Marriott International plans to honor its former CEO, Arne M. Sorenson, with a sculpture at its new downtown Bethesda headquarters at 7750 Wisconsin Avenue. The sculpture will be on the plaza outside the HQ building, and will be lit at night. Sorenson oversaw the effort to relocate the hospitality giant's headquarters, and the ultimate deal with Montgomery County and Maryland government officials to keep the company from joining the many others that have relocated to Northern Virginia.
Sorenson was not just the first CEO of the company not named Marriott. He also sustained an effort to steer the conservative company's culture and political leanings leftward, a move quietly begun by previous CEO Bill Marriott in the 1990s, and accelerated by former Executive Vice-President Kathleen Matthews. As CEO, Bill Marriott publicly opposed attempts to ban gay marriage in California and Utah; later, Sorenson was one of over 100 corporate CEOs to call for the repeal of North Carolina's controversial 2016 "bathroom bill."
Under Sorenson's leadership, Marriott gave high-profile support to environmental and human rights causes. He also masterminded the firm's acquisition of Starwood Hotels and Resorts in 2016, a deal that made Marriott the largest hotel brand in the world. After Sorenson's passing in 2021, a Marriott charity arm announced it would fund the creation of the Marriott-Sorenson Center for Hospitality Leadership at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Photo courtesy Marriott International
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