After graduating Summa Cum Laude from Mississippi State University’s (MSU) undergraduate double-major program in 2008 with an emphasis in real estate and banking & finance, Sunny Desai was unsure about his career path until he came to the aid of his father.
Several years ago, Desai’s father, who owned a few motels at the time, was developing the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Winona, MS. Desai helped spearhead and manage the project. “That’s how I fell in love with the whole process,” said Desai, 29, president & CEO, Desai Hotel Group and a member of the IHG Owners Association’s Emerging Leaders Council.
After finishing MSU’s MBA program in 2010, he founded the hotel development and investment company based in Jackson, MS, at the age of 24. Driven by the continuously changing environment of the hospitality industry, Desai Hotel Group specializes in developing and managing high-quality, select-service hotel assets throughout the Southeastern U.S.
Desai oversees the overall direction and the day-to-day operations of the company, which currently has seven hotels in the pipeline. He attributes much of the company’s success to his team members. Over the past few years, Desai has learned how best to delegate responsibilities to his staff while helping to empower them to reach their goals. “I don’t try to be everything to everyone,” he said, “and they’ve been able to grow.”
He added, “My goal as a company is to become one of the premier hotel companies in the industry. It’s a long process. Hopefully, we’re going in the right direction.”