Hyatt Hotels Executive Chairman Thomas Pritzker resigns over Epstein ties: ‘I deeply regret… my association’

Hyatt Hotels Executive Chairman Thomas Pritzker announced Monday that he is stepping down effective immediately after documents released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.  

The executive, 75, told the company’s board that he will not seek re-election at Hyatt’s stockholder meeting in May, ending his 22-year tenure as chairman. 

Pritzker acknowledged that he exercised poor judgment by failing to distance himself from the disgraced financier, who died in his jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, as well as Ghislaine Maxwell, who was also convicted of trafficking minors alongside him.

“My job and responsibility is to provide good stewardship,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Following discussions with my fellow Board members, I have decided, after serving as Executive Chairman since 2004, and with the company in a strong position, that now is the right time for me to retire from Hyatt.”

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“Good stewardship also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell which I deeply regret,” he added. “I exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact with them, and there is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner. I condemn the actions and the harm caused by Epstein and Maxwell and I feel deep sorrow for the pain they inflicted on their victims.”

Mark S. Hoplamazian will take on the dual role of chairman and chief executive, the company said.

Pritzker, the billionaire hotel magnate and a cousin of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, is among the high-profile individuals named in the millions of unredacted documents the DOJ unsealed earlier this year as part of the expanding investigation into the notorious sex trafficker and his ties to numerous prominent business and political figures.

According to the files, Pritzker and Epstein exchanged numerous emails, some of which included attempts to arrange dinner plans and invitations to various events, Fox 32 Chicago reported.

Virginia Giuffre, a prominent Epstein accuser who died in 2025, alleged in a May 2016 deposition that she had one sexual encounter with Pritzker during her abuse. In a January statement to FOX Business, Pritzker’s spokesperson vehemently denied the allegations.

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Pritzker has served as executive chairman since 2004, during which he helped steer the company through its 2009 public offering and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“Tom’s leadership has been instrumental in shaping Hyatt’s strategy and long-term growth, and we thank him for his service and dedication to Hyatt,” Richard Tuttle, chair of the board’s nominating and corporate governance committee, said in a statement. 

“The Board has engaged in thoughtful succession planning, and we are confident that Mark’s deep knowledge of Hyatt’s business, strong relationships with owners and colleagues, and proven track record as CEO of nearly two decades positions him well to serve as Chairman and continue driving Hyatt’s long-term success.”

FOX Business’ Eric Revell contributed to this report.