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(Riverton, WY) – Comfort Inn and Suites, located at 2020 N Federal Blvd. in Riverton, celebrated the transition of ownership with a Riverton Chamber-organized ribbon-cutting ceremony last week, where new owners Sunil, Parul, and Kavish Patel shared the occasion with delicious food, tours of the facility, and connections with community members.
“It’s going to be a great partnership with the Chamber and tourism and the whole nine yards,” Riverton Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center Executive Director Cindy Olson Roden commented after sharing that all three of the major hotels in Riverton are now “bronze level members” of the Chamber.
“We’re very appreciative of them.”
24-year-old Kavish, son of Sunil and Parul, will be functioning as the main owner/daily operator. He graduated from Riverton High School in 2018 and shared that he was “born in the hospital across the street from the middle school.”
“I’ve lived here my whole life,” Kavish commented before adding that he “always wanted to connect” with the Riverton community.
After initially getting his degree in biology and studying to become a doctor, he decided that path was not for him, which ultimately made the jump into the hotel business even easier.
“I was really born into the family business,” Kavish stated (the Patels own/operate multiple hotels in Wyoming, Colorado, and Texas). “My first eight years of life, I lived in a hotel. It was all five of us in one tiny little room. We all shared pretty much everything.”
“I love my parents and (have) great respect for them, and one of the things in our culture is that the sons have to kind of carry on the legacy of their fathers, and that’s part of it,” Kavish shared as another reason why the hotel business was such a good fit.
“Action favors the bold,” Kavish continued, and cited his parents’ hard work as another inspiration. He explained that they immigrated to the Riverton area in the mid-90’s.
“They used to do things that I couldn’t even imagine, and I did things that I can’t even imagine,” Kavish commented. He also elaborated that the onset of Covid provided many hardships the family overcame when staffing was short and times were tough.
“I didn’t have any staff, so I was pushing it, I was reaching. I was doing all the housekeeping and our laundry, and (at one point) our washers broke, so I had to carry the laundry to the local laundromat and take it back, then clean all the rooms.”
“There were days where that kind of hard work (ethic) from my parents came back to me, and it showed in ways that I really did appreciate.”
Parul, Kavish’s mother, echoed his sentiments about hard work and making community connections.
“My kids (were) brought up in hotel business. They did everything. They even scrubbed the toilets, (made) the beds. They are not shy of doing anything.”
“I am so fortunate to have my two kids, my son and my daughter (Nirali),” Parul continued. “My son graduated here, then (went to) CWC, and then to Florida to get his degree. He came back and said, ‘Mom, I want to go into the business that you are in.’ So I said, okay, let’s do it. And we together bought this place.”
“I am so proud of my kids,” Parul said before adding that she lived in India for 23 years but has now lived in Riverton for 31 years.
County 10 asked if there was anything she wanted to share in terms of their new ownership of Comfort Inn and Suites.
“Everybody is welcome here,” Parul commented.
County 10 later asked Kavish if he has any big plans for the future.
“I live and breathe Riverton. I’ve been here all my whole life,” Kavish replied. “So maybe in the future I could work on expanding, you know, and maybe building something big here. I can’t say for sure, though; I don’t have all the answers to the future. But for now, we’re looking to renovate certain sections here in the Comfort property. We’re looking to pick things up and make this property as best as it can be. I’m here every day.”
“To a certain extent, if you just really are positive about it and really care about it and you’re deeply ingrained, you can achieve,” Kavish added. “It may not be as high as you want to be, but at least it’ll be better than sitting at home stuck in your ways, just contemplating. Start something. Start a business. It doesn’t matter if you’re bad, doesn’t matter if you’re good. Get it done. Take those risks.”
