Any number of entrepreneurs have launched any number of hotel businesses, but starting one while still in high school is much less common. Armaan Patel, founder of California-based AGA Hotels, decided not to wait until he had finished college—he formed his business in 2019 during his sophomore year at Cerritos (Calif.) High School, becoming a CEO before he could even vote.
Building a Concept
Patel grew up in the industry as the son of hotelier Nitin Patel, but did not initially plan to follow in his father’s footsteps. In fact, he had considered becoming a professional basketball player, or at least going into a different field. But through his father’s work, the younger Patel saw opportunities in hospitality and rather than going to work for his family’s business, he decided to launch his own.
The funding for the new company “came right out of our pockets,” Patel said, but noted that his father “assisted with … the trademarks.” As a minor, Patel was limited in what he could do in the business world. As such, he partnered with a 21-year-old cousin, Yash Desai, to handle the legalities of creating a brand from scratch. “[I] couldn't create my own LLC, couldn't file trademarks—I also couldn't create a bank account by myself,” Patel said.
The cousins filed the necessary paperwork and trademarks and started looking for hoteliers who would accept the company's franchising model. After calling and talking to hundreds of hoteliers, they finally found one ready to take a risk on them. They closed the deal in 2020 and after a renovation the Erth Inn by AGA officially opened in Maywood, Calif., as the company's first hotel.
Not only did Desai help with the logistics of launching a business, he became a good counterbalance for Patel’s ideas. “Both our minds kind of work the same, so we're both really looking to see how we can revamp, or get better day by day, operationally.” As the first hotels in the portfolio took shape, the partners worked together on finding improvements, both aesthetic and operational. “Sometimes we clash heads, but … we can work on each other's feedback.”
Patel’s idea was to find quality boutique hotels in good locations that were “struggling” and help them attract a new demographic, specifically the younger travelers of his own generation, he recalled. By shifting away from traditional franchising and marketing strategies, he believed he could help make the hotels more profitable. As a young professional, Patel knows the power of social media—and the value of attracting the next generation of hotel guests. “If you make the property Instagrammable, you tend to try to drive more Gen Z travelers,” he told attendees at the inaugural AAHOA HYPE Conference in 2024, supporting the next generation of hotel owners.
Once he had his franchised company underway, Patel launched a management division as well. AGA Essentials oversees 28 hotels and is an approved Marriott management company. “I'm the youngest license holder to be approved by Marriott,” he added. “Which is an honor.”
Finding a Balance
Patel is still a student at Chapman University, but he spends most days focused on his business. He attends online classes on weekends and submits his homework and tests before the work week begins. “I've emailed each professor [about] the responsibilities I have, so they all understand,” he said. “All the professors I have are great, and it just makes it much easier when they understand what my goals are with this company.” Once he graduates in June 2026, he added, he will be able to focus on his company full time. Studying and running a company is “very difficult to balance,” he acknowledged, but added that he feels “very good” when he finds that balance.
AGA now has 24 properties open with a further two in the pipeline that are slated to open by the end of 2026. Another three conversions—two in San Diego and one in downtown Los Angeles—are slated to complete their rebrands by October. Looking ahead, Patel wants to get his portfolio to 150 (or more) owned and managed hotels over the next five years and to expand both the franchise company and the management side in Florida and Texas. “I really want to do something international, maybe in the next five to 10 years,” he added.
AGA Hotels
Headquarters: Artesia, Calif.
Structure: Franchise and management
Portfolio: 24 owned hotels; AGA Essentials Group is currently managing 28 hotels
Website: www.agahotels.com
This article was originally published in the May edition of Hotel Management magazine. Subscribe here.