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About Us
The hotels listed, we have some portion of ownership interest. We have not ventured into 3rd party management as of yet.
The whole purpose of this website, is an easy way for applicants to learn about our company and apply for open positions.
My father in law came to America from India in 1975 on a student visa. The factory he was working for while finishing studies ended up sponsoring him to stay in the US. He continued to work and save money, and then borrowed money from his brother to buy his first motel, Scottish Inns in Athens, GA. He and my mother-in-law ran every aspect of this motel 24 hours a day. He then built his first Days Inn motel with partners in Panama City, Florida. He continued to develop motels. His son, (my husband Charles), grew up in the industry and would have to work throughout his childhood. He would work overnight shift at the hotel so his parents could get rest, and then go to school. They never went on vacations as a family of four together. The only time they left the hotel together was to attend grandma’s funeral.
I moved to the States from England in 1994, my parents ran an independent motel where they were responsible for 24 hour desk coverage, housekeeping, and laundry. My brother and I were teenagers, so we helped them to make their days easier.
While Charles and I were attending college, we both worked at various hotels (it was easy for us, we had tons of experience). I was a nursing major, but changed to Business Administration with a focus on Hospitality once we realized we were going to get married and stay in the hospitality field.
After we got married in 2001, my father in law bought a Super 8 in a small town in Upstate NY. It was 39 rooms and we stayed on property in the suite. We had a better life than our parents as we were able to afford to hire front desk agents and housekeepers. We worked 40 hours desk, did all room inspections, all property upkeep and renovations included landscaping and plowing during the brutal winters. We went from college kids to responsible business partners. From here we added two additional motels into the portfolio.
We moved back to Florida after selling the portfolio up north and Charles and I experienced developing our first IHG branded hotel. We continued to work hard and be hands on working 10-16 hour days. We then developed our 2 nd hotel. During the development of our 2 nd hotel I started conversation with Marriott about developing our first Marriott branded hotel. Securing our Marriott branded hotel and being able to manage the hotel is the proudest accomplishment I have achieved. Marriott typically requires all new franchisee’s to hire one of their 3 rd party management companies to operate the hotel for the first few years.
My father-in-law (dad) has been my biggest cheerleader. I still remember I went to my first meeting with Charles and dad and the rest of our partners for our Holiday Inn project while were in the development phase, I was the only female walking into this meeting. I felt awkward and uncomfortable. I was not included in the meeting and was pretty much ignored. I told dad after this meeting it was obvious the partners weren’t comfortable having a female at this meeting, and that I probably shouldn’t attend any future meetings. He listened, but didn’t say anything. The following day, he told me what time we had a meeting. I was devastated that I was being forced to be at a table I wasn’t wanted. I would type my questions and ask dad after the meeting was over. He continued to push me and over time, I gained respect and acceptance from our partners based on my performance. In my partners defense, our culture had men as the breadwinners while the women took care of the homes and children. Dad was so proud when we were approved for Marriott, he never thought he would have one in his portfolio. This was a big moment for us all.
Growing up, Charles and I both swore we would never be in the hotel industry, but here we are living
the American Dream.
Contact Us
Get in touch so we can start working together.
Optimal Hospitality Solutions
107 W Audrey Drive NW
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548
850-374-3551
info@ohshotels.com