In Memoriam: Arne Sorenson, Marriott President And CEO, Dies At 62

Arne M. Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott Worldwide, handed away unexpectedly on Monday, February 15, the firm reported in an announcement. In May 2019, Marriott introduced that Sorenson had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and on February 2, 2021, Sorenson shared that he would temporarily minimize his routine to aid far more demanding therapy.

Sorenson joined Marriott in 1996 as vice president and associate normal counsel and rapidly moved up the ranks, investing 5 yrs as EVP and CFO and then six decades as EVP, CFO and president, continental European lodging. He was elected to Marriott’s board of directors in 2011 and became the third CEO in Marriott’s record a calendar year later on. He was the company’s initially CEO without having the Marriott surname. In 2017, he was awarded the Intercontinental Lodge Investment decision Discussion board (IHIF) Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his career and accomplishments.

Through his tenure as CEO, Sorenson put the organization on a sturdy development trajectory that involved the $13 billion acquisition of Starwood Motels & Resorts. In 2017, subsequent the acquisition, Sorenson spoke with Luxury Vacation Advisor about the melding of the two companies, which built Marriott the greatest hotel enterprise in the environment, with 30 manufacturers and additional than 5,700 hotels in 110 international locations at the time. It now has additional than 7,500 houses across 132 countries and territories.

In accordance to Marriott, Sorenson steered the firm to make sizeable development on variety, equity and inclusion, environmental sustainability and human trafficking consciousness.

“Arne was an exceptional govt – but additional than that – he was an exceptional human currently being,” said J.W. Marriott, Jr., executive chairman and chairman of the board, in the press announcement. “Arne beloved every aspect of this business enterprise and relished time spent touring our accommodations and meeting associates all-around the environment. He experienced an uncanny skill to anticipate wherever the hospitality business was headed and place Marriott for advancement. But the roles he relished the most had been as spouse, father, brother and close friend. On behalf of the Board and Marriott’s hundreds of thousands of associates about the world, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Arne’s spouse and 4 children. We share your heartbreak, and we will overlook Arne deeply.”

In a statement, U.S. Travel Association president and CEO Roger Dow said: “It is tricky to uncover words that categorical the depth of our disappointment at the passing of Arne Sorenson, our dear buddy, business enterprise leader and journey advocate.

“This is a substantial loss, initial and foremost for Ruth and Arne’s excellent spouse and children, but also for his quite a few associates at Marriott International and those people of us across the travel sector who had the satisfaction of interacting with him. We regularly sought his intelligent counsel and collaborated to make improvements to the vacation encounter. Arne always presented a eyesight that extended perfectly further than the lodging sector he so expertly represented.

“To me, Arne was far more than a specialist colleague with whom I shared a specific Marriott bond, he was an ally, a trustworthy buddy and a spouse. He also lent his significant talents to U.S. Vacation, notably as chair of our CEO Roundtable, but also in numerous other strategies. I will skip him terribly.”

When Sorenson stepped back again from whole-time management before in February, the organization tapped two veteran Marriott executives, Stephanie Linnartz, team president, buyer functions, know-how and emerging corporations, and Tony Capuano, group president, worldwide enhancement, style and operations solutions, to share obligation for overseeing the day-to-working day functions of the company’s enterprise models and corporate functions, in addition to preserving their current obligations. Linnartz and Capuano will proceed in this ability until the Marriott Board appoints a new CEO, which is anticipated to be in just the following two months.

This posting originally appeared on www.travelagentcentral.com.

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