A Canadian mother's carefully planned European dream vacation with her two children turned into a nightmare when her family was abruptly evicted from their Barcelona hotel mid-stay, caught up in the sudden collapse of Marriott's partner company Sonder.
Dream Vacation Turns Into Traveller's Nightmare
Jessica Barnes, a software professional from Canada, had organised what should have been the trip of a lifetime for her children - their first overseas adventure taking in the sights of Barcelona, Paris and London. The family's excitement quickly turned to fear and confusion when they returned to their Barcelona accommodation after a day of sightseeing to find they had to leave immediately.
"When we returned to the hotel, on the second night of our three-night stay at Sonder's Casa Luz Hotel, the kids were exhausted," Barnes told Business Insider. "That's when I checked my emails and saw that I had just received a notice from Marriott saying that we needed to leave the hotel 'as soon as you are able.'"
Global Hotel Chaos as Company Collapses
The Barnes family weren't alone in their distressing experience. Hotel guests across the world were kicked out of their rooms mid-stay earlier this week after Marriott's partner Sonder Holdings suddenly collapsed into bankruptcy. The abrupt shutdown left travellers stranded from Boston to Dubai, with some returning to find their belongings stuffed into plastic bags or dumped in hallways.
Barnes described her shock and her children's fear upon receiving the evacuation notice. When she contacted Marriott's customer service for platinum members, she was told to call Sonder for more information. The short-term rental and boutique hotel company then put her on hold before reiterating that the family had to leave as soon as possible.
"They also had no plans or processes in place for dealing with us," Barnes revealed. Although Sonder offered to help book a new hotel, they expected her to pay last-minute prices for alternative accommodation.
Resourceful Mother Forced to Find Emergency Accommodation
Using her Marriott app, Barnes managed to book rooms at Moxy Barcelona, and the family packed up and left the following day. However, the experience left them shaken and out of pocket.
"I'm a resourceful traveller. But I'm a single mother with two children in a foreign country where I don't speak the language, which was scary," she explained. "It's an expensive trip, too. We spent the evening trying to make a new plan and lost some of our vacation time."
The crisis emerged after Sonder filed for Chapter 7 liquidation on Monday following Marriott International's decision to terminate its licensing deal with the company. This forced Sonder to wind down operations immediately, affecting guests worldwide.
Sonder, once valued at over $1 billion and considered a rival to Airbnb, had rebranded as Sonder by Marriott Bonvoy under a 2024 partnership that allowed it to list rooms on Marriott's website. However, the two companies reportedly struggled to integrate booking systems, leading to what executives called a 'sharp decline in revenue.'
Interim CEO Janice Sears expressed devastation at the outcome, stating: "We are devastated to reach a point where liquidation is the only viable path forward."
Barnes still has Marriott stays booked for the Paris and London legs of their trip and hopes the hotel chain will provide compensation for their ruined Barcelona experience. The incident serves as a stark warning to travellers about the potential risks when booking through partnered accommodation providers.
