Marriott International, hard hit by the pandemic, has named company veteran Anthony “Tony” Capuano as CEO and Stephanie Linnartz as president. In a press release, the company noted that the new appointments come about due to the Feb. 15 death of CEO Arne Sorenson.
The new CEO was previously group president of global development, design and operations services. While in charge of global development, Capuano grew the company “from just over 3,200 properties in early 2009 to over 7,600 properties by year-end 2020,” the release stated. He also “led Marriott’s work on its Commitment to Clean initiative,” which heightened the chain’s rules for cleaning.
Capuano “has played a critical role in Marriott’s growth over the last decade,” said J.W. “Bill” Marriott Jr., the company’s executive chairman. “(Capuano) will be a terrific leader as we continue to advance our growth strategy, while also navigating the market dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“I am honored to be appointed to take the helm of Marriott, but it is a bittersweet moment,” said Capuano, 55. “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.”
For her part, Linnartz “has a leadership track record and clear vision for how our core lodging business, travel platform initiatives and loyalty strategies can work together to accelerate growth,” noted chairman Marriott. Before her promotion, Linnartz, 52, was group president of consumer operations, technology and emerging businesses, where she was responsible for brand, marketing, sales, revenue management, customer engagement, digital, information technology, emerging businesses and loyalty strategies. The release said that Linnartz “played a pivotal role during Marriott’s acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts.”
The travel industry has struggled during the COVID-19 crisis. Marriott reported that third-quarter revenue per available room fell 65.9 percent globally, 65.4 percent in North America and 67.4 percent beyond North America as compared to the same quarter in 2019.
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