Thomas Pritzker Steps Down as Hyatt Executive Chairman

Another prominent executive with past ties to Jeffrey Epstein is stepping aside.

Thomas J. Pritzker, 75, resigned Monday as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corporation, citing his association with the disgraced financier and Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The New York Times reported that in a letter to the board, Pritzker said he was retiring effective immediately and would not seek reelection to Hyatt’s board at the company’s annual stockholders meeting in May.

“Good stewardship also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell which I deeply regret,” Pritzker wrote.

He acknowledged he “exercised terrible judgment” in maintaining contact with them and said there was “no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner.”

Recently released files show Pritzker remained in regular contact with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 plea deal on sex crimes charges. Emails detail meal plans and meetings, including at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse.

In a 2018 exchange, Epstein asked Pritzker to help his girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, arrange travel to Southeast Asia. When Shuliak wrote that she was “going to try to find a new girlfriend for Jeffrey,” Pritzker responded with a smiley-face emoticon and “May the Force be with you.” In another 2015 email, Epstein joked about arranging a lunch with the Dalai Lama and Woody Allen.

The two also discussed invitations to the Pritzker Architecture Prize ceremony in Beijing, the marquee award overseen by the family’s philanthropic arm. Requests for comment from the Pritzker Organization by the publication were not returned Monday.

The Pritzker name carries weight well beyond hospitality, as Thomas Pritzker’s cousins include Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Penny Pritzker, who now leads Harvard University’s governing board.

Hyatt’s board appointed President and CEO Mark S. Hoplamazian as chairman. Richard Tuttle, chair of the board’s nominating and governance committee, thanked Pritzker for his leadership, calling his tenure instrumental to the company’s long-term growth.

— Eric Weilbacher