NEWS | Arne Sorenson, who led Marriott International's transformation into the world's largest hotel chain, has died of cancer at the age of 62

Arne Sorenson, who led Marriott International's transformation into the world's largest hotel chain, has died of cancer at the age of 62.

Mr Sorenson was the first non-family member to head the company when he became chief executive in 2012.

He steered the firm's 2016 purchase of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, which included brands such as the Westin.

Mr Sorenson, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2019, had reduced his role earlier this month.

"Arne was an exceptional executive - but more than that, he was an exceptional human being," Marriott executive chairman JW Marriott Jr said in a statement announcing the death.

"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."

Marriott, which has more than 7,500 properties around the world and owns 30 brands, said it planned to appoint a new chief executive in the next two weeks.

'Bravura performance'

Born in Japan, Mr Sorenson was the son and grandson of Lutheran missionaries.

He trained as a lawyer and worked in Washington, DC, where he started to represent Marriott in 1992 before being recruited to work in-house for the company a few years later.