Bhavesh BJ Patel

Story

Entering the lobby of life

B.J. has been in the hospitality industry since he was in diapers. He was born when his parents lived in a 20-unit exterior corridor motel called Oaks Inn in Rock Hill, South Carolina. While most kids’ chores involved doing the dishes or mowing the lawn, young B.J.’s chores were tasks like washing the sidewalks, filling the vending machines, and working the front desk. Sure, he had to clean his room, but he also had to clean rooms 1 through 20 as well. On the plus side, it was hard to be late to work when home was work… and your boss was your dad!

Checking in to school years

When he was high-school aged, B.J. checked out of the motel for a few years and attended New Era High School in Maharashtra, India. While studying at the boarding school in India was not the same as growing up in a motel in the American South, one thing was the same: he still got to meet all kinds of people. Students from all over the world attended NEHS. So, in many ways, B.J.’s high school experience was a little like living in a long-term hotel… just with a lot more acne and teenage angst!

B.J. eventually made it back to the country of his birth for college, where he went to Clemson University to get a degree in Communication Information Systems. He’d seen the tech boom, after all, and wanted a piece of that technological pie. Still, something about the hotel industry kept calling B.J. back. It was still a part of him, occupying a room within his mind, and it didn’t want to check out. During the summers, despite interviewing with various banking firms, B.J. stuck with his first love and completed his internships in various hotel operations – in both select and full-service assets. He graduated in 2003 with a double Bachelor of Science in finance and business management. Many hotel rooms have double beds – might as well make his degree a double, too!

The room key to success

Upon leaving Clemson in 2003, B.J. entered the world determined to succeed, with an approach that – to some people today – might seem old fashioned. He opened up an ancient book, a legendary tome known as a phonebook, and began making calls. First, he called a pizza place because he was hungry, and then he began to call all full-service assets in the Atlanta metro area. Thanks to his determination and ability to communicate his experience, B.J. was able to get a position in the accounting department at the Hilton Atlanta Airport. At the time, the asset had 504 rooms, along with 25,000 square feet of meeting space. B.J. stayed at the Hilton (as an employee – not a guest) for two years, where he cross trained in revenue audit, night audit, food and beverage cost control, and more. Always a student, B.J. learned about more than just his own position, but also about the delicate, often contentious dance between the front office staff and the back-of-house support. It was an invaluable experience that taught him the importance of bridging those differing but crucial entities.

B.J. went on to pursue a MBA with a concentration in real estate at Cornell University School of Hospitality Administration – because who doesn’t love schoolwork? This led him to a job with the Procaccanti Group as an analyst and associate in Atlanta, and in 2006 he joined NYLO hotels in their “Lifestyle Segment” as a development manager.

From the ground floor, up

2009 was a tough year, and not just because of Kanye’s infamous interruption of Taylor Swift at the MTV VMAs. Hotel real estate jobs had disappeared like bagels on Sunday morning, but B.J. never gave up, and he maintained his many connections in the business. He took a leap of faith and began his career in hotel advisory, focusing on investment sales with Newmark. Starting without a salary as an independent contractor, B.J. eventually built his way up to become the senior managing director. In 2019, he went on to join Hodges Ward Elliott, a boutique real estate capital markets advisor.

In his many years in hotel management, B.J. has had multiple successful transactions, like the 8-pack WNW portfolio, the Trypp Hotel in downtown Savannah, the Yachtsman in Myrtle Beach – and he also got a really good cup of coffee in Atlanta once.

Life is suite

Now, after fifteen years of being a hotel investment sales advisor and being a hotelier since before he could even tie his shoes, B.J. is the managing director at HWE. Always excited to grow, and eager to try new things, B.J. loves travel, cooking, and the outdoors, especially when he can enjoy those with his rugrats, Gavin and Logan.