PRESIDENT

In 2011 Vic Patel entered the hospitality game with his first hotel purchased in Auburn, AL.  Within a nine-year span, Vic has owned and managed several hotels in the state of Alabama and Georgia.  One area Vic has been very successful, the acquisitions of venues needing love.  He has purchased such properties, given them the attention they needed through renovations both physically and financially and able to resell them for a profit. Vic is quickly creating a legacy of leaving neglected properties running and looking better than ever.

 

With the creation of Auburn Hospitality, Vic has been able to grow his management portfolio to include brands like IHG, Marriott, Choice Hotels, LaQuinta, and Wyndham Hotels, just to name a few.  He has expanded his portfolio to new construction with several properties in the planning phase.  Mr. Patel is constantly looking to acquire additional venues to grow, expand, improve, and bring back to life.  Each property offers unique, sometimes challenging, ventures.  But the one common goal is always to provide personal attention to the needs, wants and expectations of every guests.

 

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Doug is a native of Virginia and relocated to the beautiful Auburn area in 2016.  He began his career in the hospitality field over 14 years ago after a long career working for the State of Virginia.  He quickly found that he thoroughly enjoyed working in this challenging field because each day brought with it another opportunity to make a difference for a guest or team member.

 

Through a very strict work ethic that he was thought in early life, he quickly became noticed for his skills and advanced from a Front Desk agent to a General Manager position.  During his first year he succeeded in making this hotel an Gold Award Winning property with Marriott.  From there he began the task of taking on many troubled and neglected properties that would be in need of renovation and restructuring of operations Doug is certified through three major hotel brands Marriott, Hilton and IHG and possesses the knowledge and expertise to manage several hotel properties concurrently and the ability to continue to be an effective leader for others.

 

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Cindy is a native of Columbus GA. She has been married for over 34 years to her high school sweet heart. While her husband was in the Marine Corp, Cindy’s occupation was a mechanical detail drafter. While she loved the challenge of a new design project something was missing. When her husband retired and they moved back home to Columbus she took this opportunity to find a more fulfilling career. Thus began her career in the hotel industry. Cindy now has over fourteen years in the hotel hospitality industry. She started her career in Marriott and has worked with Hilton, Value Place (Wood Spring), DoubleTree, and Homewood Suites by Hilton. She started her career as an “At Your Service” agent and worked her way up to General Manager. She has a proven reputation of financial hotel accountability. She has personally been able to turn hotels around that were nonperforming into being the number one in their comp set. Cindy’s proudest achievements are the employees that she has personally been able to guide into positions of leadership. Cindy’s favorite quote is by Mr. Marriott - “Motive them, train them, care about them, and make winners out of them… they’ll treat the customer right, and if the customers are treated right they will come back.”

CONTROLLER

Nilam Patel is the Controller for AU Hospitality. She has 10 plus years in the hospitality industry and a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance. She worked as a Front Desk Agent and General Accountant before moving into the Controller position in July of 2018. Her roles include A/R, A/P, and Manages Financial Statements for all the properties.

DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Sharon is a native of Opelika, and had recently moved back to the area when she came to Auburn Hospitality. She brings more than 25 years of Human Resource Management experience, having previously held Human Resources leadership roles in the financial, telecommunications, and healthcare industries. She earned her Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification from the HR Certification Institute (HRCI), and is an active and long-standing member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM).

Sharon holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a concentration in Human Resources Management, from Colorado Technical University. She is also a strong advocate for children in foster care, victims of human trafficking, and animal-related causes and charities.

 

 

 

PAYROLL MANAGER

Jennifer has over 20 years of experience in the higher education field, and spent much of her time there learning and developing skills in Human Resources and Payroll management. She started with Auburn Hospitality as a part-time front desk agent in 1995 at our Comfort Inn hotel.  As the company grew, Jennifer utilized her knowledge to assist in starting the Human Resources Department.  She has now found her place with the company as our Payroll Manager.

PROCUREMENT MANAGER

With 10 plus years of experience in the hospitality industry and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Columbus State University Sam Patel brings a wealth of knowledge to AUHospitality as the Procurement Manger. Sam started his career in hospitality by working as a front desk agent for the Econolodge in Columbus, Georiga. In 2012 he took a position as the General Manager for Quality Inn in Alexander City, Alabama. In 2014 Sam began working with AUHospitatily. His roles include overseeing of food, beverage and hotel supplies. He also plays a part in helping to manage costs by streamlining ordering and working with vendors to achieve the lowest price points possible.

QUALITY ASSURANCE MANAGER

Julie began her career with Auburn Hospitality as a general manager, before moving into the role of Quality Assurance Manager. She has over 30 years of hotel management experience and in her free time she enjoys spending time with family and friends.

AUDIT SPECIALIST

Robert brings many years of audit experience in the hotel industry. He began his career with Auburn Hospitality as a Night Auditor and within a year grew into the role of Audit Specialist for the entire company. Robert manages the third party reservation services reconciliations, chargebacks, and all troubleshooting with regard to the audit function.