Currently, C.K. Patel serves as president of BVM Holdings, which owns and operates hotels, as well as certain commercial real estate investments. In June 2011, he completed a one-year term as chairman of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), one of the hospitality industry’s most influential industry groups with 10,000 members who own 21,000 hotels with a combined property value of $130 billion. C.K. held consecutive elected office in AAHOA for almost 14 years which is longer than anyone else in the group’s history.

While those statistics are impressive, the innovative programs he launched during his chairmanship, such as a universal fair franchising bill of rights, an online travel agency, and a purchasing cooperative for membership benefits, are even more important. Another of C.K.’s successful initiatives as a community service was the “Salute To Soldiers,” program which in 2010 provided more than 55,000 free hotel room nights to on-duty military personnel, which continues to be an important way for AAHOA members to say “thank you and welcome home” meaningfully.

In January 2011, During President Obama's presidency, he was appointed by the Secretary of Commerce to the prestigious 30 member Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, which advises about industry programs and policies for the travel industry. In addition to being a successful hotel owner since 1982, C.K. founded two community banks. Quantum National Bank in 1996, the first Indian-American-owned bank in the southeast, and HomeTown Community Bank in 2004.