How Indians Took Over The Hotel Business

All Things Considered:

Here are three remarkable facts about motels in the U.S. that you probably don't already know:
- At least 1 out of 2 motels are owned by Indian-Americans.
- Out of those Indian-owned motels, 70 percent are owned by Gujaratis, people with roots in the western Indian state of Gujarat.
- Of those Gujaratis, three-fourths share the last name Patel. There's even a name for these overnight establishments: "Patel Motels."
Pawan Dhingra writes about this incredible story in his new book called Life Behind the Lobby: Indian American Motel Owners and the American Dream. Dhingra is an associate professor of sociology at Oberlin College — soon to be joining Tufts University — and the museum curator of the HomeSpun Project at the Smithsonian Institution.
In the book, Dhingra writes about how Gujaratis came to dominate the motel industry in America. As he tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz, the Gujaratis "are a population that prides themselves on autonomous professions, working for themselves."

From what I've seen, some of those guys look to be underwater on the hotels they own.  I was in one in Bucyrus where the family was living there, and about 15 rooms were being remodeled.  There were only 3 or 4 guests staying there, and there were two newer, nicer hotels next door.  I don't see how that guy could be making any money.  Hopefully, things work out for him.