Disney shared a message about the passing of Arne Sorenson, Marriott International’s President and CEO.
A message from Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, was shared on Twitter through the Disney Parks News account.
The message reads, “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Arne Sorenson, Marriott International President and CEO. Arne was a fierce advocate for improving our industry, and he passionately championed the power of travel and tourism to make our world a better place. We will miss him dearly.”
In May 2019, the company announced that Sorenson had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Since then he has been undergoing treatment and on February 2, started going on a limited work schedule to help with the treatment process. Sorenson passed on February 15, 2021, at age 62.
He was the company’s third CEO and their first Chief Executive outside of the Marriott family. The Marriott Board is expected to appoint a new CEO within the next two weeks.
J.W. Marriott, Jr., Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board: “Arne was an exceptional executive – but more than that – he was an exceptional human being. 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.”