Marriott Chief Executive Arne Sorenson dies at 62
Marriott Chief Executive Arne Sorenson, the hotel giant, died at 62. He performed exemplary in proliferating the company into the world’s largest hotel chain and paved it through a global pandemic mirroring growing concern challenges citing the travel industry last year.
Sorenson was the first Marriott CEO whose name was not Marriott, and only the third to lead the company in its 93-year history.
He was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2019. He resigned from manager designation earlier this month to undergo more aggressive cancer treatment.
“Sorenson loved every aspect of the hotel business and relished traveling and meeting employees around the world,” said J.W. Marriott Jr., the company’s executive chairman.
In a prepared statement, Marriott said “Arne was an exceptional executive but more than that – he was an exceptional human being,” on Tuesday.
After becoming Marriott’s top 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 travel from majority Muslim countries
Arne Sorenson received tribute from business to civic leaders, among them were Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin. CNBC host Jim Cramer said in a Twitter post that Sorenson believed business was the “greatest source for social change.”
