Hyatt Executive Chairman Thomas Pritzker Resigns Amid Revelations of Jeffrey Epstein Ties

New York. American billionaire Thomas Pritzker has resigned from his position as Executive Chairman of Hyatt Hotels. Pritzker made the decision to step down after the US Department of Justice released new facts regarding his association with Jeffrey Epstein, who is accused of sexual misconduct.

Pritzker, who had been leading Hyatt since 2004, clarified that he will also not participate in the election of the company's Board of Directors. Pritzker, who is also the heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, issued a statement expressing deep regret for his association with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

He admitted that maintaining contact with those individuals was a grave error on his part and that failing to distance himself in a timely manner was his mistake. It has been revealed that Pritzker remained in continuous contact with Epstein even after Epstein was convicted in 2008 for procuring minors for prostitution.

According to the publicly released files, in 2018, Epstein sought Pritzker's assistance in booking a hotel reservation for a female companion who was traveling in Asia. In the ensuing email exchange, when the woman joked about finding a new girlfriend for Epstein, Pritzker was found to have sent a smiling emoji along with the phrase, 'May the Force be with you.'

Pritzker is the latest powerful figure to face repercussions due to his association with Epstein. Previously, economist Larry Summers and DP World CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem had also lost their positions due to their closeness with Epstein.

Following Pritzker's departure, the Hyatt board appointed the company's current CEO, Mark Hoplamazian, as the new chairman.