Inside Auro Hotels
Perfecting the Art of
Inspired Hospitality
Rooted in humble beginnings, we’ve spent the past five decades becoming one of the largest privately-owned hospitality companies in the country. We’ve done this by staying true to our purpose: maximizing the potential around us. Though we’ve experienced success and growth, our generational legacy of excellence, one that the Rama family has carefully stewarded, extends far beyond any building. It shapes us, grounds us, reminds us of our origins, and guides us to where we’re going.
Where Dreams Find Direction Our Vision
To be experts in the art of inspired hospitality.
Our Mission
We are placemakers creating people-centric experiences designed to inspire the imagination, deliver value, optimize performance, and unlock the potential of our people, places, and communities.
Our Values Six Points of Light
Product Quality Envision the Story
We consider how each opportunity and interaction weaves its ways into the larger narrative we’re creating, paying close attention to envisioning a sense of place/space and the care of our assets.
Guest Satisfaction Operate with Excellence
We pursue every chance to design for delight, surprising guests’ expectations by creating memorable moments out of experiences and interactions, both large and small.
Associates Partner in Purpose
Championing our people means investing in their personal journey, partnering with them to identify their purpose and step into their destiny.
Financial Performance Deliver Results
Hard work, clear ethics, and a commitment to balancing financial performance (revenue, expense, and profit) with long-term value optimization always pays off.
Partners Earn Trust
By fulfilling our promises with integrity and transparency, we open the door to allow valuable relationships to flourish.
Cultivate Community Embrace Humanity
Intertwining our lives allows us to foster new connections, bridge divides, champion social responsibility, commit to serve, and experience unity.
The Auro Story
The First Chapter
At age 25, without any experience in hotels, HP Rama purchased the Sunset Motel, a modest 40-room establishment in Pamona, California. This began the family’s legacy, founded as JHM Hotels.
Family is Everything
DJ Rama officially joins the family business to carry on the Rama legacy, as well as create both personal and professional harmony.
A Spirit of Service
JHM Hotels receives its first Marriott Partnership Circle Award, establishing JHM Hotels as a premier partner with Marriott International, the global leader in hospitality.
A Legacy of Leadership
Following in his father and uncle’s footsteps, DJ Rama becomes President of JHM Hotels. He takes the company into a new era of hospitality through a fusion of strategic design and intentional innovation, while remaining true to the family’s roots and original values.
Lighting the Way, O.N.E. Step at a Time
One of DJ Rama’s initial moves as president was formalizing the company’s philanthropic arm by creating O.N.E. (Outreach, Nurture, Encourage). The guiding principle is to donate 1% of profits, 1% of product, and 1% of personnel to meet the needs of the underserved.
The Sun Rises on Auro Hotels
JHM creates a succession plan for the second generation and retires its name. A new brand, Auro, meaning “dawn of a new light” guides the path forward to become one of the country’s largest, privately owned, Asian hotel groups.
Global Expansion
Building upon our US-based foundation, Auro Hotels opens the Courtyard by Marriott Surat and quickly expands its international presence with the opening of the Marriott Surat hotel in Gujarat, India.
On the Horizon
Fast forward 50 years, Auro Hotels, headquartered in Greenville, SC, is a privately-held international company with offices in Atlanta, GA and Surat, India, and develops, owns, and operates nearly 40 hotels under the flags of Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, and Wyndham. With transformative projects ahead, Auro’s commitment goes beyond business, uplifting communities and fostering enduring prosperity.