Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson, who grew the company into the world’s largest hotel chain and led it through a global pandemic that has been catastrophic in the tourism industry in the past year, has died, the hotel giant said on Tuesday. He was 62 years old.
Sorenson gave up his leadership role earlier this month to pursue more aggressive cancer treatment. He was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2019.
Dieu Nalio Chery / AP
JW Marriott Jr., the company’s chief executive, said Sorenson loves every aspect of the hotel business and enjoys traveling and meeting employees around the world.
“Arne was an exceptional executive – but more than that – he was an exceptional human being,” Marriott said in a statement on Tuesday.
Sorenson was the first Marriott CEO whose name was not Marriott and only the third to run the company in its 93-year history.
Sorenson joined Bethesda, Maryland, in 1996, leaving behind a partnership with a Washington law firm where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions. He became president and chief operating officer before being appointed CEO in 2012.
After becoming Marriott’s chief executive, he oversaw the $ 13 billion acquisition of Starwood Hotels in 2016. He pushed the international chain to become more sustainable, while also trying to combat human trafficking. He advocated for gay rights and opposed President Donald Trump’s 2017 ban on traveling from Muslim-majority countries
Even in the depths of the coronavirus pandemic, when Marriott revenues fell by more than 70%, Sorenson remained optimistic.
“The fact is that people like to travel. They like to travel personally for themselves and they like to travel for work,” Sorenson said in November. “It’s often the most interesting and it’s where they’ll learn the most.”
Tributes were paid Tuesday to business and civic leaders, including Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin. CNBC host Jim Cramer said in a Twitter post that Sorenson believed the business was “the biggest source of social change.”
“He was a wonderful leader who led with empathy, integrity and authenticity,” said the president and CEO of General Motors. Mary Barra wrote on Twitter.
Sorenson served on Microsoft’s board of directors as well as on the board of directors for the Special Olympics.
When Sorenson resigned from full-time service this month, Marriott turned to two veteran directors, Stephanie Linnartz and Tony Capuano, to oversee day-to-day operations. They will continue in these roles until Marriott’s board of directors appoints a new CEO, who expects it to happen within two weeks, the company said.
Sorenson is survived by his wife, Ruth, and four adult children.