Epstein Files

Thomas Pritzker

Associates2000s

Hyatt Hotels Executive Chairman whose friendly email correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein — maintained for a decade after Epstein's 2008 conviction — cost him his board seat in February 2026

Thomas Pritzker spent more than two decades building Hyatt Hotels Corporation into a global brand, chairing the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and stewarding the Pritzker family's philanthropic reputation through the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Then, in November 2025, a tranche of roughly 20,000 pages released by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee placed him among the more than two dozen correspondents who maintained warm contact with Jeffrey Epstein long after Epstein's 2008 Florida conviction for soliciting sex from a girl as young as fourteen.12

The documented relationship runs from at least December 2000, when Pritzker flew with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to RAF Marham in Norfolk and joined a shooting weekend at Sandringham hosted by Prince Andrew, through February 2019, when Pritzker and Epstein were still exchanging casual check-in messages.34 Thomas Pritzker has not been accused of any crime, has not been charged, and is not named in any criminal investigation; the story the documents tell is one of sustained social contact with a convicted sex offender, not of legal wrongdoing. On February 16, 2026, Pritzker resigned immediately as Executive Chairman and declined to stand for re-election to Hyatt's board, saying he "exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact" and that "there is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner."5

  Background and career

Born June 6, 1950 in Chicago, Thomas J. Pritzker is the son of Jay Pritzker, who purchased the first Hyatt hotel in 1957. He earned a B.A. from Claremont McKenna College in 1971 and both a J.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1976.6 He was appointed President of Hyatt Corporation in 1980, became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 1999, and shifted to the Executive Chairman role in 2004 — a position he held for twenty-two years until his resignation.7

Beyond Hyatt, Pritzker ran the Pritzker Organization (TPO), the family's private merchant bank, and built stakes in container leasing (Triton), biotechnology (Bay City Capital), and healthcare (Reliant Pharmaceuticals, First Health). He served on the board of Royal Caribbean Cruises and on the executive committee of the University of Chicago trustees. From 2015 onward he chaired the CSIS Board of Trustees, where a named Pritzker Chair reflects his financial support for the think tank's East Asia programs.8 He is a cousin of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.

  Documented contacts with Epstein

The earliest documented record of contact is a December 7, 2000 flight log placing Pritzker alongside Epstein, Maxwell, and a woman identified only as "1 Female" on a private aircraft from London to RAF Marham in Norfolk.3 That same weekend Prince Andrew hosted the group at Sandringham House for what he later described as a shooting weekend. Epstein's "little black book," in an annotation attributed to his house manager, listed Pritzker with thirteen phone numbers and two addresses and marked him "Numero Uno."9

The November 2025 document release confirmed that Epstein's assistant directed him, on the day of his July 2009 prison release, to call Pritzker first. Pritzker's alleged response on learning Epstein was "free and home" was "'Oh shit."10 From 2010 onward the two men exchanged at least twenty back-and-forth emails, touching on geopolitics, personal travel, and — according to multiple news reports on the released documents — gifts from foreign leaders.111

    The email record

Specific exchanges documented in reporting on the released files include:

  • May 2010: Epstein asked Pritzker to arrange a Hyatt job interview for "the girl from romania," described as a former model. Pritzker replied "Have her send me a resume."10
  • 2011: Pritzker emailed Epstein from "a remote valley in Afghanistan" describing a birthday trip using U.S. military resources, with General David Petraeus allegedly providing helicopter transport.11
  • 2011: Pritzker advised Epstein on engaging a Caribbean developer as a consultant for Little Saint James island, recommending island visits for "direct exposure."10
  • 2013: Epstein forwarded a Washington Post article about a tax-reporting controversy involving Penny Pritzker; Thomas Pritzker replied expressing frustration.1
  • 2016: Pritzker told Epstein he was trying to arrange a lunch on Epstein's island with Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem; they ended up meeting in New York instead.10
  • August 2016: Pritzker wrote "Looking for a time to catch up in NY"; Epstein replied inviting him to Santa Fe.1
  • December 2016: Pritzker declined an island visit because of Hyatt board commitments; Epstein suggested "try again jan."10
  • 2017: Pritzker supplied landscape architect recommendations for Epstein's island resort development.10
  • 2018: Epstein asked Pritzker to help secure hotel reservations in Asia for a woman he described as trying to "find a new girlfriend for Jeffrey." Pritzker replied: "May the Force be with you."11
  • 2018: Epstein referenced attorney Kathy Ruemmler handling sexual misconduct cases, noting "Kathy Ruemmmler has done 6 of these now for me."11
  • February 2019: Epstein asked "News?" and Pritzker replied discussing a "Chairman's dinner" on trade — the last documented exchange.1

In a separate document, Epstein referred to Pritzker as "like family" in a text message.9

    The "MONEY & POWER" seminar

Among the released files, Pritzker appears on a "possible Invite List" for a seminar Epstein titled "MONEY & POWER." The list also included Bill Clinton and Jeff Bezos.1 There is no documented evidence that the seminar took place or that Pritzker attended.

    The Giuffre allegation

In a May 2016 deposition taken in the civil case Giuffre v. Maxwell, Virginia Giuffre alleged that she "believe[d] [she] was with Tom once," adding that she had been sent to have sex with "the owner of a large hotel chain" and describing a setting that was part of a hotel complex where Epstein and Maxwell were also staying.12 A Pritzker spokesperson told Reuters that he "continues to vehemently deny" Giuffre's allegations. No charges have been filed, and Pritzker is not named in any criminal proceeding.

  Resignation from Hyatt

On February 17, 2026 — confirmed by multiple outlets including CNBC, Fox Business, and WBEZ — Pritzker announced his immediate resignation as Executive Chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corporation and stated he would not stand for re-election to the board at the company's May 2026 annual meeting.513 Hyatt's board named President and CEO Mark S. Hoplamazian as Chairman. Board nominating committee chair Richard Tuttle thanked Pritzker for his leadership through the company's 2009 IPO and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his public statement Pritzker condemned Epstein's and Maxwell's actions, expressed "deep sorrow for the pain they inflicted," and acknowledged: "I deeply regret... my association" and "I exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact with them, and there is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner."5

The University of Chicago, where Pritzker had served as a trustee since 1995 and on the executive committee of the board, did not respond to press requests for comment on his status following the November 2025 document release.9

  Context

Thomas Pritzker is not accused of any crime. The documented record shows a social and advisory relationship with Epstein that began no later than December 2000, survived Epstein's 2008 conviction, and continued in at least occasional email contact through February 2019. The emails are described in reporting as friendly exchanges that also placed Pritzker, at various points, in the role of arranging employment referrals, advising on island development staffing, and providing travel assistance for individuals Epstein identified in terms that, read in context, raised questions about the nature of those arrangements. Pritzker's own characterization — "terrible judgment" — is the strongest statement on record about what the contact meant.

YearEventImpact
2000Flight to RAF Marham; Sandringham shooting weekend with Epstein, Maxwell, and Prince AndrewEarliest documented contact
2004Appointed Executive Chairman of Hyatt Hotels CorporationBegins 22-year tenure as family firm's public face
2008Epstein convicted, pleads guilty to Florida state chargesContact continues despite conviction
2009Listed as Epstein's first call on day of prison releaseSignals closeness of relationship
2010–2019At least 20 emails on geopolitics, travel, staffing, and business; advisories on island developmentDocumented post-conviction relationship
2015Becomes chairman of CSIS Board of TrusteesPeak of public institutional influence
2016Virginia Giuffre names Pritzker in deposition; he denies allegationAllegation enters legal record
Nov 2025House Oversight Committee releases ~20,000 Epstein documents; email record made publicPritzker emails enter public record
Feb 17, 2026Resigns as Executive Chairman of Hyatt Hotels, declines board re-electionEnds 22-year chairmanship

  References

  Footnotes

  1. Newly released cache of Epstein emails reveal deeper ties with Thomas Pritzker, governor's cousin — WBEZ Chicago ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  2. Newly released cache of Epstein emails reveal deeper ties with Thomas Pritzker — IPM Newsroom ↩

  3. Duke of York quizzed over friend's use of RAF base — Gulf News ↩ ↩2

  4. Hyatt Hotels chairman Thomas Pritzker steps down over Epstein ties — Al Jazeera ↩

  5. Thomas Pritzker resigns from Hyatt Hotels' board citing Epstein emails — WBEZ Chicago ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. Thomas Pritzker — Wikipedia ↩

  7. Thomas J. Pritzker — Hyatt Hotels Board of Directors ↩

  8. Thomas J. Pritzker — CSIS ↩

  9. University Trustee Thomas Pritzker Named in New Epstein Documents — Chicago Maroon ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  10. UChicago Trustee Pritzker Planned Visits to Epstein's Island, Advised on Island Staffing — Chicago Maroon ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  11. Billionaire Hyatt chair Tom Pritzker becomes latest bigwig to face fallout over Epstein ties — TRT World ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  12. Hyatt Hotel Exec Denies Sex with Jeffrey Epstein Victim — Newsweek ↩

  13. Longtime Hyatt Executive Chairman Thomas Pritzker resigns over Epstein ties — Baltimore Sun ↩

Published on December 7, 2000

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