AAHOA has revealed its new board of directors for the 2025-26 term, elected at the 2025 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show (AAHOACON25) in New Orleans. These leaders, which include newly elected Secretary Vimal (Ricky) Patel, will guide AAHOA’s mission to advocate for and empower its more than 20,000 members nationwide.
Since immigrating to the U.S. at age 21, Patel has owned both branded and independent hotels. He has served in a variety of AAHOA leadership positions, notably as ambassador, Gulf regional director and on multiple committees including government affairs; strategic planning; education & professional development; and bylaws & governance.
He also chaired AAHOA ad hoc committees on two topics of importance to members and the hotel industry. These were focused on insurance, a role in which he led a search for affordable property premium options, and revenue generation, an initiative that raised $1.8 million in new funds for the association.
Beyond his service in AAHOA, Patel has served as a board member of the Louisiana Economic Development Corporation and as board chairman for Layette Travel.
“I want hotel owners to win the economic future, so we must be prepared not only for the change we know is coming but also for the change we don’t see coming,” Patel said. “My style as an officer will be to work energetically on today’s issues while at the same time proactively anticipating tomorrow’s problems.”
AAHOA members also elected the following 10 members to the board of directors:
- Alabama regional director: Neil Patel
- Central Midwest regional director: Viral Patel
- Northeast regional director: Preyas Patel
- Northwest regional director: Taran Patel
- North Carolina regional director: Pinkesh Patel
- Upper Midwest regional director: Kalpesh Joshi
- Washington, DC, area regional director: Priyank Patel
- Director at large, Eastern division: Bhavin Patel
- Women hoteliers director, Western division: Arti Patel
- Young professional director, Western Division: Paavan Patel
The AAHOA board of directors also added the following three members to serve as industry partners for the 2025-26 term:
- Nil Kumar, president/chief product officer, Anand Systems Inc.
- Kevin Sloan, managing partner, Gauthier Murphy & Houghtaling LLC
- Abraham Tieh, director, national commercial property tax, O’Connor & Associates
“As we welcome our new board of directors for the 2025-26 term, I am honored to work alongside these dedicated individuals to advance our association and the hospitality industry as a whole,” said Kamalesh (KP) Patel, chairman, AAHOA. “I congratulate our newly elected Secretary Vimal Patel and look forward to collaborating with the AAHOA officers and board to address our members’ priorities, reinforcing AAHOA’s role as the leading voice for hotel owners.”
Laura Lee Blake, president/CEO, AAHOA, added, “I am thrilled to welcome our new board of directors and extend heartfelt congratulations to our new secretary on his election to the AAHOA board. The commitment and diverse perspectives of our board members are vital to AAHOA’s mission. Their leadership will be instrumental in driving advocacy, supporting our members, and promoting growth within our community in the coming year.”
