Sumit Dalwadi’s philanthropy reverberates locally and globally
By Cathleen Draper
When Sumit Dalwadi visited his grandmother at her home in India as a child, he witnessed something remarkable.
Often, people knocked on his grandmother’s door, seeking something to eat. She’d do more than serve them leftovers from the previous day. Instead, she’d prepare them a fresh, hot meal, the same food her family would gather to eat that day. He saw her love for her community firsthand.
That legacy of care was passed to his parents, Jay and Kapila, who carried those values across the ocean when they immigrated to the United States in the early 1970s. In 1979, Jay purchased a 20-room motel in Dayton, TX, with a small house attached. Kapila managed the property full-time while Jay commuted daily to Houston for his job as a chemical engineer, and he spent weekends handling motel maintenance. Together, they embodied hard work, faith, and sacrifice.
Over the years Dalwadi worked in every role in the motel, from housekeeper to front desk attendant. He watched as his parents sponsored relatives immigrating to the U.S., inviting them into their home and supporting them – even as his father launched a construction company and their businesses grew. At one point, the number of people living in the house behind the motel reached the double digits.
“My parents always prioritized giving back, even when they had little themselves,” Dalwadi stated. “They sponsored over 18 family members, welcoming them into their home while still establishing their own lives. They set aside personal ambitions to ensure the well-being of the entire family.”
Over time, Jay and Kapila, both AAHOA Members, served as the foundation for more than 250 extended family members establishing new lives in the Houston area and beyond. Their example showed Dalwadi that success is not def ined by wealth or status, but by what one gives back.
In 2014, inspired by his grandmother’s selflessness and his parents’ vision, Dalwadi and his three sisters – Manisha, Amisha, and Shital, all AAHOA Members – founded Dalwadi Hospitality Management (DHM). They chose a meaningful tagline for their work: Doing Hospitality Better.
And that’s exactly what they’ve done. Within a year of launching DHM, it was a Marriott-approved management company, a source of pride for Dalwadi. Today, they operate eight hotels, and this year, DHM expanded its services to include third-party management. At the center of their work is a philanthropic spirit and a deep-seated love for the community.
Giving Back Is in the Details
The same year that the Dalwadi family launched DHM, the license of the Holiday Inn Express they built in 2004 was due for renewal. When they attempted to renew the franchise license for the Houston property, the brand refused due to its focus on a new, larger hotel instead.
The timing couldn’t have been better. For years, the Dalwadis had been looking to do something different. They regularly donated from the market spaces at their branded hotels, “but any time we tried to do anything bigger than that – in terms of giving back and being better members of the community, locally and globally – a lot of the brands gave pushback, saying, ‘it’s not brand standard,’” Dalwadi said. ”We realized we needed more freedom to give back in meaningful ways.”
They saw an opportunity. The Holiday Inn Express was located within two miles of the Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest medical complex.
“We have people traveling from all over the world,” Dalwadi said. “We thought this would be the right location and right property for an experiment and going independent. We’d had smaller independent properties, but this was different.”
So they struck out on their own. Dalwadi and his sisters sought a new beginning for the property, and that’s how they landed on the hotel’s refreshed name: Hotel Ylem (pronounced ayh-luhm). Ylem is “the source from which all things come,” Dalwadi said – the start of everything.
“It was born out of a desire to break away from the traditional model and reimagine what hospitality is at its core,” Dalwadi said. “We thought of it as not just another hotel, but a space where you can bring in that creativity, that purpose and meaning – what hospitality really is. That’s what inspired us, and we want to inspire others to embrace that creativity and find that new beginning.”
From the start, they made every decision with purpose. Giving back took center stage, and when determining the core focus of their philanthropic efforts, Dalwadi and his family settled on access to clean water because of its ripple effect. Consistent and equitable access to sanitary, safe drinking water spurs economic growth, better educational outcomes, and reduced illness.
As a result, Dalwadi regularly supports the non-profit organization charity: water. A percentage of the proceeds from Hotel Ylem’s bar go to the non-profit. In the past, Dalwadi organized a quarterly event called “Art Amplifying Good.” Local artists showcased their art around the hotel, and if a piece sold, Dalwadi asked the artist to donate 18 percent to the organization. And in 2017, P&G Professionals recognized Dalwadi with the Community Hotelier of the Year Award, presented in conjunction with AAHOA. The entire $10,000 award went to charity: water.
Dalwadi’s passion for access to clean drinking water is infused in every detail of Hotel Ylem. The tiles surrounding the showers are wavy, and the carpets throughout the hotel have a flowing detail. The shelves behind the hotel bar feature a water droplet motif. A local artist who works with Texas’ Galveston Bay Foundation and who supports marine conservation efforts, Janavi Folmsbee, painted the mural that graces the outside of the property; it evokes the element of water and the concept of Mother Earth.
“It’s not in-your-face,” Dalwadi said. “And that’s how we brought everything together through design, artwork, and purpose.”
One of Hotel Ylem’s mottos is to “amplify good,” and one of the ways Dalwadi accomplishes this is by selecting partners who prioritize philanthropy and supporting underserved populations.
“You name it, every vendor we use, we try to make sure they have something like that,” Dalwadi said. “That’s how you amplify the good that you try to give.”
The hotel’s hair dryer bags come from Work+Shelter, a non-profit in India that empowers women and alleviates poverty through fair-wage employment. Fredlyn Nut Company, which supplies the bar snacks, supports literacy programs and arts education in Houston. DHM also partners with Clean the World, recycling used hotel toiletries to distribute to communities in need – a partnership that reflects values instilled by Dalwadi’s parents long before sustainability became an industry standard.
“My mother used to reuse discarded soap bars,” he shared. “She would soften and shred them to wash linens. That taught me resourcefulness and respect for what we have.”
The list of philanthropic partnerships goes on. “As we’re buying anything that we need to run the hotel, we know a percentage of it is going back to the community,” Dalwadi said. Proceeds from Hotel Ylem’s bar and pantry are donated, too. Their efforts don’t go unnoticed.
“Guests can feel that difference,” Dalwadi said. “It’s not just a place to stay, this is a place that stands for something.”
Do It Because You Care
Dalwadi recommends going independent for the right reasons. There are times when franchisees can become frustrated with a brand and its limitations. But while independence comes with freedom, accountability is part of the package.
“You need to ensure that the positive aspects of the brands are retained and carried forward. Simultaneously, it’s crucial to replace any elements that aren’t working with something creative and impactful,” Dalwadi said.
“Brands aren’t bad – they have a purpose and a place. They’re there for a reason. And then independent properties have their own purpose and their place, and you have to find what’s right for you personally and for your team,” he continued. “You want to know what your identity and your strengths are and make sure you’re creating a story or a foundation behind what that property is. And be ready to tell that story.”
Philanthropy isn’t Hotel Ylem’s whole story. Its proximity to the Texas Medical Center means it’s a central place for non-local patients to stay while receiving treatment. Home, Dalwadi said, is a healing place for many, but in a hotel, that’s difficult to achieve – Hotel Ylem has cracked the code.
“Even as a Holiday Inn Express, because it was more about the team and the warmth around the property and the energy around it, people would come in and say, ‘I love coming here because I feel like I’m at home,’” Dalwadi said. “Guests pick up on that authenticity. They pick up on that feeling. Give them that experience that only exists in your hotel or with your team or in your city.”
Authenticity is invaluable for hotels seeking to amplify their own good, Dalwadi said.
“Do you have philanthropic efforts for genuine reasons?” he continued. “Yes, you can market it, because it amplifies what you do. But don’t do it for the ‘gram. Do it because it actually has an impact and because you want to make that difference in the world.”
Dalwadi recommends starting small. He encourages hotels to partner with local organizations. Schools, non-profits, and local artists often need exposure, and independent hotels can serve as spaces for community gatherings and events run by small businesses and non-profits.
“We believe that businesses are citizens in the community, so you’ve got to look locally and make sure you’re involved with everything around you,” Dalwadi said. “Every small act has an impact, and that impact can be larger than you really think it is.”
Leave a Reply