Arne Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International since 2012, died on Monday. Sorenson, the company's third CEO and first who was not part of the Marriott family, announced his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in May 2019.
"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, in a statement from the company. "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."
Before joining Marriott in 1996, Sorenson was a partner at Washington, D.C., law firm Latham & Watkins. At Marriott, Sorenson served in several roles, including chief operating officer, chief financial officer and president of continental European lodging. He was elected to Marriott’s board of directors in 2011.
He first drew the attention of J.W. Marriott Jr. when he represented the company in a lawsuit in the mid-1990s.
Among his accomplishments as CEO of Marriott, Sorenson's largest was the acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in September 2016 for $13.3 billion. The deal increased Marriott’s room count to more than 1.1 million rooms in 5,809 properties. Marriott announced the deal in November 2015, but the company ended up in a bidding war with Beijing-based Anbang Insurance Group that lasted several months.
“There’s been a lot of work that’s been done over the last 11 months or so to get ready for this day, but in many respects the real work begins now,” Sorenson said in a media conference call after the deal closed. “I think we are overwhelmingly excited about the opportunity to make what we can make of this new, big company, but at the same time, there’s a lot of work to do.”
Sorenson also orchestrated the company's acquisition of Renaissance Hotel Group for $1 billion in 1997.
During a video interview with Hotel News Now in October 2019, Sorenson spoke about his view of Marriott International as not just a leading company in the industry but also as an innovator.
“Innovation is happening everywhere; it’s happening in our business model, it’s happening with these new ventures. … You look around and the pace of change has never been faster,” he said. “All of that is driving us toward a place where we say we’ve got to make sure the organization is turned on to be open-minded and to innovate, that people broadly in the company have the power to risk something.”
Sorenson also drove the company's efforts to create opportunities for associates, growth for owners and franchisees, and results for the company's shareholders, according to the company's statement.
In a note shared with associates this morning, Marriott Jr. wrote that Sorenson loved the company, all of its associates and the travel industry. The CEO treasured his role and understood that great responsibility and the expectation to be a global voice for change came with the title.
"Arne traveled more than 225 nights a year (before COVID and his illness) to tour our hotels and visit with associates, owners, franchisees, guests and local officials," the letter states. "If you were lucky enough to catch up with him — or even better, go on one of his famous pre-dawn runs around the neighborhood — you saw firsthand the love he had for hospitality and the beautiful Marriott culture of welcoming all. He was energized by interacting with people from around the world. An avid reader and constant learner, Arne’s curiosity helped him to anticipate where the hospitality business was headed, and it made him a better leader for us and the industry.
Mit Shah, CEO of Nobel Investment Group, said the hotel industry has lost a giant.
"As a father, husband, friend, leader and steward, but more than anything, as a human being. Arne was a brother, mentor, and incredible inspiration to me, and I will forever remain grateful to have been in his grace. God bless his adoring wife, Ruth, and his beautiful soul," he said via email.
Sorenson's immediate family includes his wife and four adult children.
Shah interviewed Sorenson in 2018 as part of the Bharat Shah Leadership Speaker Series at the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference. During the interview, Shah and Sorenson covered every part of Sorenson’s life and family history, from his early travel adventures with his family to his start at Marriott International after representing the company as a lawyer.
In the interview, Shah and Sorenson turned to the topic of legacy, and Shah asked him how he thought his father might see him and his successes in the present day.
“I think he would certainly be proud,” Sorenson said. “At the same time he would put less value in the position that I hold today than in this [picture of my family]. It’s never been about how much money you make or how much stature you have. It’s more about what kind of life you’re leading. It’s about: how are you engaged with each other? How are you engaged in the community? How are you engaged with the people you interact with on a daily basis?”
In early February, Sorenson stepped back from full-time management, and day-to-day responsibility for overseeing operations went to Stephanie Linnartz, group president of consumer operations, technology and emerging businesses; and Tony Capuano, group president of global development, design and operations services.
Linnartz and Capuano will continue in that capacity until Marriott's board names a new CEO, which is expected to be within the next two weeks.