{"id":131284,"date":"2026-02-17T08:02:47","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T08:02:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/hyatt-hotels-chairman-steps-down-over-jeffrey-epstein-ties\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T08:02:47","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T08:02:47","slug":"hyatt-hotels-chairman-steps-down-over-jeffrey-epstein-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/hyatt-hotels-chairman-steps-down-over-jeffrey-epstein-ties\/","title":{"rendered":"Hyatt Hotels chairman steps down over Jeffrey Epstein ties"},"content":{"rendered":"

Billionaire Thomas Pritzker says he has retired as the Hyatt Hotels chairman, after his ties with Jeffrey Epstein surfaced in the latest files released by the US Department of Justice.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He said in a statement on Monday that he had exercised \u201cterrible judgement\u201d in maintaining contact with the convicted sex offender.<\/p>\n

Recently released files showed that Pritzker was in regular contact with Epstein in the years after the financier\u2019s 2008 plea deal on sex crime charges.<\/p>\n

Pritzker is the latest business figure to face scrutiny after the release of files showing the extent of Epstein\u2019s network of high-profile elites.<\/p>\n

Pritzker, who has held the role of executive chairman at the global hotel chain since 2004, said he decided to step down after discussions with fellow board members and would not stand for re-election.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy job and responsibility is to provide good stewardship\u2026 Good stewardship includes ensuring a proper transition at Hyatt\u201d, said Pritzker, the billionaire heir to the hotel chain\u2019s fortune.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cGood stewardship also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell which I deeply regret.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in luring underage girls for Epstein.<\/p>\n

He was convicted in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a child and died while in custody facing sex trafficking charges in 2019.<\/p>\n

Pritzker said he condemned the actions of the pair, adding: \u201cThere is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n

His statement was paired with a letter to the board, in which Pritzker points out that he will be 76 this year and that the company is in a \u201cstrong and sustainable position\u201d with the strength to thrive. He does not mention his links to Epstein or Maxwell in his letter to the board.<\/p>\n

The board named Mark Hoplamazian, Hyatt\u2019s president and chief executive, to take over from Pritzker as chairman.<\/p>\n

Hoplamazian said Pritzker\u2019s decision \u201creflects his stewardship and strong commitment\u201d to Hyatt over decades of service.<\/p>\n

The release of the Epstein files has revealed the financier\u2019s ties to numerous prominent figures in politics, business and academia, many of whom are facing scrutiny.<\/p>\n

There is no suggestion that appearing in the documents suggests any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Goldman Sachs\u2019 top lawyer, Kathy Ruemmler, announced she would leave the company after emails in the latest tranche of Epstein documents showed she had a close relationship with the financier.<\/p>\n

Ruemmler has denied having any knowledge of his criminal conduct.<\/p>\n

Brad Karp, the chairman of US law firm Paul Weiss, also stepped down in February after emails reportedly showed he discussed Epstein\u2019s 2008 conviction with him. Paul Weiss has previously said that Karp \u201cnever witnessed or participated in any misconduct\u201d.<\/p>\n

The post Hyatt Hotels chairman steps down over Jeffrey Epstein ties<\/a> appeared first on KBC Digital<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Billionaire Thomas Pritzker says he has retired as the Hyatt Hotels chairman, after his ties with Jeffrey Epstein surfaced in the latest files released by the US Department of Justice. He said in a statement on Monday that he had exercised \u201cterrible judgement\u201d in maintaining contact with the convicted sex offender. Recently released files showed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-131284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131284\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}