Listen to Their Stories - Mit Shah

Today, I’m continuing my celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a final profile of one of Marriott International’s exceptional owners – Mit Shah.

I mentioned in my blog last week that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are such an important part of our network of owners/franchisees and suppliers, as well as our global workforce.

We simply can’t compete in a global marketplace without diverse perspectives, experiences and voices powering our business. In a series of profiles this month, I have shared some of these diverse voices – people who are generally out of sight to our guests but who are very much a driving force for our business.

Here now is Mit Shah.

Mit Shah 

Who:

Mit Shah, founder and CEO of Noble Investment Group, LLC in Atlanta

His story:

My dad came to the United States in 1964. He earned a Ph. D as a food scientist at Utah State University. Then a friend of his, who owned a motel, got him interested in hospitality. He borrowed some money and, together with my mother, purchased the Winkler Motor Inn in 1979 in Winston Salem, N.C., when I was ten years old. I was there every weekend doing laundry, cleaning rooms and working the front desk. I attended Wake Forest University to major in economics and finance, and I worked as a front desk clerk at the university conference center. When I graduated in 1991, I landed a job at an investment bank in Atlanta focused on hotel investing. They wanted someone with five years of hotel operations experience and a finance degree, and I had it, thanks to the family business and my college job. Shortly after I got there, there was a management change. I found myself learning how to read architectural plans and construction documents and leading meetings with developers, brands and market feasibility experts. I was a 21-year-old kid; I shouldn’t have been there, but I was running the group.

 What key decision propelled you forward?

After being immersed in every facet of the business, from operations to development, brand relationships, and capital markets, I believed I could start my own business. My parents refinanced their inn, became my initial investor, and I began my journey as a franchisee. I was introduced to other successful franchisees who shared their secrets to building a business. We are now in our 28th year in business and have made investments in nearly 200 hotels across the country, including more than half of Marriott’s 30 brands. It’s been an incredible partnership. 

How has COVID-19 impacted your business?

This time last year was surreal. Never in my life could I have imagined the impact of a health crisis like this on people’s lives, their well-being, our business, and the decisions we all had to make. Today, I feel immense gratitude and pride in the resilience of our people and our entire industry. We are feeling signs of positive momentum, but I believe the recovery won’t be linear – there will be winning and losing markets and brands. We are in an environment where being a specialist and who you partner with will matter more than ever before. 

What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs?

Be very intentional about the people in your peer group. Meet leaders in the industry you respect and build relationships with them. Ask them what they are seeing, how things are going, and lessons they have learned. Different perspectives and contrarian views can help you build your strategies as we advance through this recovery. 

Mit’s story is powerful. It’s beautiful how the hard work of his childhood paid dividends later in life. If he hadn’t worked in hotel operations as a young man, he would not have been qualified for the job at the investment bank and that job prepared him for owning his own business. I admire Mit for grabbing opportunities as they presented themselves along the way. His willingness to ask for guidance and step up to lead when needed made all the difference. Here’s to tremendous momentum for Noble Investment Group in 2021.