Red Roof has its first fully woman-owned franchise since launching its new RIDE with Red Roof initiative. The property is a Red Roof Inn & Suites conversion located in Richland, Miss., and is the second hotel in owner Kalpana Patel’s portfolio. It brings the number of Red Roof properties owned or partially owned by women to more than 35 percent.
RIDE (Road to Inclusivity and Diversity in Entrepreneurship) will expand and further diversify hotel ownership and entrepreneurial opportunities for underrepresented groups by focusing on the business needs of entrepreneurs, providing access to capital, educational resources and the connections needed to build a strong network of industry partners. Coupled with its sister program SHE, inspired by Red Roof, an all-encompassing program to Support, Help and Elevate women, Red Roof is propelling towards its goal of 40 percent of properties owned or partially owned by women.
With 64 percent of the Red Roof development team belonging to a minority group, and women such as Lina Patel and Jennifer Burcham at the forefront of Kalpana Patel’s new franchise agreement, RIDE is positioned to further expand Red Roof’s population of diverse and underrepresented owners.
“The educational resources and networking provided by Red Roof and RIDE were crucial to the success of the hotel’s conversion," Kalpana Patel said in a statement. "Jennifer and Lina worked with me at each step of the process, from understanding the requirements of changing brands to preparing the hotel for a product improvement plan, and were always available to answer my questions throughout the transition.”
The signing comes amidst the continuing expansion of Red Roof’s diversity, equity and inclusivity efforts, including the appointment of Lina Patel to director of strategic franchise initiatives in April 2023.
“Our organization, and our industry, relies on passionate operators such as Kalpana Patel, and we are proud to welcome her to the Red Roof family,” said Red Roof Chief Development Officer Matthew Hostetler. “Red Roof is committed to helping Kalpana expand and grow her business, as our RIDE initiative and other programs continue to bring value to all communities of entrepreneurs in the industry.”