When Bill Marriott chose Arne Sorenson over his son John Marriott to take-over as the 3 rd CEO of Marriott International, he broke a tradition of sorts. Marriott group started by Bill’s father had only 2 CEOs in the glorious history of Marriott, spanning over 85 years. Bill has four children and he had a wish that one of his children takes-over the reins of this hospitality empire, although not all his progenies were running for this position. Besides the fatherly wish and expectation that his child leads the group after he calls it quits, he also felt that a 'Marriott' would perhaps perceptually convey the promise that Marriott makes to its guests and other stakeholders better. His eldest son John Marriott came closest to donning this role. However in the end Bill found Arne Sorenson, who worked for the group as the COO, to be fit for the role given his ‘big-picture’ approach and razor-sharp strategic mind. Merit gave way to family tradit...
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