HVS

HVS is an acronym that can refer to several distinct concepts across different fields. Because of its varied usage, the meaning of HVS is typically determined by the context in which it appears.

In the hospitality industry, HVS Global Hospitality Services, commonly known as HVS, is a multinational advisory and appraisal firm specializing in hotels and related properties. The firm provides hotel valuations, market studies, feasibility analyses, asset management, and strategic advisory services. It operates globally with offices in multiple countries and serves developers, owners, lenders, and operators.

In genetics, HVS denotes hypervariable segments of mitochondrial DNA, particularly HVS-I and HVS-II in the control region (the D-loop). These sequences exhibit high mutation rates and are widely used in population genetics, forensic analysis, and maternal lineage tracing. Researchers compare HVS sequences against reference data to infer ancestry or maternal relationships, while also noting limitations such as homoplasy and regional variation.

In astronomy, HVS stands for hypervelocity star, a star moving at speeds sufficient to escape the gravitational pull of the Milky Way. The existence of such stars provides insights into the dynamics of the Galactic center and interactions with the central supermassive black hole. Surveys and studies have identified and characterized several candidate hypervelocity stars, contributing to models of Galactic structure and evolution.

Because HVS has multiple uses across disciplines, the intended meaning is determined by context.