A Successful Manager of Major Hotel Brands

M&R Hotel Management is a top-performing hotel operator with an 18-year record of successful hotel operations that deliver a superior return on investment. The company is headquartered in Great Neck, New York, and maintains offices in Manhattan and Dallas.

With 26 hotels under management, three asset-managed hotels and another property under development, the company’s current operations include 16 properties in New York City, nine in Indiana, Missouri and Illinois and one in Addison, Texas.

M&R is certified to manage selected brands of Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, InterContinental Hotels Group, Choice Hotels International, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and Best Western Hotels & Resorts.

M&R’s business plan calls for expansion of its portfolio through third-party management contracts.

A Proud History, Anchored in Growth

M&R Hotel Management evolved from a development company focused on acquiring and building hotels in the New York metropolitan area into a focused, third-party management company with a portfolio of 29 hotels in New York, three Midwestern states and Dallas.

The story begins with M&R Hotel Group, a development company focused on acquiring and building hotels in the New York metropolitan area and beyond, that was founded in 1992 by Madhu Patni and the late Rajendra Gandhi. Both had been principals in Hersha Hospitality Trust, a real estate investment trust formed in 1984 and traded on the American Stock Exchange since 1998.

In recent years, leadership of M&R Hotel Group has passed to the second generation of both families. Amit Gandhi, his brother, Samir, and Manish Patni are fully vested in all aspects of development and serve as principals of M&R Hotel Management, a company created in 2001 to serve as the operating arm of M&R Hotel Group.

M&R Hotel Group’s first project was construction of a 45-room Howard Johnson Inn on East Houston Street in Manhattan in 2001, which the company managed until 2005 when the property was sold. In 2002, M&R Hotel Group opened an 80-room Comfort Inn in Long Island City, New York, the first nationally branded, limited-service hotel to be constructed there, and managed it until 2005 when it was sold.

In 2004, the company constructed an 80-room Comfort Inn on West 39th Street in Manhattan, near Times Square, which M&R managed until it was sold in 2007. That was followed in 2005 by a 211-room Holiday Inn Express also built on West 39^th Street, which M&R managed until it was sold in 2009.

Also in 2005, M&R Hotel Group purchased three limited-service hotels – an 87-room Best Western, a 128-room Holiday Inn Express and a 73-room Days Inn – adjacent to one another near John F. Kennedy International Airport off South Conduit Avenue in Jamaica, New York.

M&R assumed management of the newly constructed 93-room Comfort Inn Staten Island and 95-room Holiday Inn Express Staten Island West in 2008. That year, the company also became manager of the 83-room Holiday Inn Express LaGuardia Airport hotel in Flushing, New York, which subsequently was expanded to 120 rooms in 2018.

M&R Hotel Group’s development in Manhattan accelerated in 2009 when it acquired property at the corner of Delancey and Suffolk streets and built the 132-room, full-service Holiday Inn NYC ─ Lower East Side, which opened in 2013. Also in 2009, the company acquired land for two hotels on West 48th Street, where it built the 177-room Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Midtown West and 89-room Comfort Inn Midtown West, which opened in 2013.

M&R Hotel Group built a 186-room Hyatt Place on West 36th Street at Herald Square, the brand’s first hotel in Manhattan. Only the sixth Hyatt hotel in New York City, it opened in 2013 and was sold later that year.

In November 2013, M&R Hotel Management announced the signing of a third-party management agreement to operate the 201-room Holiday Inn New York JFK Airport Area at the intersection of Brookville and Rockaway boulevards in Jamaica, New York, which opened in November of that year.

M&R Hotel Group constructed the 103-room Holiday Inn Staten Island at 290 Wild Ave., which opened in November 2014. That property along with the adjacent Comfort Inn Staten Island and Holiday Inn Express Staten Island West, were sold in July 2017.

Also in 2014, the company was appointed manager of the 76-room Alegria, An Ascend Collection Hotel, in Simpson Bay, St. Maarten. Alegria left the M&R portfolio at the end of 2015. In December 2014, the company was appointed operator of the 103-room Holiday Inn Express Braintree in Massachusetts, which left the portfolio at the end of 2016.

M&R was contracted to manage the 136-room Holiday Inn L.I. City – Manhattan View at 39-05 29^th St. in Queens, New York, beginning in January 2015.

M&R Hotel Management opened the 271-room Holiday Inn New York City – Times Square at 585 Eighth Ave. in October 2015 and the 226-room Fairfield Inn & Suites New York Manhattan/Central Park at 538 W. 58th St. one year later. The Fairfield was the first Marriott-branded hotel to be owned by M&R Hotel Group and managed by M&R Hotel Management.

M&R was contracted to manage the 60-room Holiday Inn Express Roslyn ─ Manhasset Area on Long Island beginning in 2016. That hotel left the system in April 2019.

In January 2017, M&R was appointed asset manager of the 170-room Club Quarters Hotel Midtown, 289-room Club Quarters Hotel Wall Street and 230-room Club Quarters Hotel Opposite Rockefeller Center, all in Manhattan.

Also in 2017, the company opened its first Hilton Worldwide franchise, the 250-room Hilton Garden Inn New York Times Square South at 326 W. 37th St., and became manager of the 80-room Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Chester-Monroe-Goshen in Orange County, New York. The latter property left the system in November 2018.

In 2018, M&R assumed management of the 216-room Hampton Inn NY-JFK in Jamaica, New York, and nine hotels in the Midwest: the 60-room Fairfield Inn Indianapolis South, Indianapolis; the 99-room Hampton Inn Anderson, Anderson, Indiana; the 83-room Courtyard Indianapolis South; the 96-room Hilton Garden Inn Joplin, 62-room Fairfield Inn Joplin and 89-room Hampton Inn Joplin, all in Joplin, Missouri; the 62-room Fairfield Inn St. Louis Collinsville, IL; 101-room Hampton Inn Mount Vernon, Mount Vernon, Illinois; and the 89-room Hampton Inn Marion, Marion, Illinois. M&R opened the 114-room TownePlace Suites New York Manhattan/Times Square in November 2018 at 324 W. 44th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues.

The 428-room Crowne Plaza Dallas Near Galleria-Addison joined the M&R portfolio on Jan. 1, 2019. The 130-room SpringHill Suites New York Midtown Manhattan/Park Avenue at 111 E. 24th St. in Manhattan and 84-room Comfort Inn Prospect Park-Brooklyn at 150 20th St. in Brooklyn will open later this year.

M&R also will operate a 205-room Le Meridien hotel now under development at 292 Fifth Ave. in Manhattan.

Managing from an Investor’s Perspective

M&R Hotel Management views profit and expense issues from the perspective of an investor and strives to bring that same vigilance to bear on behalf of third-party owners, with interests that are completely aligned.

M&R practices “hands-on hospitality,” maintaining an in-depth knowledge of each property, conducting frequent property visits, providing a communications focus with daily, weekly and monthly reporting and staying abreast of hospitality and real estate development trends.

The company’s third-party management expertise includes full-service, limited-service and select-service branded hotels. The company offers proficiency in improving brand customer service scores, customizing service plans to meet individual owner needs and implementing energy-saving and environmentally responsible programs.

The company’s “top-down” approach to sales and marketing stresses accurate product positioning, a strong corporate sales force, comprehensive planning and training and property-by-property analysis.

M&R’s core values emphasize integrity, teamwork, entrepreneurism, fiscal discipline, consistent performance and striving for excellence.

Focused on Maximizing Productivity

M&R Hotel Management understands today’s dynamic pricing model and the multitude of booking channels, including brand.com and online travel agencies.  The company consistently generates higher profits by applying best-in-class revenue management tools and staying focused on the ever-changing conditions in the highly competitive markets it serves.

The company’s corporate revenue management team works in concert with each property to maximize profitability relative to the total investment by evaluating short- and long-term demand and monitoring demand drivers and the competition’s pricing.

Dynamic pricing is critical for airport hotels because flight delays and inclement weather can cause sudden spikes in demand. City and suburban hotels rely on dynamic pricing to respond to constantly fluctuating demand.

M&R leverages the power of its brands’ distribution systems and loyalty programs by recognizing and rewarding frequent brand travelers. An aggressive sales effort ensures M&R’s managed hotels gain more than its market share of corporate, leisure and tour group bookings.

Costs are managed through a streamlined organizational structure, strategic outsourcing partnerships and advantageous pricing secured through vendor relationships and by leveraging the portfolio’s scale.

Hotel Consulting

M&R is a “one-stop shop” for the following management and consulting services.

• Day-to-day operations
• Development
• Site selection
• Feasibility analysis
• Design
• Contractor selection
• Permitting
• Financing
• Franchise licensing
• Brand management
• Risk management audits
• Accounting audits
• Sales and marketing
• E-commerce
• Food-and-beverage management
• Revenue management
• Procurement
• Human resources support

Principal Shareholders and Management Team

The founders and principal shareholders are Amit Gandhi, president & chief executive officer, Manish Patni, executive vice president, and Samir Gandhi, a principal in the firm. In 2013, they hired a team of hospitality veterans to manage M&R Hotel Management and lay the groundwork for further growth.

The M&R Hotel Management leadership team today includes Brian McSherry, chief operating officer; Janelle Schwartz, vice president of sales & marketing; Ron Kozinski, vice president of finance; Robert Arigo, vice president, operations; and Anthony Cirillo, vice president, engineering and construction.

They are supported by Mureka Walcott, corporate human resources director; Jigs Gandhi, corporate director, procurement and IT services; Paul Viapiano, regional director, operations; Christopher Beyer, regional general manager; Argy Koumas, regional director, sales & marketing; Brian Athas, regional director, revenue management; Bryan Davern, regional director, revenue management; Dilip Shetye, corporate director, accounting; and Maggie Isaac, general counsel.