Red Roof has appointed Lina Patel to the newly created role of director, strategic franchise initiatives. In her new role, she is responsible for directing the growth of the Red Roof brand among diverse and underrepresented communities, as well as in the franchise community at large. She reports to Matthew Hostetler, Red Roof’s chief development officer.
“Lina Patel is one of the strongest advocates for growth and diversity in our industry, and she will be a powerful asset to Red Roof as director of strategic franchise initiatives,” said George Limbert, president, Red Roof. “She brings a unique and multifaceted background as a franchise owner, industry executive and officer at AAHOA to her new role.”
Patel has been a hotel owner for 23 years. Prior to joining Red Roof, she was a member of one of the industry’s largest franchise advisory committees. In 2007, Patel joined the board of LPS of USA, a nonprofit religious, cultural and nonpolitical organization providing support to American immigrants from India’s Leuva Patidar region. She joined the AAHOA board in 2017 and, last year, helped launch the organization’s HerOwnership program to help further foster, promote and empower women entrepreneurs in hospitality.
“With six years of experience on the board of AAHOA, Lina Patel has a deep understanding of the challenges everyday hotel owners face, as well as their paths to success, which she has demonstrated by example in her own career,” said Hostetler. “Today, women owners represent 35% of Red Roof’s franchise system. We want to grow that number even further and blaze a path to success for entrepreneurs across the country. As the economy segment leader, we recognize that growth through diversity is not only right, it is good business—and we are excited to welcome Lina to drive that charge.”
“On behalf of the entire AAHOA organization, we congratulate Lina on her new role with Red Roof,” said Neal Patel, AAHOA chairman (2022-23). “We know Lina will provide tremendous value to the Red Roof leadership team and the hoteliers they serve. Lina is a fierce advocate for women in the industry and a champion of diversity, and we all look forward to witnessing all that Lina and Red Roof will accomplish together. We wish the entire Red Roof team tremendous success as Lina enters this new chapter of her career and continues to make a huge impact on our industry.”
“Many entrepreneurs aspire to hotel ownership, and their passion and drive are unmatched,” said Patel. “At the same time, many entrepreneurs struggle to break into this space. Often they are unaware of the opportunities available to them and cannot easily leverage their knowledge and passion, attributes that are both badly needed across the industry and the template for individual success. I am thrilled to join Red Roof to help bring the benefits of hotel ownership to talented business owners across the country and expand Red Roof’s diverse franchise owner group exponentially.”
