Rich Gandhi Chairman & Co-Founder
Rich Gandhi is CEO of GHM Properties, a property management and debt advisory company. Rich came to the United States at the age of 13 after his father passed away. He moved in with his maternal grandparents in the suburbs outside of Atlantic City, NJ. After learning to run an 18 room motel alongside his grandfather, he chose to pursue a career in business. After learning both front of the house and back of the house, Rich began using networking to increase hotel sales and was able to increase revenues by 50% within his first year while earning his Bachelor’s in Accounting from Rutgers University in Newark, NJ.
Under his GHM Properties umbrella, Rich has cultivated extensive relationships with lenders and specifically, in the REO space. He has assisted peers in the industry by consulting on the acquisition process, as well as helping to secure permanent financing. Rich also assists these buyers with hotel management advice, strategies, and best practices – most of the time on a pro-bono basis. Rich contributes to the industry in many ways, including a term serving on Red Roof Inn’s Franchise Advisory Council from 2010 to 2012, assisting in strategizing and implementing many of the practices that have contributed to the success of the brand. Rich is also a lifetime member of the Asian American Hotel Owner’s Association (AAHOA) and holds a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) designation from the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA).
In his free time, Rich enjoys playing tennis and spending quality time with his friends and family.
Sagar Shah President & Co-Founder
Sagar Shah is Managing Principal of Yatra Capital Group, his family’s commercial real estate investment firm based in Bergen County, New Jersey with holdings in the hospitality and senior housing space. The portfolio includes hotels and assisted living facilities in multiple states. Sagar received his bachelor’s in Business Administration with Finance & Accounting concentrations from Drexel University in Philadelphia.
He earned his MBA in Hospitality Management and Service Industries Management from the Glion Institute of Higher Education in Glion-sur-Montreux, Switzerland – ranked amongst the world’s top institutions for hospitality and leisure management. As a life-long learner, he has continued advanced coursework at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Sagar holds a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) designation from the American Hotel & Lodging Association as well as a Certified Hotel Owner (CHO) designation from the Asian American Hotel Owner’s Association.
Advocacy work for the hospitality industry is a passion of Sagar’s and he currently sits on the Board of Pennsylvania’s Americana Region, the convention and visitor’s bureau for Berks County, PA.
In his free time, Sagar pursues residential rehab opportunities, maintains his love for cars, and enjoys traveling with his friends and family.
Dharam “Dave” Gandhi Director of Member Relations & Co-Founder
Dharam “Dave” Gandhi notably has a unique perspective, apart from Rich Gandhi’s childhood biography (they are brothers). Prior to dedicating his career to the hospitality industry, he worked for a Swiss hedge fund and helped to manage an estimated $150m+ in assets. Dave earned his Bachelor’s in Accounting, Finance, and Management Information Systems (MIS) from Rutgers University in New Jersey. He has extensive experience in all aspects of the hospitality industry, including but not limited to operations, mergers, acquisitions, and dispositions. His acquisition strategy has been successful due to his decade long experience in the industry, skilled management team, and extensive due diligence process. Dave is Managing Principal of myGHM, a real estate company with investments in various states within the hospitality, residential, and retail sectors.
Dave shares a passion for advocacy work as well and co-founded Reform Lodging, bringing wide-ranging expertise to the leadership team. Managing the membership base, communications, and internal operations of Reform Lodging, his areas of responsibility span media relations, compliance, and technology. Dave’s goal is to revitalize the advocacy operations to a modern era, consistently finding ways to upgrade the resources available to its members and strengthening compliance systems while making them easier to use. He also works to ensure the nonprofit field is informed of developments that can affect their ability to advance their missions. Dave was awarded as one of the 30 under 30 Stars in the hospitality industry. He holds a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) designation from the American Hotel & Lodging Association.