WASHINGTON, DC, April 2 – AAHOA held its 2018 election for the secretary position and various
seats on its board of directors during its annual convention and trade show last week.
Vinay Patel, director of the Washington DC Area Region, won the secretary election. Four incumbents
won re-election to the board of directors, while other open seats were filled by newly-elected members.
The incumbents included regional directors Imesh Vaidya, representing the Southwest region, Kalpesh
Joshi, representing the Upper Midwest region, Nitin (Nick) Patel, representing the Alabama Panhandle
region, and Sanjay Patel, representing the Mid Atlantic region.
Newly-elected members of the AAHOA board include regional directors: Sunil B. Patel, of Brentwood,
Tenn., representing the Mid South region; Kamalesh (KP) Patel, of Santa Cruz, Calif., representing the
North Pacific region; Chetan (Chet) Patel, of Beaufort, SC, representing the South Carolina region; Mike
(Mahendra) Patel, of South Padre Island, Texas, representing the South Central Texas region; Mike
Riverside, of Riverside, Calif., representing the South Pacific region; Hitesh Patel, of Castle Rock, Wash.,
representing the Northwest region; Sawan Patel, of Houston, Texas, representing the Southeast Texas
region; and Jayesh R. Patel, of Orchard Park, New York, representing the Northeast region. Jayesh (Jay)
Patel, CHO, of Tampa, Fla., was elected director at large. Nimisha Patel of San Antonio, Texas, was
elected as the female director for the western division.
“We congratulate each new leader, and thank those who are continuing their service,” said AAHOA
President and CEO Chip Rogers. “Each director volunteers their time and effort to AAHOA on behalf of
hoteliers across the country. Their commitment and dedication truly help advance the industry forward.”
The following is a composite list of the 2018 AAHOA Board of Directors:
Officers:
• Chairman: Hitesh (HP) Patel
• Vice Chairwoman: Jagruti Panwala
• Treasurer: Biran Patel
• Secretary: Vinay Patel
• President: Chip Rogers
Directors at Large:
• Jayesh (Jay) Patel
• Navnit (Nick) Patel
• Piyush Patel
Regional Directors:
• Alabama Panhandle: Nitin (Nick) Patel
• Central Midwest: Priyesh P. Patel
• Florida: Bharat Patel
• Georgia: Kapil Patel
• Gulf: Girish (Gary) Patel
• Mid Atlantic: Sanjay Patel
• Mid South: Sunil B. Patel
• North Carolina: Rashmikant (Haji) Patel
• North Central: Naresh (Nick) Patel
• North Pacific: Kamalesh (KP) Patel
• North Texas: Mayur (Mike) Patel
• Northeast: Jayesh R. Patel
• Northwest: Hitesh Patel
• South Carolina: Chetan (Chet) Patel
• South Central Texas: Mike (Mahendra) Patel
• South Pacific: Mike Riverside
• Southeast Texas: Sawan Patel
• Southwest: Imesh Vaidya
• Upper Midwest: Kalpesh M. Joshi
• Washington DC Area: Vinay Patel
Young Professional Directors:
• Western Division: Neal Patel
• Eastern Division: Purvi Panwala
Female Directors:
• Western Division: Nimisha Patel
• Eastern Division: Lina Patel
Industry Partner:
• Faheem Khan
Immediate Past Chairman:
• Bhavesh B. Patel
