Obituary

Arne Sorenson, First Outsider Leader of Marriott, Dies at 62

  • He ran the world’s largest hotel chain, with 7,500 properties
  • Oversaw company’s $14 billion takeover of Starwood in 2016
Arne SorensonSource: Marriott International/PRNewsfoto/Marriott International, Inc.

Arne Sorenson, the first non-family member to be chief executive officer of Marriott International Inc., the world’s largest hotel chain, has died. He was 62.

Sorenson died on Feb. 15, the company said in a statementBloomberg Terminal on Tuesday. He disclosed a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in May 2019, saying doctors had caught the disease early, and that he intended to continue working while undergoing treatments.