A major hotel chain and partner of Marriott suddenly collapsed into bankruptcy on Monday, leaving guests scrambling to find new rooms mid-stay.
Sonder filed for Chapter 7 liquidation on Monday, and Marriott quickly announced they terminated their licensing agreement with the company.
But guests were shocked when they were told to leave their hotel rooms, from Dubai to America, after the news broke.
Marriott said it will 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.
TikToks of guests leaving with their luggage mid-stay have gone viral, with one woman, Avery, saying Sonder and Marriott were going through a ‘break up’.
‘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 and told us to get the f*** out of the hotel room we had booked for another three nights in Montreal,’ she wrote.
Others said they were lucky because their trip was already ending when the company filed for bankruptcy, but said they were concerned for others who had already paid and had their stays ‘cut short’.
Steve McGraw told Business Insider he had booked a 17-day stay in New York to see his new granddaughter when he was told to leave.
‘We ended up spending several thousand dollars more to find a new place. It was very, very disruptive. They treated us so poorly,’ he said.
Marriott has stressed that any customers who booked Sonder locations will get a full refund, but the 140 Sonder properties had thousands of guests.
Craig Murphy said he’ll have to fork out more than £1,300 to get a new reservation after the chaotic news broke before his daughter’s wedding.
‘This does not take into account the time and frustration of renegotiating the cost of three limousines, rescheduling a hair stylist, flower delivery, and informing all guests to deliver any wedding gifts to the new location,’ he said.
In a statement, Marriott International said: ‘Marriott’s immediate priority is supporting guests currently staying at Sonder properties and those with upcoming reservations.
‘Marriott will 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 who booked through a third-party online travel agency should contact those organisations. Marriott remains committed to minimising disruption to guests’ travel plans.’
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