Here’s a tip regarding “racism” and “racist”–words that now have absolutely no meaning..
Anytime someone confronts you with them, ask two simple questions–
1. What do you mean by “racist” ?
2. How does it apply in this context?
If the person confronting you is even a little bit honest (which may well be doubtful) he will have a hard time with question 1, and will likely not be able to answer question 2 at all.

Red Ryder on August 10, 2007 at 11:49 am

And to think the Four Seasons used to be owned by a Canadian Jew named Isidore Sharp. Damn.

lexi on August 10, 2007 at 12:05 pm

I’m with you on this one too, Deb. I like patronizing Indian businesses, especially Casinos, Bingo Halls and Gift Shops. I admire this entreprenurial spirit and believe that this form of self-reliance is much better than living on a reservation, smoking government-grown peyote all day, and asking for money from strangers to take your picture. Indians are not just Americans, but “Native Americans”. There’s nothing racist in using these terms so why do these PC Goons want to try and shame anyone from being proud of who they are and where their allegience lies. I’m willing to bet that Indian peoples are just as likely to report suspicious jihadi activity like any other patriotic American. They can always rely on their mystical “Wind Talking” methods; it’s to their advantage and the word gets around faster than calling some lame 1-800 number and talking to some lazy beuracrat or leaving a message on some anonymous voicemail that is almost certain to be ignored by the likes of Serpenthead, Queeny, Patty, or Abu Moskowitz.

Yiddish Steel on August 10, 2007 at 12:05 pm

If the Israeli government had a miniscule amount of common decency left in them ( which is very unlikely since most of its members consists of power hungry corrupted sociopaths who lost their remorse and common sense through greed which unto itself explains the incompetency of Olmert’s leadership. They have no respect for the dead in this case.), then they should consider uprooting and demolishing that hotel instead of out posts in the West Bank. And let the dead rest in peace if you can’t let the living be.

Jew Chick on August 10, 2007 at 1:39 pm

Too bad the Indians didn’t go into telecommunications, instead of hotels.
“PaTEL” has a certain “ring” to it…

code7 on August 11, 2007 at 8:48 am

Debbie…..My daughter who lives in MI just introduced me to your posts and after reading them I find that I agree with everything you have said….OMG….does that make me an Anti-terrorist sympathizer ? 🙂
You go girl!!
D’ in NC

D' on August 14, 2007 at 11:34 am

Hello.

I read through this thread and find the discussion quite interesting. I would like to contribute my opinion on the matter.

I would like to begin by stating that I am a resident of San Francisco. I live in an SRO Hotel owned by the Patel family. The hotel is a very old remnant of San Francisco’s past. It endured the 1989 earthquake as well as several fires and suffers from an extreme infestation of rodents, cockroaches, and bed bugs. The windows have cracks in them, the doorknobs are loose, the sinks overflow and leak, the carpeting in the entire building is unsanitized and extremely filthy, the bathrooms and showers are covered in blood, semen, urine, feces and vomit, and are frequently out of service, resulting in them being locked from anywhere between a week to a month. Currently there is only 1 functional bathroom in my building, which houses a rather large number of tenants. One day, while cleaning my room, I noticed something written on the hotel vacuum cleaner. The words “Windsor Hotel” were marked on it with a sharpie. I found this a little odd, because the hotel I stay in is called The Entella. I looked it up online and found out it was owned by the same family of Patels. I began an investigation into the Patel family, and I was quite shocked by what I discovered: 55 residential hotels all linked to the same family of Patels. Many websites online state that the Patels are not all related, which may be true… However, here in San Francisco, one particular family of Patels hold a monopoly on low-income high-density housing. I have created a google map of these hotels, there is a link to it on my blog. The majority of these hotels are concentrated in the Tenderloin district, San Francisco’s most unwealthy neighborhood. I have found numerous reports online of these hotels being extremely filthy and unkept. Reports of landlords abusing tenants by moving them around before 30 days so that they can’t establish legal tenancy (also known as “musical rooming”), locking bathrooms for months at a time, and unlawfully trying to evict tenants by turning off heat and other utilities. Most if not all of these hotels are infested with bed bugs and rodents. They suffer damage from multiple fires, which probably resulted in the Patel’s neglect of fire safety systems such as fire escapes and smoke detectors. The department of building inspections has an online complaint tracking system, and you can confirm these reports by looking up the addresses of the Patel-owned hotels I listed. The Patels donate money to city politicians such as Mayor Gavin Newsom, District Attorney Kamala Harris (Willie Brown’s girlfriend) and Supervisor Fiona Ma. They have donated money in the past to a campaign which attempted to re-elect former Mayor Willie Brown, the city’s most corrupt mayor ever. There is a serious conflict of interest when they support politicians who are supposed to protect the rights of the city’s residents. It is obvious that there is an elaborate monopoly in effect. Visit my blog for additional details and research on the matter. I believe the reason why non-Patel-owned hotels have been putting up “American Owned” signs is because a large number of Indians who own hotels are members of the Patel family, who are notorious for neglecting their buildings and abusing the tenants. While some of them may have developed a stigma towards Indian hotel owners, I think they should have the right to put up those signs, as they may only appear racist to those who perceive it so. P.S. I am not biased towards people of Indian origin whatsoever. Also, I am not an American myself – although I am a naturalized citizen. However, I am a concerned, low-income resident of San Francisco who has been dealing with the Patels and their horrific treatment of tenants for too long. The Patels are victimizing the most vulnerable people in San Francisco: The disabled, elderly, and mentally ill – the majority of low-income tenants who live in the Tenderloin and surrounding areas. I think it’s a good idea that non-Patel hotel owners are putting up those signs, as they can help potential tenants avoid the serious health hazards of staying in a Patel-owned hotel. However, I do also propose an alternative sign- instead of saying “America Owned” just say “Not Patel Owned” 🙂

Anonymous on March 10, 2010 at 3:25 pm

Anonymous if you are a naturalized citizen of the US then you ARE an American! Secondly how do I read your blog? I don’t see a link to it

anonymous on September 13, 2010 at 12:35 pm

For me it is not a matter of racism but the cleaniness, freshness of food and linens that make the difference. I have stayed in both American owned and Indian owned motels and have found the American owned are cleaner, fresher linens and the food is much better quality. Call it what you want but I am committed to finding American owned lodging.

Sudie on September 14, 2011 at 11:52 am

For me, “American Owned” has become an issue due to repeated problems with some hotels that are obviously not catering to the American traveling public. When I walk into a lobby and smell foreign food rather than clean, fresh air, I get turned off. That’s what I expect at a foreign food restaurant, not a hotel. Or it’s incense or some strong air-freshener to cover other aromas. When I get to the room and still smell air-freshener rather a clean room, when the towels and mats are worn out and the carpets are beyond dirty, when the Continental Breakfast consists of stale Hostess donuts and unmentionable coffee, I realize someone really doesn’t care what I think or feel when I stay at that establishment. The final break for me came when a manager asked me at check-out if I had left all the towels in the room.

Every one doesn’t have the same standard of cleanliness, but in the hotel/motel business there is generally a certain level that you come to expect, depending on where you stay. So here I am searching for “American Owned” hotels, hoping those owners might be more inclined to meet my standards of cleanliness, friendliness, freshness of food and respect for their clientele. As with any other business or relationship,
one bad experience (or more) can spoil the whole lot.

az on January 2, 2012 at 4:44 pm

I would advise anyone to find out who owns a hotel before staying there and if you come across the name “Patel,” avoid it like the plague! These people own the Holiday Inn in Lake City, Florida, one of the noisest, dirtiest, most inconvenient hotels I’ve ever stayed in. I stayed there one night and then checked out and checked into the Hampton down the road. At another Patel-owned hotel in Gainesville, FL, there was a layer of dust all over everything in the room and there were these women in strange “Indian” clothing skulking — I checked out of that hotel, too, and went elsewhere. What you need to do before you make a reservation at a hotel is check the Secretary of State website under corporations and if you can’t find the info you need there as to who owns a hotel, call the hotel and ask for the name of the owner. If they refuse to tell you, you can bet it’s owned by foreigners.

roastpuppy on October 19, 2012 at 3:38 am

I have to say this: I am American born Caucasian, but that doesn’t matter. I work in hotels by choice, many Indian owned. If it is avoidable, DO NOT stay in an Indian owned hotel. It would take too long to go into details, but they are NOT clean, NOT even close to hygienic. You WILL find that they emphasize no hair in the bathrooms, and clean sheets in a checkout room, but not a damn thing else that is close to sanitary. Trust me. Just trust me.

Teresa on February 27, 2013 at 9:05 am

I posted a comment here a few years ago describing the Patel family’s elaborate and extensive monopoly on low-income housing in San Francisco. I noticed that some people were having trouble finding the link to my blog. If you click on my name, it will take you to my blog. For those of you who cannot find the hyperlink for whatever reason, here is the URL: http://patelmonopoly.blogspot.com I have not updated this site in quite some time but the information there is still completely valid. I would also love if people mirrored the blog in case it gets taken down (I have a feeling the Patels won’t be too happy when they discover my blog)

Anonymous on August 19, 2013 at 2:39 am

First and foremost, EVERYONE IS RACIST. Period. Anyone who says he/she is not racist or sexist is a fool and a liar. I am racist but I do keep it in check. I believe that the more civilized individual does keep racism in check. However, civility is not equal across economics and education. Ergo, those who are less educated and/or less well off economically demonstrate a greater degree of racism. (Of course, there are always outliers). I believe that this is a major reason for the hatred of Americans.
Immigrants into a new country demonstrate racism against the indigenous peoples and the indigenous people demonstrate racism against the immigrants. This is historical and we (mankind) have not evolved that much. Man is far less advanced than he would like to believe. You cannot govern morality. The best way to treat racism and sexism is through education.

Albert Rosato on February 15, 2014 at 3:53 pm

I enjoy looking through a post that can make men and
women think. Also, thanks for allowing for me to comment!

courageousporta56.blox.pl on September 8, 2014 at 11:16 pm

I found this post while looking for info on how to find out whether a hotel is American-owned. After many unpleasant incidents staying in Indian-owned hotels, where sheets had pubic hair on them, carpets were sticky, and there were hypodermic needles on the sidewalks, as well as the above-mentioned stale donuts for breakfast, I decided to look for non-Indian owned hotels and gas stations. It’s not easy to find them. Maybe the Indians who are American citizens have been here long enough to have a higher standard, I don’t know and all I care about is staying someplace clean and safe.

Dawn on November 24, 2014 at 9:36 am

I will not get on the bashing bandwagon, but I will say this about finding a truly American Owned Hotel. You will find generally cheerful owners/staff, employees who are paid a livable wage (reason for cheerfulness), clean rooms and baths, fresh breakfast food, as well as owners who re-invest LOCALLY instead of sending their money elsewhere. I will say this if you see a sign that says American Owned look by the front desk for the occupancy license. It usually has the name of the owner on it.

Dave on February 6, 2015 at 10:08 am

Next question- why do these Indians drive Toyotas? Is the Camry their dream car.

Eddie on June 29, 2015 at 4:55 am

Well, here’s an addition to the story about Patel motels. We enrolled our 4yr old son in a local Montessori Academy. Many of his classmates were Indians with last name of Patel. In addition to paying tuition, our school required all parents to contribute 2 days a month of cleaning and fixing and spiffing up to help out the teachers and upkeep staff of the school. I was asked to join the Board of Directors to help guide the school’s development program for future facility additions and upgrades. So I was getting both a parent’s eye look as well as an insiders look at what was going on at the school.

It wasn’t pretty. I noticed that fewer than half the parents were showing up for work days. Never any of the Indian parents. Being privy to the finances, I noticed chronic lateness of tuition payments, almost exclusively by the Indian parents. Eventually I had the trust of my son’s teacher and she informed me that the Indian parents had essentially achieved exemption from the work days due to unspecified religious objections, to be made up for by additional tuition. You guessed it: those additional sums were also in arrears. In fact, I could find no evidence in the books that any extra tuition had ever been paid.
.
Upon inquiry, it turned out that the school’s Indian parents were engaged in one of two professional fields. Either motel proprietors or doctors (MDs, primarily FMGs). By chance, one of the sets of parents ran a motel just around the corner from our school. My review of the city police blotter and casual driveby inspection showed this place to be badly rundown nuisance property both crime-wise and in appearance in an otherwise nice part of town.

After realizing the school administrator was highly confrontation-averse and was never going to address the issues the school was facing, and after being heartbroken by how hard the teachers were working for so little pay and administrative support, and after realizing my family was basically being made chumps of by the low-participating families of some of the other children, I quit the board and we pulled our son out of there, sad because he loved his teacher and she loved him.

I can’t say what it is with Indians running motels, but from my experience staying at them when I was young, and from my experience at the school, I’d say many of the Patel clan frankly don’t give a damn and therefore have a piss-poor business model and damned little business sense. Entrepreneurial, my foot.

Al Hoove on September 13, 2015 at 8:41 pm

I found this site because I am looking for a way to avoid booking a stay at an Indian-American owned hotel. Although I’ve stayed in Indian owned hotels that were real nice, I’ve had many bad experiences the past few years and without fail the hotels have been Indian-owned. I can usually tell within moments just by looking at fixtures, shoddy remodeling and recycling of old furniture in ‘remodeled’ rooms, broken doors, etc. I’ve experienced many things, down to lack of hot water and overbooking the hotel. In short, poorly managed hotels tend to be Indian owned and that is my experience. As far as the name Patel, I believe many Indian families adopt the name after they buy a hotel because of the perceived status amongst their countrymen. I have simply learned to ask questions before putting my travel plans at risk.

Dave on September 29, 2015 at 8:24 pm

This weekend I really got pd-off by Indian owned business and started looking for an app or some way to avoid them. Over the last years I had very bad experiences with them:
Gas stations: the whole business, pumps, store are filthy. Credit card machines on the pump never work. You have to go inside and get a receipt.
Yesterday after a long trip stopped at She’ll. Filled up and went inside to use the bathroom. Bunch a people in Indian garb behind the counter. Both bathrooms had hand made signs “out of order”.
Most of them charge extra for using a credit card which is illegal.
2. Hotels are the same filthy affair. Stayed in one that the towels were worn out and had holes in them. AC was on and off. In the morning we found out the room was full of ants. When complained to the Indian at the front desk, he acted like there is no big deal?

WISH SOMEONE CREATES AN APP TO HELP US FROM FALLING IN THIS TRAP OF INDIAN POORLY RUN BUSINESSES.

Bulent on October 5, 2015 at 7:52 pm

Seriously? You need an “app” for this? Without addressing anything else in
this “blog post” and it’s nauseating rhetoric, THIS is the sort of thing that’s responsible for the stereotype stapled to Americans (uneducated, ignorant, lazy…)

J. Goldberg on December 20, 2015 at 8:00 am

I am not suzy homemaker by any means…BUT I have had to wash the floor with their towel. Found health regulations being broken all over the place. If the Asian American Hotel Association wants to do something worth while they should be teaching their membership what is NASTY and what clean and sanitary is. Please leave third world standards where they belong; In the third World. If I want to enjoy third world sanitation I will tour the third world. All I want is a clean room and bed when I pull off the highway in the USA. It is getting pretty creepy out there.

does anyone know how to book in a non-patel motel?

KAT on April 26, 2016 at 3:48 pm

The patel owned day’s inn in Springfield, Mo, has a habit, as in more than once a day, of calling the police on customers who complain. I’ve seen it happen more than once.

Fred Granger on August 23, 2016 at 8:53 pm

Entrepreneurial??? Anyone can purchase a franchise and run it into the ground with poor customer service, filthy accommodations, and lack of basic maintenance. These establishments have lowered, and in many cases eliminated the American standard for their own financial gain. Believe it or not, America has standards as do I. When Americans open their eyes and stop paying exorbitant rates for deplorable rooms, perhaps things may change. The continuation of the “fleecing of America”.

Richard on July 9, 2017 at 10:20 pm