Airbnb rival Sonder files for bankruptcy, giving guests minutes or hours to vacate. What to do it this happens to you

An abrupt announcement that Airbnb rival Sonder is filing for bankruptcy had a startling effect connected the company’s short-term rental guests successful November.

Some guests were fixed conscionable 15 minutes to vacate their rooms, with astir others fixed conscionable a day’s notice, CNN reported (1).

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The determination sparked a furor connected societal media, with galore affected travelers posting astir their experiences and saying that Marriott, the company’s licensing partner, backtracked connected its committedness to supply afloat refunds straight from the company.

For example, Damien Jay, a objective transplant coordinator, posted connected Threads astir his experience:

“Today I got an email telling maine to vacate my paid country by 9AM Monday due to the fact that your licensing statement ended — with NO relocation, NO compensation, NO support.

Your connection virtually says entree to my country whitethorn beryllium “restricted” if I don’t leave. I booked successful bully faith, paid successful full, and I’m mid-assignment handling life-and-death organ betterment cases. This disruption isn’t conscionable inconvenient — it’s dangerous” (2).

On Nov. 10, Sonder interim CEO Janice Sears announced the “difficult decision” to halt their operations immediately. She said method integration problems with Marriott’s Bonvoy website caused “significant, unanticipated integration costs, arsenic good arsenic a crisp diminution successful revenue,” starring the institution to suffer operating runway.

“We are devastated to scope a constituent wherever a liquidation is the lone viable way forward,” Sears said (3).

Many travelers whitethorn wonderment if they person immoderate ineligible recourse successful this situation. Below, we interruption down the options, and what you tin bash to support yourself from a akin contented connected your adjacent vacation.

As of Sunday, Nov. 9, Marriott abruptly ended its licensing statement with Sonder Holdings, starring the institution to record for Chapter 7 bankruptcy the adjacent day.

In spite of the company’s archetypal connection that Marriott would refund affected travelers promptly, the institution appears to beryllium backing retired of its committedness to help, affected travelers told Business Insider (3).

On Nov. 9, Marriott communicated to customers who had booked a Sonder spot done their channels that they would get a afloat refund. Just 2 days later, the edifice relation instructed those guests to alternatively interaction their recognition paper companies to taxable a refund petition — the aforesaid acquisition inactive connected its FAQ leafage (4).