Meet the Indian CEO of the Nevada Clown Motel That Will Give You Nightmares

It was a dream come true for Hame Anand when he purchased the popular Clown Motel in Nevada over a year ago.

A clown fan: Anand has had a fascination with clowns since he was a child and has been collecting clown items for quite some time before he grabbed the opportunity to purchase the establishment in Tonopah in April 2019, PV Times reported.

In an interview with Thrillist, Anand shared how he fell in love with clowns after a memorable trip to a circus in India when he was 14.
He brought his clown fascination to the U.S. when he migrated to study at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2009.
Anand nurtured his love for clowns by collecting clown figures and dolls.

Getting into the motel business: Anand’s family has owned two motels in Las Vegas and when he graduated, they urged him to get into the motel business as well.

A former art director in his native India, Anand set his sights elsewhere and found the motel business was not for him at the time.
While he found a job at Amazon, he still helped in the family business during his off days and slowly developed an interest.
Impressed with the work he put in, his brother encouraged him to buy a motel of his own.
In 2018, a clown-themed motel was listed for sale and immediately caught Anand’s attention.
Situated right next to an abandoned graveyard, the Clown Motel is a local landmark in Tonopah, Nevada.
The establishment is filled with an assortment of clown dolls, statues and other items some people might find creepy in a motel setting but also fascinating to others.
Bob Perchetti, who owned the “Clown Motel” for over two decades, put the property on the market for $900,000.
“I was just looking for a motel, and then I saw the Clown Motel in the news and I said, ‘I’m going to buy this (motel) no matter what,” Anand was quoted as saying.
His brother who offered to buy a motel for him was initially hesitant but eventually gave in “within five minutes” of seeing the hotel in person.

Clown Motel CEO: Anand recently moved to Tonopah and made some improvements to the iconic property.

Anand purchased new furniture, brought in new clowns and added several rooms to accommodate more customers from all over the world.
In addition to his personal collection of 200 clowns, Anand added some 500 clowns that people donated via social media.
Last year, a movie was released highlighting the Clown Motel, driving more interest in the motel.
“I feel very proud that I own this place or I run this place because it’s not just a motel. It’s like you are running some monument. It’s like a landmark,” he said.

Feature Image (left) via Famartin (CC BY-SA 4.0), (right) Hame Anand

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