First time ever we present The Patel Hotel History

Biography Author

Mahendra Doshi

Surat to San Francisco is the untold Patel hospitality history from its genesis to its gradual consolidation and expansion (1942-1960). It chronicles how three founders, Kanji Manchhu Desai, Nanalal Patel, and D. Lal, accidentally created the first Patel hotel in Sacramento in 1942 and then helped over two dozen Patels and Khatris to lease inexpensive SROs in San Francisco.

The stories of Gujarati hoteliers, told for the first time, are fascinating, exciting, and inspiring—a must-read.

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Surat to San Francisco – Untold Stories Of Patel Hoteliers From Surat
$39.95

Let the journey begin

The stories of Gujarati hoteliers, told for the first time, are fascinating, exciting, and inspiring—a must-read.

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Surat to San Francisco: How the Patels from Gujarat Established the Hotel Business in California, 1942-1960

Testimonials

Author Reviews on Publications

The project has been an inspiration for me as it has connected my two interests: meeting people and writing.

Mahendra Doshi CEO

The Patels' life in America drastically transformed from farmhands to lodge operators after Kanji Manchu Desai leased a small hotel in Sacramento in 1942. He totally changed the trajectory of how Patels in America made a living.

- Arvind Roy, son of Kunverji N. Patel, who came from Trinidad to America, San Jose, CA

We owe a debt of gratitude and a thaali of khichdi and kadhi to Mahendra Doshi for his remarkable book. He has brought to life a world of forgotten founding fathers who set a blazing path for all who came forward. This is a story of their determination and grit to pursue their American dream, which we all need to hear, especially now.

- Amar Shah, Emmy-winning producer and director of "Patel Motel Story"

Doshi, thanks for writing the Patel chronicles: the first of its kind. Your 8 years of research will catapult the Patel hotel founders from obscurity to their rightful place in our diasporic history.

- Anima & Himanshu Desai, School Administrator, and Engineer, San Jose, CA

The book delves into the beginning of the hotel history of the Patel community that has established a stronghold in the business.

- Hansa & Hasmukh Shah, San Jose, CA

Until now, Patel hoteliers lacked a history book to tell our children, our grandchildren, and future generations how we came into running hotels and motels. Mahendra Doshi's book will forever fill that void. This is a must-read book for all of us and our children and their children. This is a great historical piece.

- Bhulabhai Gopalbhai Patel, Hospitality Entrepreneur and son of Gopalbhai G. Patel, a lottery visa winner, Salinas, CA

Surat to San Francisco is a celebration of the Patel trailblazers' achievements. It is an enlightening and helpful introduction of our relatives to our children and grandchildren. Our relatives, when they entered America, struggled mightily but overcame all odds, heroically, and succeeded beyond their own expectations in the hotel business, where we, their children, now excel. We owe them a ton of gratitude.

- Jaya Patel, daughter of Dhanjibhai B. Patel, a trailblazer, and lottery visa winner, San Jose, CA