BOSTON — Marriott’s partner Sonder filed for bankruptcy this week and has now left thousands of guests stranded and without reservations.
Paul Stracks says he traveled all the way from Arkansas to explore Boston and got an unusual email on Sunday saying he had to leave his room. He says he thought it was a scam, and when he spoke with Sonder employees, they told him he had nothing to worry about.
On Monday, he says his hotel room door was unlocked and his personal belongings had been packed up by staff.
“They packed up our stuff, they packed up our clothes, they packed up all the items from our restroom, all our toiletries, and all that which was kind of unnerving,” said Stracks.
The short-term rental firm runs over 7,000 apartments in over a hundred properties globally. Sonder says the abrupt decision to file for bankruptcy was due to financial constraints and challenges integrating their booking system with Marriott – ultimately, Marriott terminated its leasing agreement with Sonder on Sunday. They say they were left with no choice but to cease operations.
“The people that were laid off with no notice or fired with no notice, and those that still had quite a bit of time, I just can’t imagine,” said Stracks.
Boston 25 News reached out to Marriott with follow-up questions about existing reservations, since most of them are prepaid. We are waiting to hear back.
Sonder has not released an update since Sunday’s filing for bankruptcy.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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