A life built one hotel at a time
By Nicole Needles
From a modest 26-room motel in southeastern New Mexico to leading a growing hospitality company and serving as one of AAHOA’s most respected leaders, Imesh Vaidya understands the American Dream not as a destination, but as a responsibility.
For Vaidya, success was built long before he ever entered the hotel business full-time. It began with his parents’ sacrifices after immigrating from India, years of hard physical labor, and a determination to create opportunities for the next generation.
“The American Dream is different for everyone,” Vaidya said. “But it’s very similar in the way that we’ve all achieved it, in the sense that you’re rewarded for the effort. The sacrifices you make, the previous generation made – as long as you’re doing what you said you were going to do, and you treat people fairly, and you put in the work, you will be rewarded in this country.”
Today, as CEO of Premier Hospitality in Albuquerque, NM, Vaidya oversees a growing portfolio of hotels and continues to play an active role in AAHOA leadership and advocacy.
Yet the lessons that shaped him came long before board meetings, franchise development, or political advocacy. They came from childhood memories of laundry rooms, long weekends at small roadside motels, and watching his parents work tirelessly to build a future.
Built From Sacrifice
Vaidya’s story began before he and his brother ever arrived in the United States.
His parents immigrated from India, leaving their children behind with their grandparents for two years while they established themselves in America. In California, they worked wherever they could, from agricultural fields to canneries and restaurants, to survive.
“They worked in the fields. They picked cherries, tomatoes,” Vaidya recalled. “My dad worked in the field and in the canneries in the daytime. He worked as a busboy at night. So I hardly ever saw my dad.”
Eventually, the family leased a small property in Stockton, CA, consisting of a handful of apartments and four hotel rooms. Once they were stable enough, they brought their two sons to America. Vaidya was six years old.
The adjustment was difficult.
“The first six months or so were very unsettling,” he said. “Being in a new country, not knowing the language.”
School brought its own challenges. Teachers would send notes home tied around the boys’ necks because they were still learning English. But even at a young age, Vaidya understood why his parents had made the journey.
Money was scarce. Every purchase mattered.
“One of the first things that we ever bought in California at a thrift store was a Connect Four game,” he remembered. “I remember my mom asking both my brother and me several times, ‘Are you sure? Are you sure this is something you both want?’ I think it was $1.50.”
Soon after, the family’s trajectory changed again.
Vaidya’s father drove from California to Snyder, TX, intending to buy a property there. By the time he arrived, the deal was gone. Disappointed, he began driving back west when an acquaintance in Hobbs, NM, mentioned another motel for sale.
“He buys it, without the rest of the family ever seeing it,” Vaidya said. “And that’s how we ended up in Hobbs.”
The motel was called The Palms Inn, a small 26-room property that became both the family home and the foundation of their future.
“Room number 101 was the kids’ room,” Vaidya said. “If the other 25 rooms sold out, then we vacated our room and cleaned it and sold that one, also.”
Learning the Business Early
Like many second-generation hoteliers, Vaidya grew up immersed in every aspect of motel life.
“My brother and I, we were the laundry boys,” he said. “In the summertime or on the weekends, we would help with vacuuming the rooms.”
Eventually, he became responsible for maintaining the pool – his first official job.
But the work was demanding, and for years, Vaidya had no desire to make hospitality his career.
Instead, he pursued pharmacy, studying science in college and eventually becoming a licensed pharmacist. For nearly 24 years, he maintained a successful career in pharmacy while simultaneously helping the family business grow.
At the same time, the Vaidya family was evolving from small mom-and-pop motels into franchised hospitality ownership. In 1995, they built their first branded property, a Holiday Inn Express. The experience changed Vaidya’s perspective.
“Once I saw that aspect of the business, I liked it,” he said. “That’s what drew me in.”
Initially, he tried balancing both professions. He worked at Walgreens while helping oversee hotel construction and operations. But eventually, the hospitality side demanded more of his time.
A turning point came during the opening of one of the family’s hotels when the management company they hired abruptly became unavailable after its leader suffered a heart attack.
“By default, I became the management company,” Vaidya said. “That’s how I got into the business.”
As more properties were built, his involvement deepened. By 2007, he had decided to transition fully into hospitality.
Growing a Legacy
Today, Vaidya sees his success as part of a larger generational journey.
“I know what my parents did to get to that first franchise,” he said. “I’ve always had that in my mind, that I can’t leave it at that.”
Rather than focusing on a specific number of hotels, Vaidya measures success by growth and stewardship.
“If my dad gave me one, and I ended up at 10, then I expect my children to start at 10 and hopefully grow it to 20 or 30,” he said.
That philosophy extends to mentoring younger hoteliers as well. Over the years, Vaidya has become known throughout AAHOA for supporting emerging leaders and encouraging them to think bigger than previous generations.
“The opportunities you have are such that you don’t have to start at the bottom,” he said. “My parents started at the bottom. Your parents started at the bottom. We were given an advantage, so let’s use it to grow.”
He is especially inspired by the ambition of younger hoteliers entering the industry today.
“A 100-room hotel, when we started building, was a monster,” he said. “Now we have kids that are building 300- or 400-room hotels. They’re building independents, boutiques, they’re taking risks, and they’re growing.”
For Vaidya, that willingness to evolve represents the next phase of the American Dream.
Finding Community Through AAHOA
While Vaidya’s family taught him the fundamentals of hard work, he credits AAHOA with helping shape his growth as an owner and leader.
After attending his first AAHOA event in Albuquerque, he quickly recognized the value of the association’s network.
“I saw the opportunities to network,” he said. “I saw the opportunity to learn from people who had much more experience than I did.”
Over the years, Vaidya served in numerous leadership positions, including as Southwest Regional Director, Ambassador, and committee member. He says the Regional Director role had the deepest impact.
“The opportunity to connect with people and make a change in their business and family – that was the most meaningful aspect,” he said. “If something I did helped them grow or spend more time with family, that was the very rewarding.”
Advocacy That Lasts Generations
Among Vaidya’s most passionate commitments has been advocacy through the AAHOA Political Action Committee (PAC).
Over the years, he became a strong supporter of PAC fundraising efforts and legislative engagement, believing political involvement is essential for hotel owners to protect their businesses and communities.
“To have a voice in any policy, whether it’s local or national, you’re going to have to get the attention of politicians,” he said. “And to get attention requires PAC donations.”
Vaidya encouraged fellow members to contribute, especially during periods when hotel owners faced costly ADA-related litigation concerns. He viewed advocacy not as an individual benefit, but as a long-term investment for the entire industry.
“It wasn’t to me,” he said. “It was going straight to the politician, and the benefit was for everyone.”
Even when he disagreed with specific AAHOA policies or leadership decisions, he continued supporting the PAC because he believed consistency mattered.
“Once you stop, you’ll always have an excuse not to start up again,” he said. “I keep that going as a ritual, because I know that it’s going to pay dividends – not today, not tomorrow, but for years to come.”
That commitment to advocacy extended beyond donations. Vaidya frequently traveled to Washington, D.C., with AAHOA and the American Hotel and Lodging Association while also working closely with the New Mexico Lodging Association and state-level advocacy efforts throughout the Southwest.
One accomplishment remains especially meaningful to him: Helping mobilize members to successfully oppose a proposed lodging tax in Utah before it advanced.
“We taught our membership to be proactive rather than reactive,” he said.
The Next Chapter of the American Dream
As he looks toward the future, Vaidya remains optimistic about the next generation, despite the economic challenges they may face.
“This country rewards effort and persistence,” he said. “Every generation had some kind of obstacle that didn’t deter them.”
That belief continues to guide how he leads his business, mentors younger owners, and raises his own children. “Find your passion and then just go full speed,” he advised. “Run with it.”
For Vaidya, the American Dream was never simply about owning hotels. It was about honoring sacrifice, creating opportunity, and building something meaningful enough to hand to the next generation, stronger than it was received.
And it all began in Room 101.
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