Prior to joining Xanterra, Desai was chief operating officer of HVS Hotel Management with responsibility for overseeing more than 45 hotels with a varied array of brand affiliations. 

With more than 25 years of international hotel management experience, Desai has held top management positions at hotels in Denver, Macao,Mexico City, Puerto Rico and California. As a consultant for HVS  International in Boulder, he has been involved in more than 35 hospitality market studies and appraisals for hotel owners, management companies and lending institutions.

A graduate of Michigan State University�s School of Hospitality Business, Desai serves on the executive board of the Hotel School�s Alumni Association. He has received accreditation as a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) from the American Hotel & Lodging Association, held a position on the marketing board of directors for Starwood Hotels and Resorts and served as vice president of the Metro Denver Hotel Association. He is the recipient of the distinguished 75th Anniversary Alumni award, presented by the School of Hospitality Business, Michigan Sate University.

�Hans Desai is a welcome addition to our company,� said Andrew N. Todd, president and CEO of Xanterra Parks & Resorts. �He is a hotel person who knows what it takes to operate quality properties and resorts, and he has a wealth of experience from the property level up to managing multiple properties in distinctly different markets.�

Xanterra Parks & Resorts (consisting of Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Inc. and Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C.) operates lodges, restaurants and other concessions at national parks and state parks and resorts. Xanterra Parks & Resorts is the country�s largest national park concessioner. Xanterra  operates concessions in the following locations: Yellowstone, the North Rim of Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Petrified Forest and Everglades national parks, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial; and at the Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif.; Gideon Putnam Resort and Spa in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. and eight Ohio State Parks. Its affiliate Xanterra South Rim, L.L. C. operates concessions at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.