By Rachel Galvin
Arne M. Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International, passed away on February 15 due to Pancreatic Cancer. He had been battling with it for years. It was originally announced by the company back in May 2019 and on the 2nd of this month, they announced he was further reducing his schedule for more treatments.
He was the 3rd CEO of the company, a position he took on in 2012. He was the first without the Marriott surname. During his tenure, he acquired the $13 billion Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
“Arne was an exceptional executive – but more than that – he was an exceptional human being,” said J.W. Marriott, Jr., Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board. “Arne loved every aspect of this business and relished time spent touring our hotels and meeting associates around the world. He had an uncanny ability to anticipate where the hospitality industry was headed and position Marriott for growth. But the roles he relished the most were as husband, father, brother and friend. On behalf of the Board and Marriott’s hundreds of thousands of associates around the world, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Arne’s wife and four children. We share your heartbreak, and we will miss Arne deeply.”
Since Sorenson stepped back earlier this month, the company had two of their executives step up and share in his responsibilities: Stephanie Linnartz, group president, Consumer Operations, Technology and Emerging Businesses, and Tony Capuano, group president, Global Development, Design and Operations Services. The duo will continue taking on his responsibilities until they can find a replacement for Sorenson, which they expect to be in the next two weeks.