LONG BEACH, CA—Florida businessman and hotelier Paresh ‘Paz’ Patel was awarded P&G Professional’s “Community Hotelier of the Year Award” presented in conjunction with the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA). Patel was chosen as the grand prize winner after submitting an essay detailing his participation with and support of the Greater Jacksonville USO. The charity will receive a $10,000 award in Patel’s name. Patel was recognized on stage last night during the 2015 AAHOA Annual Convention and Trade Show awards presentation at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center.
The Community Hotelier of the Year Award recognizes an AAHOA member who demonstrates dedication and care for their community and expresses a desire to make a positive impact in the future with a $10,000 donation to the winner’s charity of choice. Patel has volunteered for the Greater Jacksonville USO for the last decade, giving his time, donating room nights from his Jacksonville and Orange Park Candlewood Suites, Comfort Inn and Days Inn properties, and assisting with the mission of the organization as a board member and vice chairperson. As part of a dedicated family of more than 250 volunteers and staff, Patel’s other efforts with the Jacksonville USO in 2014 included helping the organization serve 8,640 dinners, assist 70,000 visitors at the USO’s three local centers, mail 1,600 care packages to overseas troops, host 24,000 travelers at the USO airport location, and provide arrival services for fallen service members and their families at the airport.
“As a member of the Jacksonville community, a businessperson and someone proud of my Indian ethnicity, I individually needed to give back and assist in every way possible to the young men and women who risk their lives for the freedom we all enjoy,” said Patel. “It is an honor to receive the P&G Professional Community Hotelier of the Year Award and I am proud to be able to make this contribution to the Greater Jacksonville USO to support all the unsung individuals who volunteer, as well as our brave men and women in uniform.”
Patel lives in Orange Park, Fla. with his wife, Rita, and daughter, Orisa, and currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of a leading Northeast Florida integrated marketing firm, Client Focused Media. He also serves on the Clay County Development Authority, a position appointed by the Florida Governor, and has previously served on various other local area boards related to tourism, business and economic development, in addition to his work as a hotelier.
“The dedication and care displayed by AAHOA members to their communities shows an extraordinary level of commitment and all of the 2015 nominees are truly making a positive impact,” said Alan Tomblin, North America Director of Sales, P&G Professional. “We congratulate Mr. Patel for his work with the Greater Jacksonville USO, as well as all of the nominees for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions.”
P&G Professional is a proud sponsor of the Community Hotelier of the Year award and has supported the AAHOA awards for seven years. For more information on the P&G Professional Community Hotelier of the Year award, please visit www.pgpro.com/aahoa.
About the Greater Jacksonville Area USO
Each year, the Greater Jacksonville Area USO touches the lives of more than 250,000-plus local active-duty military, including local and state wide Army and Air National Guardsmen and Reserves, and their immediate families. The Greater Jacksonville Area USO provides more than $1 million annually of “in-kind” services through a wide variety of programs as well as numerous events and entertainment venues throughout the year. The USO is a private, non-profit organization, not a government agency and programs and services are made possible by the American people, support of corporate partners and the dedication of volunteers and staff. To learn more about the USO, please visit www.jaxuso.org.
About AAHOA
Founded in 1989, AAHOA is the largest hotel owners association in the world, with over 12,500 small business owner-members. AAHOA members own more than 20,000 hotels in the United States with a market value of almost $130 billion and employ nearly 600,000 workers.
About P&G Professional
P&G Professionalis the away-from-home division of Procter & Gamble, serving the foodservice, building cleaning and maintenance, healthcare, hospitality, food/drug/mass, and convenience store industries. P&G Professional offers complete solutions utilizing its parent company’s scale, trusted brands and strengths in market and consumer understanding. P&G Professional features such brands as Dawn®, Mr. Clean®, Comet®, Spic and Span®, Bounty®, Safeguard®, Febreze®, Swiffer®, Tide®, and its own brand, P&G Pro Line®. Please visit www.pgpro.com for the latest information about P&G Professional’s solutions and services.
