Marriott abruptly cut ties with Sonder, leaving thousands of hotel guests stranded: It's 'inconceivable' they would treat humans that way, guest says | Fortune

"Minjun and Kevin Ngo were in the middle of a two-week stay at a Sonder rental in New York City when they were notified by Marriott they'd need to evacuate the property immediately. The couple was in between apartment leases, so this Sonder rental was the only place they had to stay. "Now that they've canceled the reservation, we have to go look for another hotel, and hotels are way more expensive right now," Minjun said in a TikTok video posted Monday. @minjunandkevin We got kicked out of our hotel reservation at Sonders in New York City that we booked through Marriott 😭 @@Marriott Bonvoy@@Sonder @Minjun and Kevin | Travel ##marriott##sonders##hotel##nyc ♬ original sound - Minjun and Kevin | Travel"

"They were among thousands of customers who had been hung out to dry due to Marriott's abrupt split from short-term rental company Sonder, which acts somewhat like AirBnb, but properties are more apartment or hotel style. On Tuesday, Sonder customers were notified by Marriott that their partnership had ended, and they had less than 24 hours to vacate the properties in which they were staying. "I think it's just inconceivable that a corporate entity could treat human beings that way," Bonnie Strahs, a Sonder guest in Philadelphia told local news station ABC6 on Monday."

"Travel advisor Georgia Fowkes told Fortune there's really no precedent in which guests were told to vacate. "There's been plenty of brand exits before, but I can't recall a precedent where guests were literally told mid-stay to pack up their belongings and leave immediately," she said. "Sorry, that's not justifiable at all, it's a complete breakdown of hospitality at its core." Sonder and Marriott's partnership Sonder and Marriott had launched a partnership in 2024, planning to add thousands of Sonder's apartment-style units to Marriott's global portfolio. But financial turbulence at Sonder undermined the agreement, leading to Marriot's abrupt abandonment of the par"

Marriott terminated its partnership with short-term rental company Sonder and notified guests that they had less than 24 hours to vacate properties where they were staying. Thousands of customers were affected, including travelers between leases who relied on Sonder rentals as their primary accommodation. Guests described the eviction as unprecedented and inhumane, while travel advisors called it a breakdown of hospitality. The partnership had launched in 2024 to add apartment-style units to Marriott's portfolio, but Sonder's financial troubles undermined the agreement and precipitated the abrupt split.

Read at Fortune