People: Dan Barrow
The leading tourist attraction in America is Walt Disney World (WDW), FL, by a long shot, what with more than 30 million visitors a year and 18,000 hotel rooms on site. Involved in this is Dan Darrow, MBA '61, WDW's manager of hotel relations and Florida's 1993 Hotelier of the Year.
Dubbed 'the ultimate diplomat,' Dan is famous for doing business with the amiable and affable charm of Disney characters. In 23 years with the Disney organization, he has handled nearly every aspect of the business, from hotel management to sales to banquets, conventions and special events. Currently he is WDW's liaison for operations and promotions with the seven hotels in WDW Village. Darrow credits MSU's Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management program with advancing his career.
He came to MSU after serving four years with the U.S. Air Force and wrote his thesis on electronic data processing. 'At that time it was new,' he says with a chuckle, 'but as I look back on it, it reads like a fourth-grade paper.'
After graduation, he spent 10 years with Sheraton. At one point, he was the head inspector for all properties west of the Mississippi. 'If they gave out frequent flyers mileage, I would have owned the airplane,' he says. 'That gave me a tremendous exposure to the business.'
After managing four resorts in the Caribbean and the Bahamas, he joined WDW in 1970. 'Walt Disney World is still expanding,' he says of the 40-square-mile property, which is twice the size of Manhattan. 'There are plans for additional hotel rooms, attractions, and a theme park before the end of the 'Disney Decade.''
Dan is currently chairman of the American Hotel & Motel Association Environment Committee and keeps in close touch with his alma mater. He was named HRIM Alumni of the Month in 1989 and was recently elected vice president of the HRIM alumni board.
