Relax: A Guidepost to Health

A few months ago, I blogged about a letter my dad wrote me when I became president in 1964. I was only 31 at the time. Included with the letter was his list of guideposts to being a good manager and leader. The letter meant a lot to me, and...

Dad, You’re Still My Valentine

Guest Blogger Debbie Marriott Harrison Me and my dad in Maine 1972 While my dad's busy with his book tour, I decided to hijack his blog in retaliation for his comments about what "tough interviewers" my brother, David, and I are. Let’s turn the tables and talk about one of...

Hitting the Book Tour Circuit

Who would have thought I’d be doing a national book tour at age 80? Well, that’s what I’ve been doing the past few weeks since my book, Without Reservations, became available online. It’s actually been a lot of fun. I never get tired of telling stories about the early days...

Tough Interviews Are All in the Family

I’ve been interviewed by some tough customers: business journalists, Wall Street analysts, hotel owners, stockholders. I didn’t think anyone could throw one by me. Boy, was I was wrong. There was another type of interviewer that I couldn’t prepare for, an interviewer with unprecedented “insider” knowledge – my own kids!...

“Fast Forward” to a Great Career in Travel

Can you imagine that a record one billion people traveled outside their country in 2012? That’s one in seven people on this earth. Well, they really did. I’ve always said that the travel industry offers the best jobs and the greatest opportunities of any business in the world. I’ve never...

Without Reservations

Have you ever been talked into something? Well, I certainly was talked into writing my second book: Without Reservations: How a Family Root Beer Stand Grew into a Global Hotel Company. It was 16 years ago when I published Spirit to Serve. A lot has happened since then, and that’s...

Step (Slide) Out of Your Comfort Zone in 2013

Listen to ice slide blog When former President George H.W. Bush (#41) turned 80, he jumped out of an airplane. When I turned 80, he sent me a birthday message telling me to step out of my comfort zone and rev up the engine on one of my cars and...

My Holiday Brag Letter

Listen to brag letter blog Dear Blog Readers, 2012 has been one of the most interesting and extraordinary years of my life. I changed jobs, traveled the world and spent more time with my family. When I stepped down as president and CEO, my schedule opened up a little bit....

Art of the Deal - Getting America Off the Cliff

Out of all the public policy issues we watch, the fiscal cliff is certainly the biggest one impacting our business. It’s more important than the economy in China and the European debt crisis. Arne Sorenson, our CEO, was invited to the White House to share our views on how to...

My Heart Aches

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones impacted by the tragic events in Newtown, CT. Pray for everyone involved. -- Bill