Why Do Indians Own Every Hotel In Town?

I know my opening headline may sound a bit racist to some of you, but I get asked this question all of the time, since I do work in a hotel and I also work for an Indian-Amerian family, I guess I am expected to have an answer. Well, I don't, I know that the family I work for did not live the life they have now, they pretty much lived in poverty. One brother left India and went to London, then from there to the US, he managed to become a store operator, after several years his brother joined him here, they opened this hotel and have been here now a few years. They are now Americans, but live a very Indian lifestyle, I praise their ability to hold onto their customs and culture while giving respect to the American way of life.

But what is the answer to this question? It is true, every hotel in our county is owned by a Patel. Every independant convience store is owned by a Patel. I am sick to death of the derogatory and racist manner that folks throw this question at me, and I would like some truth, an answer, to throw back. Anyone?

Mods, please place in an appropriate forum, I didn't know where to place this.

I wonder the same thing about Chinese people and nail salons. And trust me, I don't mean that as a racist thing. I swear every nail salon I have ever been to is run by Chinese people. What's the deal? And yes, a Patel runs every convenience store around here too. Surely it's not like some thing that has been passed down from generation to generation?

I have heard it is due to them only being able to study certain subjects in India if you are poor, such as management, and that leads them to the hotels and the stores, but I do not know this as fact.

That would make sense. I wonder why hotels and convenience stores though. Maybe Seven Eleven 101 is the only class they offer!

Maybe when they arrived here they still retained a work ethic? Maybe Americans expect everything to be handed to them and whine when it isn't? How come HE gets a hotel and I don't?

Not bashing you, just pointing out that often the reasons any demographic group may appear to dominate a certain industry has less to do with some insidious plot than it does with said groups ability to work as a family to buy into an industry. That, and Americans love racial stereotypes, which only exacerbates the perception.

Consider that this family you refer to may have pooled all their resources to buy a business they could run as a family. They may have lived a very meager lifestyle to achieve their goal. Maybe once they began to be successful, they helped other members of their family to also buy into the same industry. Wouldn't you do the same?

Russel Peters knows.

I think it comes down to how there families work.

From what I know from first hand experiance. One family will move to a new country and start working basically any job they can get. They live in one house and all there earnings are pooled into on pot so to speak. They Do this more and more as more family memebers move to the country they are in.

All of them live in one house whether it is 6 people or 20 until they have enough money to buy a buisness, this cycle goes on and on until they have buisness for each and houses for each family, which in turn will bring in more family members.

Some of the family memebers that come in at a later time work for a house and what they need to get by not money so in effect its a free work force.

The only thing I have to say I like about this system is the shared help beyon that it pretty much means years of cramped living conditions and unpaid work.

Edit to add there is a work ethic in a way work or be kicked out by the family

[edit on 12-1-2010 by jpmail]

reply to post by heyo


RUSSELS PETERS HAHAHA, That dude is awesome.

The answer to the OP though: They are the ones who buy them.

TAPSUMBONG

My observations based on my travels, and my choice of medium priced motels/hotels is this. A family purchases said buisness. They live in one or two rooms, depending on the size of the family. Then, instead of hiring a large staff, everyone in the family works. When checkout times rolls around, mama and the kids are the ones doing the work, rather than hiring locals. It's called a work ethic, something I fear Americans have lost.
To quote an Indian Doctor I once worked with,,, "Where I come from, you work your ass off, or you starve."
That was once our ethic, but alas, we have degenerated into a welfare state where the citizens think the government is supposed to support them.

reply to post by kettlebellysmith


The famly who purchased this hotel, did so with every intention of firing all of it's employees, and their family do the work instead. After letting the security guy go, they replaced him with a 27 point camera system and electronic locking doors ( that you must use your key to open and enter the building), they then told the manager of the hotel to fire 2 people from every department ( housekeeping, front desk) they fired the maintenance man, and then the manager quit. She never fired anyone from housekeeping or the front desk. They had no clue how to operate this large hotel and were overwhelmed with the job at hand. The wives do not wish to be seen at the front desk, they do work in housekeeping, and one of the husbands hired another maintenance man and he works with him. One of the brothers took on the general manager's duties, and admitted candidly to us that he had intended on letting the previous manager go after she trained him. But things have gotten to a point that they love us, the 'American' employees, they trust us, they tell us all the time we have become an extension of their family, invite us to celebrate their birthdays and ect, currently they are in India, gone for 3 months, and will return in Febuary, leaving the hotel to be run by us, the employees they kept. They do live in the hotel, they have built a very nice apt in the old restraunt, and play cricket in the banquet room during season! Kinda reminded me of the Beverly Hillbillies eating dinner on the pool table but hey, whatever works!

And I did witness them run off a family member who arrived and was smoking and drinking, flirting with all of us who work here, and he wouldn't take a job at the hotel.

how about the mexicans making pizza

Immigrants own a lot of businesses because they are under the impression when they enter the USA that owning their own business will fulfill their "American Dream."

The reality is, they get screwed just like we do.

They get taxed to the moon and back.
They get regulated just like we do.

Fact is, they are the only ones willing to do such a crappy job.

Managing a hotel in today's society would be kind of crappy. Customers are complete jerks for illogical reasons these days you know. And then you gotta watch out for all the stupid lawsuits these jerks come up with constantly.

But then again, maybe they got it made you know?

Think of it this way.
Working for a boss sucks cuz they rape all of the wealth you create for them and give you table scraps.

Perhaps the immigrants know this from their crappy lives back in Asia and decided they will simply Run Their Own Business.

Being your own Boss is awesome I must admit!

reply to post by notsympl

I have never heard this particular reference, in my city and I am not stereo typing or anything like that, just stating the facts, the majority of the Mexican and Guatamalean community work in the chicken plants around here, they do live multi family, I mean several families in one tiny home, and they own vans and all ride in together to work. My sis was a supervisor at one of these plants for years, she heard some unbelievable stories from some of them about how they got here, and for some, why they left.

reply to post by muzzleflash


I try to look at people this way: I assume you are as kind as myself and so I will begin your stay here with kindness and attention. It does usually work, occaisionally I do have to deal with a jerk, but for the most part people are still goodhearted, maybe it is our town, maybe it is the charm of the south, I dunno, but there are still more good people around than there are jerks.

It comes down to like everything else, MONEY.
I was told this in the past by different people in different places so I rather think this is true. They come here from their home country, no matter which one. They get a tax free loan for whatever business they wish to buy. This loan is for if I recall for 10 years. In 9 years they sell the property to one of their relatives who has also taken out a tax free loan. This keeps repeating as long as they wish.
Since they never have to pay all the taxes Americans do they can afford to run the places. Along with the fact they refuse to maintain the buildings up to code. Use family where they have no wage taxes or health insurance. So how much money do you think they can save over a American run business?
True or not it makes sense to me.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer


I think you nailed it. I have come to know a Taiwanese family/community. They have a much more communal sense of running their lives. They did pool their resources and they continue to live a very humble and meager life style. Their ties to community extend well beyond their locales all the way back to Taiwan.

They now run a small quaint tea house that is like an oasis in a lesser popular side of town. They worked extremely hard to secure what was previously a slum lord style apartment building (an old 3 story house) Gutted it and built the tea room entirely themselves, installing lovely hard wood flooring you can see your reflection in, and creating a peaceful natural ambiance complimented by the owner's love a plants and peaceful spa music.

The food is amazing (all vegetarian) and you are asked to remove your foot wear and use their sanitized indoor slip on foot wear (some Asian culture that is met with differing views). There are often clashes with locals who come in looking for a typical western Chinese food experience, however those who "get it" love coming for an escape and a chance to appreciate a unique relaxing experience brought to them by hard work and sincerity.

The owner also gave back to the community by teaching tai chi classes for free. I have tremendous respect and admiration for them and they are well liked and appreciated in their community.

I guess the western approach seems much more personally selfish, and predicated on personal pursuit, material gain and wealth. I don't know but there definitely is a polarity in cultural customs around these and many other ideas. Maybe residue from the "Protestant ethic".

Its not a racial thing, dont worry, it simply observational. If we cant comment on what we see and collectively anounce our findings........ Then boof me, why the hell do we fight for freedoms.

In Australia, Service stations are primarily owned by indians. I have no problem with this what so ever, though their politeness is non existent.

Actually, to digress slightly back to my first paragraph.....

Why is it, that the more we fight wars overseas, the tougher restrictions are placed at home??

ponder ponder ponder ....

Ditto on the work ethic. Americans have gotten way to lazy and complacent over the years. Thank welfare abuse and public crutch programs for that. We are now a handout nation who expects to be given everything. Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life.

I see this enterprising work ethic locally in the Indian, Vietnamese, and Chinese populations mostly. They create opportunities for themselves and typically have a strong family unit to back them up. We could learn a lot from them.

My Eastern European ancestors once had this ethic when the came to this country through Ellis Island looking for hope with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a steamer trunk stuffed with their most treasured possessions.

My grandpa opened a butcher shop, owned a couple of bars and a bowling alley through is adult years.

No matter what they were doing for income back then the common denominator between my relatives and the Indians mentioned in the OP was the tight knit family structure. They lived together or at the very least on the same street and worked together to help each other out. There is certainly power in numbers.

There is Mexican restaurant in my town that has been operating in various locations. Each time they have moved, it has been a step up in location and space. The reason for their success? Great food, Great service, always with smile. My wife and I were waiting pickup carryout one evening, and the owner/manager walked over and gave my wife a fresh rose. Same goes for 2 of the 3 chinese restaurants. The third one hires local people, and I find the food and service to be terrible. Plus, the place is filthy.

i'm indian and I can answer your question

Firstly I am hindu punjabi, I was born and grew up here but grew up in an indian family that retained indian culture, so despite being born and raised here I still consider myself to think like an indian.

While growing up my father and uncles always told me "Be your own Boss"
many indians grow up with this

Patels are Gujurati, meaning they mostly come from the state of Gujurat.
In Gujurat they grow up and raised with the "be your own boss" even more than perhaps any other part of the country.
They want business and career indepenance, that's why they own hotels.

Also, just to throw this in, this is not today's reality but rather history however it might be reality for some conservative families.

And that is the caste system, the caste system has actually very little to do with religion, it was actually a failed attempt at a structured economic blueprint if you will.
Meaning based on your last name you would belong to this caste and based on your caste this or that would be your career path in life.
Patels were in the low-end of the buisiness caste group.
(The low end part may be debatable)

So that perhaps only added to the "be your own boss" mentality.

hope that answers your questions
let me know if more is needed