Director of Operations, Irvine Marriott
Chris Harrison is the great-grandson of J.W. Marriott Sr., and
grew up in the hospitality industry. He lived in a hotel for two years at the Hong Kong JW Marriott where his father was the GM. His life abroad in China, Belgium, and India has shaped his education and passion for global tourism.
Mr. Harrison attended BYU where he earned his BA in English to fulfill his childhood dream of Sports Journalism. He joined Rising Star Outreach, a Non-Profit in Chennai India, with a hope of solving leprosy and helping those affected with it in third world countries. In Chennai he helped establish a school and English curriculum for the children of the Leprosy Affected. He later earned his MBA at the Harvard Business School where he was President of the Hospitality and Tourism Industry Club.
Mr. Harrison completed internships at various hotels and brands acquiring deep hotel operations training experience.
Additionally, he completed a Corporate and Development Finance program with Marriott International Headquarters, served as Regional Sales Manager at Marriott's San Diego Regional Sales Office, Assistant Front Office Manager at Boston Marriott Copley Place, and recently as the Director of Rooms at the Irvine Marriott.
A key leader in Marriott's Emerging Leaders Program, he leads a small group of high potential MBAs in deploying innovative concepts within hotels across the world. Currently he acts as the Director of Hotel Operations at the Irvine Marriott Hotel where he has opened the model Great Room on the West coast and continually incubates Marriott Proof of Concept initiatives for the brand. His goal is to better understand how to attract and retain both Millennial guests and associates throughout Marriott. He lives in Ladera Ranch, CA with his wife Jessie, and two young children.