For those that missed it, NPR did a great story (audio only) about a week ago on the success of Indian owned motels and hotels in the U.S. They interview one Gujarati family in particular. The story also delves into first generation business practices such as giving out personal loans on good faith, and shows how such old world business traditions help to give immigrants a leg up in the new world economy. This is one of several South Asian related features that NPR has done in the last few weeks.
I will tell you a little story. I work for a motel whose name is pretty well known the world over. We were corporately owned, and a group of Indian men bought us. We had no warning whatsoever, maybe a day or two. When they came in, they got rid of our MOD/GM. She had been running things wonderfully, though. They called a meeting of all the employees and told us that we could fill out applications if we wanted to stay on, but that they would not be offering us insurance anymore. One of my coworkers is a diabetic, and he absolutely MUST have insurance for that, as well as for his two kids by a previously marriage. So he had to go.. The housekeepers all stayed, but they are very upset, because many of them have children; and some of them also have serious medical conditions. This was a horrible blow. The new owners left a gentleman in their group behind to be our new GM. But he doesn’t speak english very well and has hardly any idea of how to use the computer system. Never in the hospitality business. Well, i ended up working 16 hour days because the only desk clerks left were me and the night auditor. I was run ragged and having panic attacks at night. Unable to sleep at all. He was constantly thinking that I was supposed to know EVERYTHING that our old manager did, and got frustrated with me when I didn’t. The night auditor used to be able to unload the safe and count the drops, do the deposits, fill the safe with our vend tubes, etc. But the new guy took that authority from her and he didn’t know how to work the safe... Suddenly our drops are piling up in there, and when we try to vend out change when we run out, the money is getting stuck inside the safe, or not dropping out because he entered the wrong number of tubes. Or he just didn’t put any money in at all. This is stuff that shows up on our shift reports, by the way.. So it looks as if we’ve been vending out money and just taking it. Because he’s making all the mistakes. I overheard him talking on the phone about us, speaking between english and his language, saying that he just didn’t trust any of us.That hurt, because I love my job. I love making my guests happy, and I would do anything to help ANYBODY. On the only day I wasn’t supposed to work 16 hours, i had a very important doctor’s appointment thank God for my hubby’s insurance. This gentleman called me repeatedly during my appt., getting angry at me because i couldn’t sit there and walk him through what he was trying to do at the desk. As I am being led to the M.R.I. unit, he’s still on the phone with me, and even though i’m telling him “hey, i must go. I am getting ready to have an important test done; i can’t be on the cell phone”, he wouldn’t hang up and kept rudely asking me questions. I ended up having to come in early that day. The next week something happened, and i walked out of there. Mind you, i have NEVER walked out on a job in my life.. The new owners who all live out of state somehow end up with my contact information and call me constantly, asking for me to come back. I finally do, but things are so horrible. I used to love my job, and now I dread it. I think it is unfair that money can get you anything you want, especially in these kind of “hostile takeovers”. Here are people who are unqualified to run a business, but because they have money, they can do whatever they please. I get paid 25 cents over minimum wage in my state. I am doing all the work for this man, who doesn’t even respect me. When we are discussing something, and I begin talking, he walks off in the middle of my sentences and doesn’t even say anything.
All these Indians are the same. They come to this country with their families money, then buy a hotel, and then micromanage all the employees, and they do not give them salary increases or any benefits. They shoul go back to India, where they belong!
Wow, this loser posted in a story that’s over six years old. What a tough guy! LOL!!!