Vantage Hospitality Group and Leading Asian American Hoteliers Join Forces to Launch VanMYT Hospitality

A significant alliance was announced recently at the Hotel Investment Conference South Asia in Mumbai, as Vantage Hospitality Group and three preeminent names from the Asian American lodging community introduced VanMYT Hospitality and revealed plans to launch Vantage"s Value Inn Worldwide^® and Value Hotel Worldwide^® brands in India.

Vantage Hospitality, the 10^th largest hotel company in the world, has given the exclusive right to develop its limited-service and select-service brands in Southeast Asia to VanMYT Hospitality. VanMYT brings together the resources of Vantage and Mukesh Mowji, Yogesh Patel, and Tarun Patel, representing top leadership in the Asian American lodging industry and the Indian travel market. The group"s goal is to have 16 combined properties in eight key geographic regions of India during the first year and a total of 133 properties in three years.

Serving as Chairman of VanMYT is Vantage Hospitality President & CEO Roger Bloss, who has more than 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Knowing there had to be a better way than traditional hotel franchising, Bloss and his fellow Vantage founding partners created an innovative membership model that works in the best interest of hoteliers and allows them to be in business for themselves, not by themselves.

In 1999, Vantage launched the economy/limited-service brand Americas Best Value Inn^® (which now includes Value Inn Worldwide, Canadas Best Value Inn^® and Chinas Best Value Inn^®). Collectively, these brands have broken all industry records by growing to over 1,000 hotels throughout the world in just 12 years. Vantage expanded in 2007 with the Lexington Collection^® of hotels, inns and suites – the only membership brand in the upper-mid and upscale segments.

"Vantage Hospitality has been growing internationally, and to be able to now have our brands enter India through a relationship with three esteemed industry veterans is very exciting. I"m also pleased that VanMYT plans to emulate Vantage"s unique Freestyle Brand Affiliation model that allows hotel owners to "be in business for themselves, not by themselves,"" said Bloss.

Mowji, who is President & CEO of VanMYT, was the chairman of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) in 2006-2007 and is currently principal at Silver Creek Hospitality, a hotel development and management company located in San Jose, California. He and his family have been in the hotel business since 1969 and currently own or previously have owned and operate several franchised and independent motels in Alabama, California, and Florida under Tuscany Investments.

"We have watched and admired the success of Vantage"s historic business model, and realized how successful it can be in Southeast Asia, and India, in particular. The opportunities and the respect for individuality that are inherent in the Vantage system will be a driving force in the new venture, and we"re delighted to be able to be responsible for carrying the torch in what is sure to be an exciting new endeavor with old friends," said Mowji.

Yogesh Patel, a director of VanMYT often described as a serial entrepreneur, founded or co-founded many start-up companies, primarily those to which emerging technology is integral, including Hotvoice Communications International, Inc. (the world"s largest unified messaging system); Jaxtr.com; Sabsebolo.com; Nano City (a city project in Gujarat, India with over 4,000 acres of land); and, more recently, the India-based online travel agency, Arzoo.com, of which he is the co-founder. With a network of over 50,000 travel agents in India alone, Arzoo ranks among the top OTAs in Southeast Asia, and is expected to be a major source of distribution for the Vantage-branded hotels in the region. Patel is also a holder of several U.S. patents.

Tarun Patel, VanMYT"s Chief Financial Officer, was elected treasurer of AAHOA in 2006 and served as chairman in 2009-2010. He is founder and principal at Silver Creek Hospitality, as well as the president of Pacific Hospitality Company, a family-owned, full-service real estate services company specializing in management, development, and investments in the hospitality industry. Patel also serves on the board of the U.S. Travel Association, Northcott Hospitality and is a charter member of The Indus Entrepreneur (TiE) Silicon Valley.