Thomas J. Pritzker, a billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, stepped down from his role Monday as executive chairman of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation, becoming the latest person felled by an association with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr. Pritzker, 75, said in a letter to the Hyatt board that he was retiring, effective immediately, adding: “Good stewardship also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell which I deeply regret.”
He added that he “exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact with them, and there is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner.”
Recently released files revealed that Mr. Pritzker was in regular contact with Mr. Epstein in the years following Mr. Epstein’s 2008 plea deal on sex crimes charges, with the two frequently corresponding to confirm meals and appointments, including at Mr. Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse.
In one email exchange from 2018, Mr. Epstein asked Mr. Pritzker to help his girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, arrange a trip to Southeast Asia. Mr. Pritzker agreed, and asked what she planned to do there.
Ms. Shuliak responded: “Going to try to find a new girlfriend for Jeffrey.”
Mr. Pritzker replied with a smiley-face emoticon and said “May the Force be with you.”
In another exchange, from 2015, as the two made arrangements to meet, Mr. Epstein joked to Mr. Pritzker about combining their plans: “would you find it amusing to have dali lama meet woody allen for lunch on sat = could be a memorable event.”
The two men also conferred about invitations to the ceremony for the Pritzker Prizes — a major international architecture award — in Beijing.
A representative for the Pritzker Organization did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
In addition to retiring as chairman, Mr. Pritzker said he would not seek re-election to Hyatt’s board at the annual stockholders meeting in May. The board appointed Hyatt’s president, Mark S. Hoplamazian, to the chairman’s role.
“Tom’s leadership has been instrumental in shaping Hyatt’s strategy and long-term growth, and we thank him for his service and dedication to Hyatt,” said Richard Tuttle, chair of the board’s nominating and corporate governance committee, in a release.
Rebecca Davis O’Brien covers labor and the work force for The Times.
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