"I am thankful to USINPAC for their efforts in making the voices of Indian Americans heard at Capitol Hill. They have been very supportive and instrumental in positioning the deserving Indian Americans to the right commissions. My recent appointment is an evidence of their hard work, access and persuasiveness, I am proud to be part of such organization."

Vinay Patel was born of Indian decent in Malawi, Africa. Vinay and his family moved to the United States in 1979 at the age of 9. He was raised in Richmond, Virginia and went to Virginia Commonwealth University and received a Bachelor of Science in Management and Marketing.

Vinay joined the family hotel business upon graduation and started to grow the company business. He went from running a small 15 room independent motel to running multi-unit hotel company. Presently, Vinay is the CEO of JAI Hotels, LLC based in Sterling, Virginia which manages and develops hotels in the Northern Virginia and DC market. The company owns hotels under the Hampton Inns, Country Inn and Suites, Days Inn and Wingate Inn brands. All of the hotels are award winning hotels with strong financial performance. The company is also developing new hotels in Baltimore, MD and Manassas, VA.

Vinay is also very active and has won numerous awards in the Hotel industry. He was named the 'Future Hotelier of the Year' award winner in 1997 and received the Presidential Award for the Country Inn and Suites for achieving the highest level of operational excellence. He presently serves on the Board of Directors for the American Hotel and Lodging Association and on the Franchise Advisory Council for Carlson Hotels Worldwide.