed that through knowledge and unity, our community could achieve anything,” she said, extending condolences to his family.
Ravi was born in Nadi in the Fiji Islands and studied chemistry and physics at Saint Xavier’s College before earning a degree in chemical engineering from Auburn University. He previously worked as an engineer at Goodyear before moving into the hotel business.
He lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, and remained involved with SREE Hotels as its chairman. According to AAHOA, the company later developed and managed hotels in partnership with brands including Marriott, Hilton and IHG.
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