The past week has been nothing short of overwhelming for Anthony “Tony” Capuano, who on Tuesday was appointed chief executive officer of Marriott International following the unexpected passing of Marriott President and CEO Arne Sorenson on February 15.
“The phrase I’ve been using with my team is that it’s the appointment of a lifetime but this is not a time for elation,” Capuano told HOTELS on Tuesday morning. “The two words I’ve been using to characterize how I’m thinking about things are ‘reflection’ and ‘resolve.’ All of us are reflecting on, of course, the terrible loss for Arne’s family. Here at Marriott, we’re reflecting on what a profound impact he’s had on all of us, and I’m sure you and your colleagues across the industry are reflecting on what a profound impact he’s had on the travel industry more broadly.”
Capuano, who also joins the board of directors after being promoted from group president, Global Development, Design and Operations Services, went on to say if he could talk to Arne right now for advice he would say, ‘Dust yourself off, move the company forward and help it realize its promise.’”
Capuano said he is still processing the changes. “Sadly, in circumstances like this, the world keeps spinning and all of us wish we could just hit the pause button and grieve appropriately for our mentor and friend,” he added. “But the world does keep spinning, and I think part of my responsibility now is to simultaneously comfort and focus our teams around the world.”
Tuesday’s news also included the immediate promotion to president of Stephanie Linnartz, previously group president, Consumer Operations, Technology and Emerging Businesses. As president, Linnartz 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.
In addition, 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 will also spearhead the company’s progress on issues including the intersection of technology and hospitality, the continued growth of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty platform, the excellence of our brand portfolio, and environmental sustainability.
Prior to this appointment, Linnartz, 52, was responsible for brand, marketing, sales, revenue management, customer engagement, digital, information technology, emerging businesses and loyalty strategies. She played a pivotal role during Marriott’s acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, overseeing the integration of business-critical systems including reservations, property management, revenue management and loyalty. In 2019, under her leadership, the company combined the Marriott and Starwood loyalty programs to create the world’s largest hospitality loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy, which currently has more than 147 million global members.
Being his own leader
During Capuano’s tenure leading global development, the company grew its footprint from just over 3,200 properties in early 2009 to over 7,600 properties by year-end 2020. In addition, Capuano has overseen the growth and globalization of Marriott’s development pipeline to 498,000 rooms as of December 31, 2020, with more than half of the pipeline representing projects outside of the U.S. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Capuano has led Marriott’s work on its Commitment to Clean initiative.
Capuano began his Marriott career in 1995 as part of the Market Planning and Feasibility team. Between 1997 and 2005, he led Marriott’s full-service development efforts in the Western U.S. and Canada. From 2005 to 2008, he served as senior vice president of full-service development for North America. In 2008, his responsibilities expanded to include all of U.S. and Canada and the Caribbean and Latin America, and he became executive vice president and global chief development officer in 2009.
When asked what type of leader he will be, Capuano said, “I’m going to be my own leader. I’m going to follow my heart. I’m going to follow my values. But I have been attending a master class on the Marriott culture over the last couple of decades, and there are key components to that culture and there are certain attributes of Bill Marriott’s that I will endeavor to weave into my style.”
He added, “I’ve been able to work with two icons, Bill Marriott and Arne Sorenson, and I certainly will not try to replicate the style of either one. I will follow my heart and I’ll follow my mind, but all of that will be informed by the Marriott culture… That leadership style has served the company well for nearly 94 years, and I think it’s wholly appropriate and it’s a culture that I warmly embrace.”
Capuano described himself “as gregarious as my two predecessors,” adding he would rather be out and about talking with people in the field, visiting sites and hotels, talking to business partners about what we can do better, and talking to associates about how they can be better empower.
“I might be a little more flippant sometimes, but I think it’s really just about putting people first,” Capuano added. “From a personality perspective, the reason I have gravitated towards the hospitality industry since a young age is I never was interested in a job that involves sitting at a desk five days a week. There are obviously elements of the job that require precisely that, but the most energy I feel around this job and this industry is when I’m out in the field. I really would prefer not to sit down. I want to be out and about and interacting with the people that help us make us such a great company.”
On a day where he was been deluged by attention, Capuano closed his interview with HOTELS by saying, “I have been given what I would characterize as a humbling gift and an awesome responsibility. Marriott International is an iconic company. It’s an iconic brand and it’s an iconic family, and the stewardship of the Marriott name is a profound responsibility. I think my overarching goal is at the end of my time leading this wonderful company for folks to have looked back and said that I have enhanced the brand, I’ve enhanced the company, I’ve enhanced the culture.”
Commenting on both appointments, J.W. “Bill” Marriott, Jr., executive chairman and chairman of the board, Marriott International, said, “Tony has played a critical role in Marriott’s growth over the last decade. He will be a terrific leader as we continue to advance our growth strategy while also navigating the market dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic. He works thoughtfully and pragmatically with our owner and franchisee community and has been steadfast in ensuring Marriott delivers operational excellence and elevated customer experiences at our properties. Tony has a deep appreciation for Marriott’s thousands of associates who ultimately deliver on our customer and brand promise and I know he will be a superb steward of our culture. Together with Stephanie in the role of president, and the rest of our exceptional leadership team, Marriott could not be in better hands.”
Marriott added, “Stephanie 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. Her deep experience across our business will enable her to work seamlessly with our owners and franchisees, innovate for our guests and customers, and champion new opportunities for our associates. Tony and Stephanie are exactly the CEO and president we need as we continue to push forward towards recovery and growth in the years ahead.”
C. Patrick Scholes, analyst, Truist Securities, wrote on Tuesday, “Capuano’s school and work background (starting in hotel consulting/feasibility) necessitates a deep holistic background of the entirety of hospitality, from operations to market performance to development and property valuation. Additionally, Linnartz’ extensive and diverse roles at Marriott over the years are critical towards what we view as the continued strategic objective of attracting increasingly diverse global customers to book and stay loyal to Marriott.”