Hotel owner Raj Patel won a 24-karat gold-plated $100 bill at the ValueXpress booth at the Asian-American Hotel Owners (AAHOA) Convention and Trade Show in Houston, TX last week. Over 500 cards were submitted for the ValueXpress drawing, which we consider a big success.
Raj Patel and his 24 karat award.
The award was hand crafted in India by one of India’s renowned jewelers. Jay Bhakta hand carried the plaque from India for this very special giveaway for the Asian-American community. The 99.99 pure 24-k gold foil bill is a sight to behold!
When we first called Mr. Patel and told him he’d won the $100 bill, he was amazed. “I never win anything,” he said, “but my life is blessed anyway!”
Raj is the owner of the Super 8 motel located at Hobby Airport 2 miles from I-45 in southeast Houston, TX. Raj came to the United States in 1986 and worked in hospitality for ten years before building the 40-room hotel. Raj recalls with pride the construction effort, which commenced in early 1995; the hotel opened in 1996. Raj noted that business has been good year-in and year-out, and the property has won the “Pride of Super 8” award many times. His hotel enjoys glowing reviews on TripAdvisor and other review sites.
“We were thrilled that Raj was in the trade show hall when we drew his winning card,” said Jay Bhakta, who runs the Mississippi office for ValueXpress. “It was a pleasure to meet and speak with Raj and congratulate him on winning.”