HUNTER CONFERENCE
OUR BUSINESS MODEL IS A HIGH-GROWTH MODEL . AND THAT GROWTH IS ON THE SHOULDERS AND BALANCE SHEETS OF OUR PARTNERS
– TONY CAPUANO , PRESIDENT & CEO , MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL soon after to become president and CEO of Under Armour .
The pall of sadness that hung over Marriott International subsequent to Sorenson ’ s death was palpable and warranted . Patel , who works with Marriott brands and knew Sorenson well , called him and outstanding leader but an even greater human being , with the innate ability to connect with people on their level .
Capuano called Sorenson a generational talent , but , like Patel , praised him for the impact he made as a person , not just a hotel executive . “ When you read all the beautiful tributes that were written after his tragic passing , the thing that stuck with me was so few of them talked about him as a business person ,” Capuano said . “ They talked about his humanity — about the impact he had on folks that hadn ’ t met him for five minutes .”
But the hotel company , still navigating through the pandemic gauntlet , needed leadership . In the early days , Capuano leaned on Bill Marriott for guidance and counsel . “ As we tried to navigate the challenges , big and small , he ’ d seen them all and the ability to tap into that wisdom was remarkable ,” Capuano said .
A CEO ’ s role is complicated and varied and one of the biggest lessons Capuano took from Sorenson was his skill as a listener , a trait , Capuano said , is in increasingly short supply . “ We live in a world of soundbites and distractions , and Arne had this incredible way of engaging with someone when they were speaking and giving 100 % of his intention ,” he said .
One anecdote Capuano shared with the audience that still resonates with him was the story around Marriott ’ s 2016 acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts . In the ensuing days of the deal , Marriott executives did a world tour , visiting with Starwood executives and touring hotels . Capuano called it a fantastic but exhausting trip . At the end of that long trip , on the flight back , Capuano , looking to decompress , flipped on a movie . As it began , he happened to glance across the aisle to where Sorenson was sitting . “ Arne is reading a 600-page , hardcover biography of William Howard Taft ,” Capuano said . “ He had this deep intellectual curiosity that made him so wellrounded .”
Sorenson ’ s death was a shock of sadness , but in the aftermath it was imperative that Capuano exhibit stolid leadership . He had a wealth of expertise to draw on in development , but less background in operations , marketing and branding . He also needed something more important than them all : the need to understand people . He was now overseeing 400,000 associates overnight . lt ’ s a daunting task and Capuano is the quarterback . He looks at it the same way as a football team would : he gets too much credit for the successes and probably the right amount of blame for failure . “ One of the great advantages when I was appointed to the role was I inherited this battle-tested team of extraordinary leaders around the world ,” he said , such as Liam Brown , group president , U . S . and Canada , who has been with Marriott for 35 years , and Leeny Oberg , CFO and EVP of development , who started her career with Marriott in 1999 . He said that on the day of his announcement
16 hotelsmag . com May / June 2024