Azim and his brother Navroz are second-generation hoteliers. Their parents, Nurejehan and Fidali Navroz, emigrated from India in 1972 and started to venture into the U.S. lodging industry by building one hotel, and so on. Azim and Navroz then helped their parents grow HDG Hotels' portfolio.
"Those families have gone from living reasonable, comfortable lives with the 'American dream' to pure panic," said Oam Patel, a principal at Alora Hospitality Group. "The good part is most of the owners that I know, and myself included, have the work ethic and willpower to sit at the front desk and do laundry on our own, if truly needed to stay afloat. Most of the owners who have 10-plus hotels today grew up doing the dirty work," said Oam Patel.
"When I grew up, hotels were the only thing I knew how to do. After I graduated college, it was a rite of passage."Patel has two sons — one 24 years old, the other 19. His older son plans to join his father in running the family business, while the younger son is currently studying hospitality at Virginia Tech.