AAHOA Statement on Passing of Manhar P. (MP) Rama

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JODI SCOTT
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AAHOA Statement on Passing of Manhar P. (MP) Rama 

ATLANTA, GA, July 8—AAHOA Chairman Miraj S. Patel issued the following statement on the passing of AAHOA Past Chair, Manhar P. (MP) Rama, who passed away Sunday, July 7, at age 74:

America's hotel owners are heartbroken to learn about the passing of an AAHOA icon, Manhar P. (MP) Rama, who served as AAHOA Chairman from 2005 to 2006. Rama is preceded in death by his brothers, Dinu (D.P.) and Jayanti (J.P.) Rama, AAHOA Past Chairman, who passed away in February of 2022. He is survived by his wife, Surekha; children, Sima and Vinay Rama; brothers, AAHOA Founder Hasmukh P. (HP) Rama and Raman P. (RP) Rama; and sisters, Madhu Vivek, Hansa Deva, Pushpa Lala, and Pravina Thakor.

MP was born in Africa and raised in India. He graduated with distinction in civil engineering from M.S. University of Baroda. He came to the United States in 1973 to pursue postgraduate studies in engineering and graduated with a master's degree. 

  At AAHOACON22, MP received AAHOA's Cecil B. Day Community Service Award. At that time, he said, 'AAHOA allowed me to develop myself professionally and as a person. The AAHOA membership gave me an opportunity to expand my skills and the ability to think ahead and handle more responsibilities.'

MP was elected as an AAHOA director-at-large in 2001, became the association's treasurer in 2002, served as secretary in 2003, and vice chairman in 2004. 

I've known MP Uncle for many years now, and he's always been a very big advocate for young professionals, providing me personally with guidance in my journey at AAHOA. On behalf of the AAHOA Board and leadership, we extend our sincere condolences to the family and all who knew and loved him. 

While this news profoundly saddens AAHOA, his memory and contributions to this association and beyond will forever be a blessing. AAHOA is asking those who have had the honor of knowing him to share stories, reflections, and memories of their interactions with MP, what they have learned from him, and how he has impacted their life.

The AAHOA Community thanks MP for his significant contributions to our industry and the lasting impact he will have on the many lives he has touched throughout his life. 

The family is asking those who want to honor MP, in lieu of flowers, to please make checks payable to Mandala Foundation Inc. 501(c)(3) (9036 Mayfair Pointe Drive, Orlando, FL 32827). Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 13, at Faith Assembly in Orlando, FL. Services will be live-streamed at https://faithassembly.org/live.

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About AAHOA

AAHOA is the largest hotel owners association in the world, with Member-owned properties representing a significant part of the U.S. economy. AAHOA's 20,000 members own 60% of the hotels in the United States and are responsible for 1.7% of the nation’s GDP. More than 1 million employees work at AAHOA Member-owned hotels, earning $47 billion annually, and member-owned hotels support 4.2 million U.S. jobs across all sectors of the hospitality industry. AAHOA's mission is to advance and protect the business interests of hotel owners through advocacy, industry leadership, professional development, member benefits, and community engagement.