Simon Hirst

Simon Hirst is the chief parks officer, operations & expansion of Falcon’s Beyond. In this role, he leads global operations for parks & resorts entertainment experiences within the corporate portfolio, including but not limited to three key areas of responsibility: global park operations, expansion, and guest experience.

Previously, Simon served as senior vice president of development for Katmandu Group, an IP-driven company known for its innovative and award-winning model of immersive, small-footprint theme parks with resorts. In this role, he identified and spearheaded new development opportunities around the globe in a joint venture with Meliá Hotels International (MHI), and he personally led initiatives in Tenerife and Punta Cana. Before taking this role, Simon served as vice president of sales and operations for Producciones de Parques (PdP), the Spanish joint venture between Katmandu Group (Fun Stuff) and MHI.

Simon had previously served as general manager of Katmandu Park in Mallorca, where, along with operational and financial oversight, he was instrumental in merging the park with the Melia Sol Hotel to form Sol Katmandu Park & Resort (SKPR). SKPR quickly earned many awards and accolades during his tenure. Among these, SKPR was named in the European Hospitality Awards as the #1 hotel in Europe for innovation in service out of more than 100,000 hotels. Trivago Global named SKPR the #1 hotel in Spain for traveling with kids.

While leading SKPR, Simon developed partner relationships with top travel bureaus and personally led sales and marketing efforts throughout Europe. This work included developing the annual “Ultimate School Trip” to Katmandu through competitions organized within the UK in partnership with Jet2 Holidays.

Simon began his career in the tour and travel business as a holiday representative for Thomson Holidays in Mallorca. Over his career, he has managed entertainment complexes both front and back of house, including commercial operations, with oversight of several major tourist attractions in Mallorca.

Simon is fluent in English and Spanish, and he speaks conversational Catalán, a critical component of his work.