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I'm curious what these signs refer to? Are there a lot of motels that are owned by people who are not American or something? I've never seen sign on any other business..
Lots of hotel franchises have been taken over by third-world-country citizerns, and as result of that, they bring with them third-world-country habits regarding hygiene. The sheets get changed, every few days, and if one person checks out, chances are you maybe sleeping on those sheets.
They are not supposed to do that, but trust me, they do it. I only patronize them, if I do not have choices, and check my sheets immediately upon entering the room. And if I find hairs, or other clues, I do complain, loud and clear.
Also, they do not renovate, and when they do, is very cheaply done. And their Continental breakfast, are the pits. This is the reason for ''AMERICAN OWNED AND OPERATED.''
I have come across Sheratons and Hiltons that look short of Motel 6!
The general short-slang around my area when referring to a place is, "Oh, that's a Patel Motel", since many people from India have the last name "Patel".
Some do not "jive" with the Indian mentality or way of doing business, so there are two things that generally you see happen:
1) Customers will actually ask if an establishment is American owned and operated when calling in to get rates.
2) Competing businesses that are near foreign owned/operated establishments will advertise "American owned and operated" in their ads and on signs, to lure travelers to their place.
My "regular" (construction-related) job puts me in contact with a number of people with India who own hotels, motels, and convenience stores. The way they interact with people IS very different, and especially in the South, there are sometimes conflicts. Many are not actually rude people, but they can come across that way easily to those who have had no previous experience interacting with them.
The biggest problem is that a lot of foreign immigrants quite literally get off the boat (or that is, airplane) and immediately start up a business or franchise. They have little-to-no training as to our local customs and how to interact with the locals, and hence, the problems begin almost immediately. The surrounding local business owners will get wind of it and poof - you see the "American owned and operated" signs start popping up, as their way of telling travelers and locals, "Hey, we're still American and own this place - give US your money!!".
My advice to local folks and travelers: Don't assume all Indian-owned hotels/motels are dirty and not cleaned properly. Some are frankly very nice. If they're part of a franchise (and most foreign-owned hotels are), they are supposed to uphold the standards of the brand name. If they don't and get enough complaints, they run the risk of losing the franchise. If you DO stay in one that is dirty and/or the staff are rude to you - do not for a moment hesitate to contact the corporate HQ for that chain and file a detailed (but polite) complaint. You don't do anyone any favors by huffing off but not reporting problems to corporate offices.
My advice to those from foreign lands starting businesses here: You need to take the time to interact and meet local people and business owners. America is a huge nation - you need to UNDERSTAND how to interact with not only Americans in general, but per the region you're moving to (as in, people in the Northeast interact differently than in the southeast, etc). Hire consultants and businesses coaches if you need to, but learn the language, learn the CULTURE, and learn local etiquette and general niceties before you open the doors to your new business. You'll have fewer conflicts and the locals will give you their money. Don't, and you'll just have the business owners around you steal customers simply by "being American owned".
Yeah, this sounds so backward and not very American. Those hard-working people contribute to the economy. America should not become like nationalistic European countries. It's definitely not a step forward.
I have recently made a trip and one of the places I stayed at was a small motel in the mid west. Story short, the owner was at the desk and I guess because it was late he opened up to me about the motel business as he was checking me in.
He told me that his competitors were bought up by foreign people who in his neck of the woods were from India. In a nice way, he said they were cheep and that they did not want to pay for simple things like pest control which had now caused a infestation of vermin. He told me that he gets a few customers each month because of the unhappiness of the customers that were staying at the Indian owned motels.
As far as I'm concerned, this is becoming a common theme, foreign people come to the states, they set up shop with the only goal in mind being to make a profit and in return we get poor service or poor quality food or material.
My advice to those from foreign lands starting businesses here: You need to take the time to interact and meet local people and business owners. America is a huge nation - you need to UNDERSTAND how to interact with not only Americans in general, but per the region you're moving to (as in, people in the Northeast interact differently than in the southeast, etc). Hire consultants and businesses coaches if you need to, but learn the language, learn the CULTURE, and learn local etiquette and general niceties before you open the doors to your new business. You'll have fewer conflicts and the locals will give you their money. Don't, and you'll just have the business owners around you steal customers simply by "being American owned".
I tend to think that foreigners are briefed on Americans before they come here. I believe they are told that we are lazy, stupid, and that we just want to be entertained so they should try to capitalize on it.
I have a business and I have interacted with many different cultures, and believe me, foreigners care about being in America, but they don't necessarily care about Americans.
Lots of hotel franchises have been taken over by third-world-country citizerns, and as result of that, they bring with them third-world-country habits regarding hygiene. The sheets get changed, every few days, and if one person checks out, chances are you maybe sleeping on those sheets.
They are not supposed to do that, but trust me, they do it. I only patronize them, if I do not have choices, and check my sheets immediately upon entering the room. And if I find hairs, or other clues, I do complain, loud and clear.
Also, they do not renovate, and when they do, is very cheaply done. And their Continental breakfast, are the pits. This is the reason for ''AMERICAN OWNED AND OPERATED.''
I have come across Sheratons and Hiltons that look short of Motel 6!
Yuck, gross.
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Ye, indeed
