Behind Marriott’s Choice of Tony Capuano Over Stephanie Linnartz as CEO
Photo Credit: The pool at Turnberry Isle Resort, part of Marriott's Autograph Collection in Miami, Florida, as seen on May 11, 2014. Hotel development experience was seen as a strong factor in Marriott's selection of Tony Capuano as CEO. Flickr.com / Thank You (20.5 millions+)
Skift Take
All things being equal, there were a lot of travel industry stalwarts hoping that the world's largest hotel chain, Marriott International, would tap a woman as CEO in a signature statement at this juncture in history.
Two weeks before Marriott International CEO Arne Sorenson's death, when he decided to reduce his workload, the hotel chain assigned two leading executives, Stephanie Linnartz and Tony Capuano, to run the show as acting bosses.
At a time in history when diversity and inclusion have momentum — or should across business sectors — Marriott would soon select the guy to succeed Sorenson — Capuano.
[caption id="attachment_420182" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Marriott CEO Tony Capuano (Credit: Marriott International)[/caption]
What was behind the decision?
A handful of industry sources, men and women, argued that gender had nothing to do with the selection — or at least they hoped it didn't.
A Marriott spokeswoman declined to comment for this story.
