Hotel guests from Boston to Dubai were kicked out from their rooms mid-stay after Marriott’s partner company Sonder abruptly filed for bankruptcy.
Marriott announced on Sunday that its licensing agreement with Sonder was no longer in effect “due to Sonder’s default”.
Marriott added that its immediate priority would be to support its guests who were lodged at Sonder properties, many of whom found their luggage and other belongings stashed in plastic bags or dumped in hallways, Dailymail reported.
The company said it would be contacting guests who booked directly through Marriott channels, including marriott.com, the Marriott Bonvoy App and Marriott’s worldwide reservation centres, to address their reservation and booking needs.
Guests vent out their frustration
Patrick M D’Aoust, a guest staying at a Sonder property in Canada’s Montreal told CNN that he was sent an email on Sunday afternoon that he had to vacate his room by Monday at 9 am.
He said he was unable to defer his checkout to a later time despite requests as hotel staff had received strict orders.
Another guest, identified as Avery, took to TikTok to share her frustration on being kicked out of her hotel room also in Montreal.
“Trying to maintain my composure while dragging my luggage down the street after Marriott Hotels & Sonder Hotels broke up with each other on a random Sunday,” she said.
Steve McGraw, who had booked a 17-day stay at a New York property, was also asked to depart abruptly. “We ended up spending several thousand dollars more to find a new place. It was…very disruptive,” he told Business Insider.
What went wrong with Sonder?
Once valued at over $1 billion and hailed as a rival to Airbnb, Sonder, which offered short-term apartment-style rentals and boutique hotels, filed for Chapter 7 liquidation on Monday.
While Sonder entered the licensing agreement with Marriott in 2024, the two systems reportedly struggled to integrate their booking systems, which ultimately led to what executives called a ‘sharp decline in revenue’, as per Dailymail.
Sonder CEO Janice Sears said in a statement that integration with Marriott was significantly delayed due to unexpected technical challenges, leading to high integration costs and a sharp drop in revenue.
“We explored all viable alternatives to avoid this outcome, but we are left with no choice other than to proceed with an immediate wind-down of our operations and liquidation of our assets,” she added.
