Marriott International President Stephanie Linnartz has decided to leave the hotel chain effective February 24 to become CEO of Under Armour, Marriott said in a press release.
Linnartz is a Marriott veteran with over 25 years of experience with the Maryland-based company. She joined the hotel chain in 1997. Since then, she has worked in diverse roles, from finance and business development to sales, and marketing. Linnartz was appointed as president in 2021.
In her last role, she was in charge of all aspects of Marriott’s global consumer strategy, including marketing, sales, branding, consumer engagement, loyalty, emerging business, and more. In addition, Linnartz oversaw Marriott’s international development organization, which is in charge of the strategic growth of Marriott’s 30 brands.
”It has been one of my most significant and best experiences to build a career at Marriott. I also want to thank Under Armour Executive Chair and brand head Kevin Plank for this dream opportunity,” Linnartz said.
Furthermore, Linnartz played a vital role during Marriott’s acquisition of Starwood Hotels, including in the smooth integration of the internal corporate systems and functions. In 2019, led by Linnartz, Marriott and Starwood merged their loyalty programs to establish Marriott Bonvoy, the world’s largest hospitality loyalty program. Bonvoy currently has over 173 million members worldwide.
After the passing of Arne Sorenson in 2021, Linnartz and Anthony Capuano joined the race for the new CEO of Marriott. Ultimately, the board tapped Capuano.
Next to her career at Marriott, Linnartz is also a member of the board of directors of the home improvement store chain The Home Depot.
Marriott is yet to name a successor. From February 27, Linnartz replaces Colin Browne, who will return to his previous role as COO at Under Armour after spending more than six months as ad-interim CEO.
The veteran hotelier was among the 60 candidates for the role at Under Armour. Plank reportedly selected the hotelier veteran due to her successful digital transformation of Marriott and improving the brand’s online presence.
”It’s clear that Under Armour is interested in Linnartz’s background in developing Marriott digital strategy and membership programs, Morningstar analyst David Swartz told Reuters.
The athletic apparel giant, backed by actor Dwayne Johnson and NBA’s Stephen Curry, seeks to accelerate its online initiatives in response to the growing competition of rival Nike.
Three years ago, Nike also appointed an industry insider as CEO. It named former eBay CEO John Donahoe for the same role in a bid to strengthen the brand’s online strategy.
Earlier in December, Marriott International revealed plans to launch over 35 luxury hotels worldwide next year. The brand’s luxury portfolio includes The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, Edition Hotels, W Hotels, JW Marriott, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, and more. Currently, Marriott has more than 200 luxury properties in the development phase.
The Ritz-Carlton takes the lead with two new venues in Portland and Scottsdale, Arizona. The brand will also open new hotels in Melbourne, Australia, and Fukuoka, Japan. In addition, Ritz-Carlton Reserve will come to the Chinese valley of Jiuzhaigou and Nujuma and in Saudi Arabia.
Next, St. Regis will welcome new venues in Mexico, Chicago, Belgrade, and Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, W Hotels will debut in Prague, Budapest, Sydney, Macau, and Milan.
