Growing up around the hotel business, Amar Shah and Rahul Rohatgi never felt called to operate properties themselves. Instead, they felt compelled to tell the stories behind them—and how South Asians helped reshape the trajectory of the American hospitality industry.
In this episode, Teague sits down with the directors of "The Patel Motel Story," a short-film making waves at the Tribeca Film Festival. For Amar, a self-described “counter kid” who grew up working at his family’s gas station, the project is deeply personal. Rahul’s path was different, but their shared roots and vision brought this story to life.
The film is the result of years of research, interviews, and time spent at AAHOA conventions—piecing together a narrative that had never truly been told on screen. Together, they talk about heritage, the hustle behind the American Dream, and why the time was right to tell it now.
