Maui Hotel Workers Join #ForwardForArne Movement in Honor Late CEO

Associates at Wailea Beach Resort, Ritz Carlton Kapalua, Westin Maui, and Sheraton Maui and other Marriott International associates across Hawaiʻi honored late executive Arne M. Sorenson in a #ForwardForArne event.

Sorenson is the late President and CEO of Marriott International, who unexpectedly passed away on Feb. 15, 2021. He would have celebrated 25 years with the company.  In May 2019, the company announced that Sorenson had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

According to the company, Sorenson averaged over 200 nights-a-year in hotels all around the world. In a 2018 LinkedIn post, Sorenson shared that running was one of the ways he beat jet lag. 

“If I can’t run outside, I will work out in the hotel’s gym, but I prefer to run outside,” said Sorenson. “Running is one of the best ways to beat jet lag. For one thing, you are outside, absorbing natural light, which helps your body adjust to the new time zone. It’s also about getting the blood pumping.” 

According to the company, he used running as a way to experience a destination, get connected with where he was and explore his surroundings. He was often joined by local associates from the hotels he was visiting, thus “enabling him to not only explore a new area but also connect with others.” 

To honor the late leader, the team came together to celebrate Sorenson’s life by doing something he loved.  The team was encouraged to run, walk or bike any distance, wherever they are, to show support for Sorenson and better the mind and body.

Sorenson became the third CEO in Marriott’s history in 2012, and the first without the Marriott surname. Described as a “visionary leader,” Sorenson put the company on a strong growth trajectory that included the $13-billion acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

“Arne was an exceptional executive – but more than that – he was an exceptional human being,” said J.W. Marriott, Jr., Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board. “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.”