Mike Patel has fond memories of his last trip to India: chatting with President Bill Clinton and meeting with global companies that do business in India.

Not only was Patel invited on Clinton's recent trip to India, but he has just been chosen to serve on the newly created presidential Advisory Commission on Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. Patel, president of an Atlanta hotel company, is one of 15 Asian-Americans selected from a pool of 1,400 nominees, and he's the only one from Georgia.

The commission will work to improve the quality of life for Asians in the United States, examining everything from language and cultural barriers in health care to Asian participation in federal programs.

"Vietnamese, Pakistanis, Chinese, Koreans, Indians and other Asians are all large contributors to the community, but sometimes silent ones," Patel said. "The government spends a lot of money on good programs, but it often doesn't penetrate the Asian community."

Patel, who travels to about 50 cities a year, also noted that the quality of life for Asians differs greatly across the United States.

Patel, who is of Indian descent, is no stranger to the challenges that immigrants face. He has lived on three continents and arrived in Alabama at a time when some locals had never even met an Indian. But he said that, as a member of the commission, he will represent all Asians, not just Indians.

"My hat is not Indian for this, it's Asian," Patel said. "In this country, first you're American and then you're Asian."

Patel was born in Uganda, but his family fled to England after Idi Amin took over the country. Patel grew up in England, working in his father's corner shops and playing soccer. He later became an apprentice soccer player, while studying business at the London School of Economics in the evenings.

He came to Atlanta in 1981 to play professional soccer for the former Atlanta Chiefs, but soon moved to Pell City, Ala., to help his brother R.C. Patel run a Holiday Inn. They founded Diplomat Hotel Corp. that same year, and now have 15 hotels in the Southeast, including eight in Georgia. He also helped found the Asian American Hotel Owners' Association (AAHOA).

Patel's colleagues say he likely will approach this latest task with the same fervor he has for the rest of his life.

"He has a great deal of passion for whatever he does, whether it's playing soccer, leading AAHOA, or running a business, he does it as a real professional and with a true zeal," said Fred Schwartz, executive director of AAHOA.

Indeed, Patel seems to have boundless energy. On a recent Tuesday, he was quickly limping around his office with a badly torn-up knee, injured when he executed a slide-tackle during a weekend soccer match. Patel, 39, plays soccer every Sunday with a group of men from England, Ireland and India.

Buggsi Patel (no relation to Mike Patel), chairman of the AAHOA, said he has admired Patel's devotion to AAHOA over the past seven years that they have worked together. Mike Patel served as AAHOA's chairman in 1998 and is currently chairman of the industry relations committee.

"I don't think there's a man out there who has such dedication and commitment to what he believes in," said Buggsi Patel, who owns a hotel company in Oregon. "He's one of those rare people who really wants to give back to the community."


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Appropriately enough, when Mike Patel heard about his appointment to the Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, he was at the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance's conference in Miami, speaking on how blacks can emulate Asians' success in the hospitality industry.

He said he was extremely honored since there are so many qualified Asian business people, especially in the technology industry. But those in the hospitality industry say that Patel, a national leader in the industry, is very deserving of the honor.

He spearheaded the movement to give franchisees more rights and more equitable contracts from franchisers. He also drafted AAHOA's "12 Points" of fair franchising, which have been adopted by some major hotel chains.

"His time and dedication are unparalleled," Buggsi Patel said, adding that the issue affects all franchisees, not only Asian franchisees. "He spent hours and hours of his own time working on the issue and he brought AAHOA to great heights."

Patel heads to Washington, D.C., on May 15 for three days to attend the advisory commission's first meeting.

Reach Moriarty at [email protected].