Sonder Guests Asked to Vacate Hotels

Guests who had booked through Marriott for a stay at a Sonder property had a rude awakening when they were informed their bookings were no longer in effect and they would have to leave. The notice went out following Marriott’s decision to end its contract with Sonder. 

As a result of this, Sonder’s Board of Directors made the announcement Monday, Nov. 10, 2025 that it would be winding down its operations and initiating insolvency proceedings.

“We are devastated to reach a point where a liquidation is the only viable path forward,” said Janice Sears, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Sonder. “On behalf of the entire Sonder team, we express our gratitude to our guests and partners for their business and support over the years.”

That gratitude was not being felt by guests, who turned to social media to vent their frustrations at being sent out the door unceremoniously. 

A copy of the email sent by Marriott to Sonder guests (Photo Credit: Threads)

Threads user Damien J shared the above email he was sent stating he would need to be out of his room with less than 24 hours notice.

“I’m a traveling clinical transplant coordinator on assignment. Today I got an email telling me to vacate my paid room by 9AM Monday because your licensing agreement ended — with NO relocation, NO compensation, NO support,” his social media post states. 

 

Patrick D’Aoust was staying in Montreal when he got the same message. 

“I asked the staff if we could still stay until our checkout at 11 am, but the staff explained he had only received instructions to empty the building ASAP and that unfortunately we only had 10 to 15 minutes,” he told CNN.

In Ottawa, it was a similar story: “I didn’t think it could be real. I thought they were spam emails. I was shocked. I didn’t expect this to happen," Vancouver resident Terry McDermott said about the emails telling him he needed to leave the Ottawa Sonder on Arlo. 

“I went down to talk to the staff and they had no idea what was happening, either. It was a total surprise to them, too. They all lost their jobs,” McDermott told the Ottawa Citizen. 

Although Marriott has promised to support affected guests, McDermott is skeptical that help will be quick in coming. Canadian SoHo Residences, which operates in Toronto and Ottawa, extended an offer to help Sonder guests now left without a place to stay. 

“In an effort to assist our hotel partners and those travellers who have reservations with Sonder that cannot be upheld, we are offering to match the rate where we have availability,” Ian M. Thorley, Director of Sales and Marketing, SoHo Hotel Toronto and SoHo Residences said in a statement to press. 

Guests with existing Sonder reservations that can no longer be honoured are invited to submit a special request for alternate accommodation through SoHo Residences’ dedicated online portal at www.sohoresidences.com/sonder.

To qualify for the rate match offer, guests must provide proof of their original Sonder reservation, including stay dates and rate details. SoHo Residences stated it will "make every effort" to accommodate travellers at one of its properties for the same rate and duration, subject to availability.

Related: Marriott Terminates Contract With Sonder

 

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