![How Indian AmericansTook Over the US Motel Industry](https://assets.byub.org/images/2fe89240-df66-497e-9300-73d793d74fe7/720x405.jpg)
How Indian AmericansTook Over the US Motel Industry
Top of Mind with Julie Rose
Indian American Motel Owners, Finding Silence, Digital Walden
Episode: Indian American Motel Owners, Finding Silence, Digital Walden
- Jul 5, 2017 11:00 pm
- 39:16 mins
Guest: Susan Sessions Rugh, PhD, Professor of History, Dean of Undergraduate Education, BYU; Jake Rugh, PhD, Assistant Professor of Sociology, BYU One of the quintessential American experiences is the family road trip - often to explore the national parks - and staying in roadside motels along the way. But half of all motels in the US are owned today by Indian Americans, which means that, ironically, a deeply American tradition is facilitated by immigrants. This week, when we celebrate being American, is the perfect time to dig into the fascinating story of how people named Patel came to dominate the US motel industry.