Chris Harrison Visits Collins College to Share Wisdom with Students

Chris Harrison, Marriott Irvine Spectrum, General Manager, completely packed out the 95 seat Freeburg Flex Classroom in Building 80 where he explained his expertise on the hospitality industry and its plans to keep up with the ever-changing customer. He called the newest customers the “Instagram Generation” and how they experience the present already as a memory.

One of the videos he shared mentioned that, “Experiences are something to be experienced and reflected upon later and we design what the later moment will look like.”

Harrison continued with touching on how people are now living two realities at one time and how they are given a chance to decide how a moment will be remembered with platforms like Instagram. Profiles become paper trails of anticipated memories.

He also implied how important control is as a company grows. He used a fun example with his dog “Cody.” He mentioned how his dog grew up to be massive and now knocks everything over and is quite clumsy. He said, in order for Marriott to continue to grow and to be a leading giant like it is, but also stay nimble and mobile at the same time, is a challenge the entire industry wrestles with.

He gave two primary examples on how Marriott does this. They tapped into the value of their employees and customers. They realized their employees and customers love experiences and these experiences make them feel valued, appreciated, and noticed. Marriott adapting and highlighting to the changing times like having a private concert for 100 Loyalty Members or giving away the first pitch at Game 7 of the World Series with the Cubs, has truly set a new precedent for the industry.

Overall, Harrison gave great advice for the enthusiastic students on how to be “hotel forward” and also the gain of meeting people where they are to give them the best experiences that can be offered.