Tue, 17 Feb 2026

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 Hyatt Hotels chairman steps down over Jeffrey Epstein ties

Billionaire Thomas Pritzker said he had exercised "terrible judgement" in keeping contact with Epstein.

* Billionaire Thomas Pritzker has retired as Hyatt Hotels chairman due to his association with Jeffrey Epstein.
* Pritzker says he exercised "terrible judgment" in maintaining contact with Epstein after his 2008 plea deal on sex crime charges.
* Recently released files showed that Pritzker was in regular contact with Epstein in the years following his conviction.
* Pritzker, who has held the role of executive chairman at Hyatt since 2004, will not stand for reelection and is stepping down to protect the company's reputation.
* He condemned the actions of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of luring underage girls for Epstein in 2021.
* Pritzker said he regrets not distancing himself from Epstein sooner and that his association with him was "a stain on my record".
* Mark Hoplamazian, Hyatt's president and chief executive, has been named as Pritzker's replacement.
* The release of the Epstein files has led to scrutiny of numerous prominent figures in politics, business, and academia who were connected to him.
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