Path to Power:
The Motwani Family Ramesh (Bob) and Ramola Motwani first moved to St. Charles, Missouri, from India and built an import business. When the Motwanis, including their young sons Nitin and Dev, decided to move to warmer climates due to Bob’s health condition, the Motwanis decided to become motel owners in Fort Lauderdale after hearing about the destination’s lucrative hospitality market. Without any experience in hospitality, they bought the 49-room Merrimac Beach Resort. However, shortly after the Motwanis opened their hotel, the city cracked down on spring break crowds, enforcing a new ban on open containers and arresting thousands during spring break 1986. The next year, occupancy levels were slashed by more than 50%, and some operators lost their properties. The Motwanis hunkered down and kept the family business running while enlisting their two young boys to help wherever help was needed. Doubling down in the face of adversity, the Motwanis completed acquiring the balance of the block as properties were being foreclosed and shut down. These were the very early stages of the transformation we see today in the region.
Q: Early in your careers, what were the most valuable lessons that you learned? A: DEV: Expect the unexpected. Changes in the market will come from where you least expect it, both good and bad. So you have to always be prepared for a downturn even while being aggressive and growing. Also being nice to people, treating them right and having a good reputation can help your success more than you might realize. 8
WINTER 2022
A: NITIN: We learned early on to
never give up. It will have taken 35 years from the time our family bought its first property to the time we open the Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale Beach. There were numerous victories along the way, but more importantly, there were far more challenges. My brother and I watched our parents persevere against all odds. Upon our return from college and starting careers outside of Florida, we tried to carry the torch. In that same spirit of never giving up, I have
been working to help bolster downtown Miami’s economic landscape for 15 years developing Miami Worldcenter, and also through my work at the Miami Downtown Development Authority. This can-do spirit is something I work very hard to instill in my own children.
A: RAMOLA: Never give up. Challenges will always be there in everyone’s life, whether it is work-related, family, financial, etc. We have to believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We have to continue working toward that light, but it takes positivity and courage. When things are most difficult, that is when it is most important to stay positive. Q: Do you have any mentors who were instrumental in helping you achieve your goals? A: DEV: Yes. Maybe not a mentor in the traditional sense, but a few people who were always generous to me with their time and advice. Phil Smith was a great friend and mentor, not so much in real estate development as he was primarily in the car business, but with life and business in general. Also Jim Motta from Arvida was FLORIDA RESTAUR ANT & LOD GING A S SO CIATION
