Mitch Patel is the Founder, President, and CEO of Vision Hospitality Group

Mitch Patel is the founder and President of Vision Hospitality Group – a company which began with just $3,000 saved up in his savings account and now includes hotels affiliated with premium brands such as Hilton and Marriott.

Mitch offered us the opportunity to learn more about him, his story, passions and business venture.

Early Life and Education

Mitch Patel’s father immigrated to America from India in the late 1960s in search of American dream. Once settled in Cleveland, Tennessee, Ish Patel purchased a Scottish Inn. Mitch began helping out by working the front desk, cleaning rooms, doing laundry, making deposits at banks as well as helping his father make deposits with banks.

Patel returned to his hospitality roots instead, and in 1997 established his first hotel: Homewood Suites Chattanooga.

Vision Hospitality Group founder Anurag Patel’s approach to hospitality has evolved over time, but his core values remain the same. Community involvement is one of those values and an integral part of its philanthropic efforts; for example donating $25,000 to The Grady hotel to support its art gallery as one form of giving back.

Professional Career

Patel pursued engineering after leaving his family business, but three years later decided to return to hospitality, becoming known for his unique boutique approach to hotel development.

Vision Hospitality Group has seen phenomenal growth over its 21 year existence, expanding from its original Chattanooga Homewood Suites location to 34 full and select-service hotels under Marriott and Hilton brands, with another 16 projects currently in the pipeline. Along its journey Vision has received numerous industry media accolades for both development and design excellence.

Patel credits his company’s success to its strong culture and willingness to “bend the brand as much as possible.” Double Tree Hotel in downtown Chattanooga received high guest satisfaction scores upon opening in 2008. Such encouragement motivates Patel.

Achievement and Honors

Patel leverages his engineering training with his passion for development to expand Vision Hospitality Group in Chattanooga – one of the fastest-growing family hotel companies nationwide.

He currently oversees 29 hotels affiliated with premier brands like Marriott International and Hilton Worldwide located across Southeast. In addition to leading the company and strategically guiding its growth, he oversees daily operations including site identification and development as well as setting short and long-term operating priorities for senior management.

Mitch currently sits on several local boards, such as Benwood Foundation, St. Nicholas School, ArtsBuild of Greater Chattanooga and Chattanooga Design Studio. As an advocate against human trafficking within hospitality services industries and an avid supporter of his community, Mitch remains active with various causes close to his heart.

Personal Life

Mitch Patel’s father came to America with only $8 in his pocket but never let that prevent him from pursuing his goal of becoming a successful engineer.

One day, he put aside his engineering hard hat in favor of wearing management attire to run the first hotel he ever owned and found that it was much to his liking.

Patel currently oversees an expanding hotel portfolio that features boutique offerings like Chattanooga’s Kinley Hotel and Edwin near Walnut Street Bridge downtown – as well as 16 additional properties under development.

Patel has leveraged his passion and focus on treating employees fairly to become one of the fastest-growing hotel chains. In addition, he is an active philanthropist as well as avid Tennessee fan.

Net Worth

Over 25 years ago, Patel established Vision Hospitality Group with only $3,000 saved up. Since then, the company has expanded into owning hotels affiliated with premium brands such as Marriott International and Hilton Worldwide, while Patel serves on several local boards that promote education and economic development in his hometown of Chattanooga.

Mitch’s father came to America as an immigrant with only $8 in his pocket in 1960 with hopes for better opportunities for himself and his family. He soon found himself leasing an 11-room motel, setting his career off right away in hotel management.

Now, the company owns hotels across multiple states under its Kinley brand of boutique hotels. One of its latest properties, Grady hotel in Louisville is an adaptive reuse project of a 140-year-old building that has recently undergone restoration.