[Pic: therealdeal.com]

Giselle Liu

Business Editor

yzl5979@psu.edu

The president and CEO of Marriott International, Arne Sorenson, died on February 15th after a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer. 

In May 2019, the company announced that Mr. Sorenson, 62, had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was beginning treatment. Earlier at the beginning of February Marriott International Inc. announced that Arne Sorenson will be temporarily reducing his schedule to facilitate more demanding treatment for pancreatic cancer.

Marriott got its start in 1927 as an A&W root beer franchise in Washington’s Columbia Heights neighborhood. The family-owned business soon added hot food to its menu and rebranded as Hot Shoppes. It wasn’t until 1957 that Marriott made its foray into the hotel industry, with the first motor hotel in Arlington.

Sorenson in 2012 became the third chief executive in company history and the first outside the founding family, and his achievements are considerably outstanding. In addition to expanding the company’s holdings, including leading the acquisition of the Starwood chain of hotels and Resorts in a $13 billion deal in 2016, according to CNBC, Sorenson was known for his efforts to make his company more inclusive and environmentally friendly.

According to the Washington Post, in the decades since, Marriott has grown into an international powerhouse with more than 7,500 hotel and resort properties spanning 30 brands in 132 countries and territories, and a market capitalization of $42.3 billion. Once known for cookie-cutter hotels favored by business travelers, the company has expanded into boutique properties with local flair. Its brands range from budget chains such as Residence Inn and Courtyard by Marriott to the high-end Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis.

“Arne is an exceptional executive — but more than that — he was an exceptional human being.” J.W. Marriott, executive chairman, said in a statement Tuesday. “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. We will miss Arne deeply.”

Stephanie Linnartz, group president of consumer operations, technology and emerging businesses and Tony Capuano, group president of global development, design and operations services will share the CEO role for Marriott International and continue to fulfill Sorenson’s responsibilities until Marriott taps a new CEO.