{"id":155555,"date":"2026-09-25T09:00:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T13:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=155555"},"modified":"2026-09-25T10:56:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T14:56:37","slug":"gratitude-and-giving-back-ucf-alum-hilton-grand-vacations-executives-journey-to-the-heart-of-hospitality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/gratitude-and-giving-back-ucf-alum-hilton-grand-vacations-executives-journey-to-the-heart-of-hospitality\/","title":{"rendered":"Gratitude and Giving Back: UCF Alum, Hilton Grand Vacations Executive\u2019s Journey to the Heart of Hospitality"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, Derek De Salvia \u201903 \u201911MS<\/strong> serves as executive vice president and chief customer officer for Hilton Grand Vacations, where he is responsible for more than 200 resorts across 10 countries, 9,400 employees and $1.4 billion in revenue.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an enormous operation, but for De Salvia, hospitality has never been simply about delivering excellence at scale.<\/p>\n

His approach is grounded in empathy and care. He understands the power of that kind of service because long before he was responsible for hospitality on a global level, he experienced it himself as a UCF student.<\/p>\n

It began when De Salvia became a Knight in 1999, pursuing his bachelor\u2019s in marketing<\/a> and discovering a natural connection to consumer behavior and marketing intelligence. While his UCF journey deepened his academic understanding of hospitality, it would ultimately contribute toward the formation of his belief that true service occurs when life hits hardest.<\/p>\n

Humanity, Hard Work and Honor<\/h2>\n

De Salvia arrived at UCF ready to begin a new chapter. But just weeks before starting his first year at UCF, he lost his best friend to an asthma attack.<\/p>\n

“He was the one that always pushed me to continue pursuing my academics,” he recalls. “He always told me I was so much smarter than I thought, and that I had to keep going.”<\/p>\n

Inspired by his friend\u2019s belief in him, De Salvia forged on with his bachelor\u2019s until he was rocked by another loss a month later: his brother George, an Orlando police officer, was killed in the line of duty at only 29 years old.<\/p>\n