Thomas Pritzker said on Monday that he is stepping down from his role as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels and will not stand for re-election to the company’s board in 2026. In a letter delivered to the board and released publicly, the 75-year-old acknowledged mistakes tied to his contacts with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Addressing the company and its shareholders, Pritzker said: "Good stewardship also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell which I deeply regret. I exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact with them, and there is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner," according to his statement.
Pritzker has held the executive chairman position since 2004. In his communication with the board he pointed to the company's expansion and ability to withstand challenges over his tenure, citing specific corporate milestones including:
- taking Hyatt public
- moving toward an "asset-light" business strategy
- navigating the operational and financial disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic
The United States Justice Department’s publication of millions of internal documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein has exposed the late financier’s links to many prominent individuals across politics, finance, academia and business. Those disclosed records pertain to periods both before and after Epstein's 2008 guilty plea on prostitution charges, including charges that involved soliciting an underage girl, the materials indicate.
Further evidence brought forward in multiple legal and criminal matters has also highlighted Epstein’s relationships with a broad set of well-known figures. Epstein was arrested again in 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors. His death in a Manhattan jail cell later that year was ruled a suicide.
Separately, an investment-focused promotional note included with the company coverage referenced an AI-driven research product that evaluates Hyatt - ticker H - alongside thousands of other companies each month using more than 100 financial metrics. That product states it employs powerful AI to surface stock ideas by assessing fundamentals, momentum and valuation without bias, and it lists past winners such as Super Micro Computer (+185%) and AppLovin (+157%).