Marriott Names Group President Anthony Capuano as New CEO

Marriott International has announced who will fill the roles of CEO and president after Arne Sorenson’s passing last week.

Anthony “Tony” Capuano has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and has joined the company’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. He was previously Group President, Global Development, Design and Operations Services.

Stephanie Linnartz, previously Group President, Consumer Operations, Technology, and Emerging Businesses, has been named President, effective immediately, where she will be responsible for developing and executing all aspects of the company’s global consumer strategy, including brand, marketing, sales, revenue management, customer engagement, digital, information technology, emerging businesses, and loyalty strategies. Linnartz will oversee Marriott’s global development organization, which is responsible for the strategic growth of the company’s 30 lodging brands, as well as the global design and operations services functions.

Linnartz and Capuano are long-time members of the Marriott leadership team, having joined the company in 1997 and 1995, respectively.

Capuano led Marriott’s full-service development efforts in the Western U.S. & Canada and served as senior vice president of full-service development for North America. In 2008, his responsibilities expanded to include all of the U.S. & Canada and the Caribbean, and Latin America, and he later became executive vice president and global chief development officer.

Linnartz has held various leadership positions, including global chief commercial officer, senior vice president of global sales, and senior vice president of sales and marketing planning and support.

Both veteran Marriott executives were tapped to share the responsibility for overseeing the day-to-day operations of Marriott’s business units and corporate functions when Sorenson announced he would be stepping back from full-time oversight of the company.

“I am honored to be appointed to take the helm of Marriott, but it is a bittersweet moment,” said Mr. Capuano. “Arne was a mentor, a champion, and a friend to each member of his close-knit leadership team. It is because of Arne’s efforts that we are prepared to move forward with this transition. Together, we will advance the strategy we have in place, which is laser-focused on recovery, expansion, providing opportunities for our associates, maintaining constructive relationships with our owners and franchisees, delivering safe and innovative experiences for our guests and customers, and building value for our shareholders.”

Sorenson became the head of Marriott in 2012 and the first person outside of the Marriott family to lead the company, passed away on Feb. 15, 2021, after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer.