A Gujarati farmer who moved to America with little money went on to help build a motel empire that would change the country's hospitality industry. His name was Kanji Manchhu Desai, and his journey began with a modest 32-room hotel in Sacramento, California.
Desai came from Digas in Gujarat's Surat district. He travelled to Trinidad before eventually making his way to the United States, where he initially worked as a farm labourer in California. At a time when opportunities for Indian immigrants were limited, his entry into the hotel business would open doors for many others from Gujarat.
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How Kanji Manchhu Desai Entered The Hotel Business
Desai's breakthrough came in 1942, during World War II. He and two fellow Gujarati farmworkers, Nanalal Patel and D. Lal, took over the Ford Hotel, a 32-room property in Sacramento.
The arrangement required an upfront payment of $350 and a monthly rent of $75. Desai took over the hotel on October 15, 1942, reported Financial Express.
Desai's contribution went beyond running a hotel. He helped other Gujarati immigrants find accommodation, learn the hospitality business and establish themselves in America.
In 1947, he moved to San Francisco and leased the Hotel Goldfield. The property became an important meeting point for newcomers from Gujarat who were looking for work and business opportunities.
Desai offered many of them a place to stay, food and practical guidance. He encouraged them to work, save money and eventually lease hotels of their own. For people who had arrived in America with limited resources and few professional connections, this support made a significant difference.
His approach was based on a simple idea: people who understood the business could help others enter it. Instead of keeping his knowledge to himself, he shared what he had learnt about managing properties, dealing with customers and running a hotel.
According to accounts compiled by hotel historian Mahendra K. Doshi, Desai helped more than two dozen Gujarati entrepreneurs enter the hotel trade during the 1940s and 1950s. His efforts laid the groundwork for a community-led business network that would grow over the following decades, the report added.
What Happened To Kanji Manchhu Desai?
While the industry he helped establish continued to grow, Desai's own life ended far from the prosperity associated with the motel business.
Desai was deported from the United States and died in London in 1965, the report added.
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His journey from agricultural labour to managing a 32-room hotel remains an important chapter in the history of Indian immigrants in America.
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