Rinkesh and Mitesh (Matt) Patel, cofounders of RAM Hotels, which develops, owns and manages more than two dozen Marriott, Hilton and IHG hotels in Georgia and Alabama, have named Jonathan D. Bogatay president of the company effective Feb. 1. He will oversee the company’s strategic, operational, tactical, financial and cultural expectations.
“Bringing Jonathan into the RAM Hotels team enables us to focus our energies on expanding strategic acquisitions and development beyond Georgia and Alabama,” said the Patels in a joint statement. “As we look for new opportunities throughout the Southeast, Jonathan will focus on enhancing our best-in-class systems and processes that drive company performance.”
Rinkesh Patel, CEO, added, “We’re excited to welcome Jonathan to the RAM team; it shows our commitment to empowering our associates, improving our existing management and operational efficiencies and delivering value for investors. His proven track record of long-term success and team development, in addition to the strong relationships he has formed with brand partners and industry experts, will surely drive growth of our company and our associates.”
“I have always been focused on the people part of the business and anticipate my team will benefit from Jonathan’s leadership as an experienced, dedicated and supportive resource,” said Matt Patel, COO. “I am confident that Jonathan will create additional opportunities to invest in our people and infrastructure to ensure we are consistently driving improvement across all our key performance indicators.”
Bogatay, who intersected with the Patels in his current role as president of the Courtyard Franchise Advisory Council, said, “After retiring from NCG Hospitality back in November 2022, my intention was simply to do some consulting and focus on other aspects of my life. However, after meeting with Rinkesh and Matt, all of that changed. I was completely captivated by the Patels’ passion for excellence and knew I wanted to be a part of making their vision come alive. I am looking forward to leveraging my 40-plus years of hospitality industry experience with the RAM Hotels team and working alongside another family business as together we build upon their foundation of success.”
Bogatay will join the company following a two-decade career culminating as CEO of Wisconsin-based North Central Group (NCG). Prior to joining NCG in 1999, he held several senior management positions with various lodging owners, operators and developers, and early on in his career worked for Promus Hotel Corporation, now part of Hilton.
RAM Hotels was cofounded in 2002 when the Patel brothers and their parents, all having emigrated to the U.S. from India four years earlier, purchased their first hotel in Phenix City, AL. Five years later, RAM Hotels was approved to develop its first Hilton brand and has added Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide and InterContinental Hotels Group hotels with a current portfolio of 26 open hotels and 10 more in development throughout Alabama and Georgia.