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A single mother set out to create an unforgettable vacation for her children, but the experience quickly unraveled.
Jessica Barnes, a software expert from Canada, embarked on a European adventure with her two kids, marking their first journey abroad.
In an interview with Business Insider, Barnes shared that her children were eagerly anticipating their time exploring the vibrant cities of Barcelona, Paris, and London.
Unfortunately, their adventure hit a snag as soon as they arrived at their initial destination, a Marriott-Sonder hotel in Barcelona.
After an exciting day of exploring, the family returned to their accommodation, only to be confronted with the unexpected news that they needed to vacate immediately.
Barnes’s family isn’t alone, hotel guests across the world were kicked out of their rooms mid-stay earlier this week after Marriott’s partner Sonder suddenly collapsed into bankruptcy.
The abrupt shutdown left travelers stranded from Boston to Dubai, with some returning to find their belongings stuffed into plastic bags or dumped in hallways.
‘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,’ she told Business Insider.
Jessica Barnes stayed at Sonder’s Casa Luz Hotel with her kids
Jessica Barnes (pictured), a Canadian software professional, took her two children to Europe for their first ever trip overseas
Barnes said her kids were ‘extremely excited’ to travel around Barcelona (pictured), Paris, and London
‘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.”
Barnes said she was shocked and her kids were scared. She called Marriott and the customer service representative for platinum members told them she’d have to call Sonder for more information.
When she finally got through to the short-term rental and boutique hotel company, they put her on hold and then re-iterated that the family had to leave as soon as possible.
Sonder told Barnes they’d help her book a new hotel, but that she’d have to pay last-minute prices: ‘They also had no plans or processes in place for dealing with us.’
Barnes used her Marriott app to book a new hotel, Moxy Barcelona, and they packed up and left the following day.
‘I’m a resourceful traveler. But I’m a single mother with two children in a foreign country where I don’t speak the language, which was scary,’ she told the publication.
‘It’s an expensive trip, too. We spent the evening trying to make a new plan and lost some of our vacation time.’
Barnes still has Marriott stays booked for her Paris and London legs of the trip, and she’s hoping that that Marriott will do the right thing by providing compensation for a future trip.
A guest is seen abruptly leaving the Sonder hotel she was staying at in Philadelphia with her luggage in tow
Those staying in the boutique hotels and short-term rentals were notified on Sunday by Marriott and Sonder Holdings that they would need to vacate immediately (stock image)
The company signed a licensing deal with Marriott International and rebranded as Sonder by Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott and Sonder guests were abruptly ordered to vacate, some mid-stay, as staff learned they had lost their jobs the same day
Sonder, once valued at over $1 billion and hailed as a rival to Airbnb, filed for Chapter 7 liquidation on Monday after Marriott International terminated its licensing deal — forcing the company to wind down operations immediately.
The collapse came less than a year after Sonder — which offered short-term apartment-style rentals and boutique hotels — rebranded as Sonder by Marriott Bonvoy under a 2024 partnership that allowed it to list rooms on Marriott’s website.
But the two companies reportedly struggled to integrate booking systems, leading to what executives called a ‘sharp decline in revenue.’
‘We are devastated to reach a point where liquidation is the only viable path forward,’ said interim CEO Janice Sears.