Total chaos after Marriott's partner suddenly went bankrupt. Guests kicked out mid-stay from luxury hotels
Guests from around the world were kicked out of their rooms during their stay after Marriott's partner, Sonder, unexpectedly went bankrupt.
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The sudden closures left travelers stranded from Boston to Dubai, with some returning to hotels only to find their belongings crammed into plastic bags or thrown in the hallways, the Daily Mail reports.
Sonder — once valued at more than $1 billion and considered a serious rival to Airbnb — filed for Chapter 7 liquidation protection on Monday after Marriott International terminated its license, forcing the company to shut down operations immediately.
The collapse came less than a year after Sonder — which offered apartments and boutique hotels for short-term rentals — rebranded as Sonder by Marriott Bonvoy, following a partnership signed in 2024 that allowed it to list its rooms on Marriott's website.
However, the two companies failed to integrate the reservation systems, which, according to the executives, led to “a sudden drop in income”. “We are devastated that we have reached the point where liquidation is the only viable option”said interim CEO Janice Sears.
Guests, get out of the rooms
On Sunday, guests were taken by surprise when Marriott and Sonder asked them to vacate their rooms immediately — some halfway through their stay.
A TikTok user from Edmonton named Avery posted a clip of herself dragging her suitcase through the snow with the caption: “POV: Trying to keep my cool as I drag my luggage down the street after Marriott Hotels & Sonder Hotels 'cut off' one Sunday and told us to get the hell out of the hotel room we had booked for three more nights in Montreal.”
TikTok / jurassicave VIDEO
Another couple, Minjun and Kevin, said it was “kicked out of the Sonder Hotel in New York City”although the reservation had been made through Marriott. They said: “Our experience of being kicked out of the Sonder hotel in New York, booked through Marriott, less than 24 hours in advance, right in the middle of our stay. It seems that Sonder has gone into incapacity and Marriott has unexpectedly terminated the partnership…”
Former IT executive Steve McGraw said he and his wife were evicted midway through a 17-day stay in New York, also booked through Marriott.
McGraw, who has Elite status in the Marriott Bonvoy program, thought his stay at the Sonder Battery Park Apartments — a Marriott partner located in New York's financial district — would be like the dozens of other vacations he's booked over the years. But on Sunday, about a week after check-in, he received emails from Marriott and Sonder informing him that he had to vacate the room by 9 a.m. Monday.
“We had to spend several thousand dollars more to find another place to stay”McGraw told Business Insider. “It was extremely disturbing. They treated us very badly.”
“We had to spend several thousand dollars more to find another place to stay,” McGraw told Business Insider. “It was extremely disturbing. They treated us very badly.”
