Unquestionably, the most important thing to happen in the hotel industry in the last 25 years has been the emergence of the Asian-American hotel community. Sadly, however, after all these years there still is lingering resentment and prejudice toward Indian hoteliers by guests and even others in the hotel industry.

The rest of us non-morons appreciate the stellar accomplishments of the 10,000-plus Indian-American hoteliers. They continue to lead the lodging industry in a number of crucial ways: They’re entrepreneurial, a trait that originally built the industry. While risk-takers, Indian hoteliers are also careful not to extend beyond their financial and organizational capabilities. And, finally, Asian-American hoteliers are fiercely family-oriented, another characteristic of the industry before Big Business discovered it. Many Asian-American-owned properties and hotel companies are now run by second- and even third-generation family members, who mostly retain the culture’s passion for hard work, smart growth and strong business ethics.

I was reminded of the contributions of Asian-American hoteliers by reading a new study from the Asian American Hotel Owners Association detailing the financial muscle of its 10,000 members. Collectively, they own 20,000 hotels with 1.8 million rooms and valued at $129 billion. That’s 40 percent of all the hotels in the U.S. and 39 percent of the guestrooms.

Even more illuminating is the data showing the community’s positive economic effect on the country. AAHOA members employ 578,600 people and pay them more than $10 billion annually in wages and benefits. Vendors like Indian hoteliers, too, because they spend $32 billion a year on operating costs and capital improvements. Some examples: $2.2 billion to franchise companies, $1.3 billion on food and beverage purchases, $548 million on guestroom furniture and $113 million on TVs.

Asian-American hoteliers are no longer part of the U.S. hotel business; they are the industry, and they represent it well. The story to follow for the next 25 years is how subsequent generations of the community are able to weave the best of Indian tradition and expertise into the fabric of U.S. culture to create an industry even stronger and more innovative than it is today.

On an unrelated note, if you haven’t already, I urge you to take a look at the updates we’ve made to our website, www.LHOnline.com. This month’s launch of the Hotel Development Center marks the latest chapter in the evolution of the site. The Hotel Development Center is the one-stop shop of resources for hotel owners, operators and developers. Find information, contacts and links to industry events, associations and consultants, as well as to the top management, brand, purchasing and design companies. Try out the Franchise Calculator to compare annual fees from all the major brands, or peruse the Franchise Fact File for a breakdown of what those costs are. All the content is available to download in easy-to-read PDFs, or bookmark LHOnline.com to keep all these resources at your fingertips.

Check the site every morning for an exclusive story of the day and take a look at the Front Desk Blog for insight, analysis and wit (or not). Today’s Top Reads are brief descriptions and links to the top hotel-related news from around the country. Read LHOnline to stay informed of issues and news that are important to you, and now use our handy Hotel Development Center as an encyclopedia of resources you need to do your job.