Jay S. Patel-CHA - Mr. Patel is a developer of franchised hotels within the State of Florida. As one of the initial members of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, Jay and his network have brought thousands of Asian Hoteliers together to speak with one voice and lead AAHOA to evolve to become the world's largest Hotel Group controlling 60% of U.S. Hotels owned by AAHOA Members. He served two terms as Chairman of the Franchise & Industry Relations Comm. that had undertaken crucial Industry issues such as franchising, good faith and fair dealing practices that led to significant change in the industry's business practices.

Mr. Patel is the author of Franchising Is It Fair? How to Negotiate an Equitable Franchise Agreement! He is a recognized expert of the Hospitality Franchised Industry. Mr. Patel has donated over 10,000 hard copies of his book to educate Franchisees and Hospitality students all over the country.

His service to the State of Florida for more than a decade has led to three gubernatorial appointments as a Trustee to the University of West Florida and as the Governor to the Florida State University Systems Board of Governors. He was also appointed and currently serves to represent the State of Florida as the Board of Governors Representative to the Institute of Human & Machine Cognition (IHMC). Additionally, he was appointed to the Higher Education Coordinating Council (HECC). The primary function is to advise & recommend policy to the Florida Senate, the House, the Governor, the Florida's Education Commission, the Board of Governors & the State College System. Mr. Patel was also instrumental during his tenure at the Florida Board of Governors in re-writing the Public Private Partnership guidelines and reintroduced them to the State of Florida BOG which were adopted for implementation throughout the Florida State University Systems.

Mr. Patel also co-founded the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers (NABHOOD). Over the span of 25 years, NABHOOD has successfully helped African Americans to acquire more than eleven hundred Hotels and become a major player of the Hospitality Industry. Mr. Patel also helped bring additional resources such as Franchising, Capital Funding and Management Companies.

For many of his accomplishments Mr. Patel was recognized and honored with three Honorary Doctorate for his accomplishments rewarding him for his involvement in education, theology, and the hospitality industry. Over the years, Mr. Patel has been the recipient of multiple industry-recognized awards from various national organizations including the prestigious Outstanding Service Award, The Award of Excellence, The Spirit Award, The Strategic Partnership Award, The Chairman's Award and most recently, The Hispanic Industry Leadership Award from the International Hispanic Meeting Professional. Mr. Patel also received an award as a ranking designation from the U.S. News and World Report which named Florida as #1 in the U.S. for higher education for three consecutive years during his tenure.

Now he is facilitating the transition of the hospitality industry to the 21st century by testing, promoting, and using smart contracts and various blockchain technologies through complex reservation and payment smart systems. Its core mission is to digitally Monetize Lodging Industries' Underperforming Assets.

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