Collapse of Sonder, a Marriott-backed hotel chain, leaves guests stranded mid-stay

New York CNN Patrick M D Aoust maybe didn t expect his anniversary trip to end early but he definitely didn t think he d have just minutes to vacate his room The early ejection wasn t because of a fire or a fight but a bankruptcy Sonder a short-term rentals company abruptly collapsed over the weekend when its partnership with Marriott ended leaving multiple guests stranded mid-stay D Aoust was staying the weekend at a Sonder property in Montr al Canada when he got an email last Sunday afternoon that he needed to vacate his room by Monday at am That s because Sonder s licensing agreement with Marriott was no longer in effect I appealed the staff if we could still stay until our checkout at am but the staff explained he had only received instructions to empty the building ASAP and that unfortunately we only had to minutes he notified CNN D Aoust is just one of the a great number of travelers affected by Sonder s shutdown following the sudden end of a deal with Marriott which had let guests book and earn loyalty points at Sonder s furnished apartments and boutique hotel rooms in cities across countries Marriott stated in a declaration Sunday that the planned -year licensing agreement had ended because of Sonder s default a k a financial difficulties The deal should ve had been a boon for Sonder which was once valued at billion and considered a major Airbnb rival Sonder sought to strike the sweet spot between a hotel and an Airbnb offering guests the convenience of an all-digital check-in experience but for smaller properties ideal for solo travelers However the Covid- pandemic and a rough go in the citizens markets in ultimately spelled its doom Sonder was relying on the strength of Marriott s booking platform to give it a much-needed boost Sonder reported in a comment Monday that it s winding down operations straightaway and entering Chapter a complete liquidation of its business The company blamed severe financial constraints arising from among other things prolonged challenges in the integration of the company s systems and booking arrangements with Marriott Stories of guests being stranded mid-stay at Sonder properties are littered across social media mostly putting the blame on Marriott A Marriott spokesperson narrated CNN that it s worked tirelessly to remain informed about Sonder s financial situation and develop action plans so that we can work to meet the requirements of our guests Marriott is in communication with guests who have existing reservations at Sonder properties booked on Marriott com and through other Marriott channels and we are in contact with third-party platforms to communicate with guests who booked on other channels a spokesperson commented For D Aoust that meant an early ending to his weekend away and a two-hour drive back home to Ottawa But he s thankful it was just one day lost and he only missed out on a breakfast reservation I d imagine it s a little more stressful for folks that had much longer stays he disclosed