Hospitality | Tourism 2025: DESAI, NEEL

Desai joined LTD Hospitality Group in 1998 as the second generation of the family-owned hotel development and management company co-founded by Desai’s father in 1983. As a managing principal, he oversees property management and the profitability of its portfolio.

Following in those entrepreneurial footsteps, Desai invested in Dallas-based fast food franchise Super Chix Chicken & Custard, opening two locations in Williamsburg and Chesapeake, with plans for eight more in Virginia. He also owns a Your Pie pizza restaurant in Norfolk. His three restaurants were integrated into the LTD management portfolio in 2024.

Desai is CEO of YourSpace Extended Stay Hotels, a startup focused on modern extended stay hotels. The company is building its first hotel in Chesapeake, which is expected to be completed at the end of the year, and a second location is planned in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, with construction starting in 2026. Other hotels are planned for Hampton Roads, too.

A board member for Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Virginia, Desai has a bachelor’s degree from George Mason University and an MBA from Old Dominion University.

INTERESTING PLACE I’VE TRAVELED: Galapagos Islands and Kenya

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