This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ethan Werchniak, 26, a New York State government employee. It has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider verified his booking at a Marriott–licensed Sonder property in Montreal.
The Marriott-Sonder breakup put a damper on one of the happiest days of our lives — our engagement.
My girlfriend, who was born and raised in New York, told me she wanted to be someplace new when she got proposed to. We had heard a lot of great things about Montreal, so we booked a five-day stay at a Sonder apartment in Old Montreal.
I proposed to her on Sunday at the Westmount Conservatory and Greenhouses in Montreal. It’s a really lovely spot, with a beautiful library, greenhouse, and a little recreation area in the park.
After, we enjoyed the city and celebrated. We window-shopped, explored Montreal, and visited a fine art museum. We weren’t glued to our phones like we are on a normal day.
So I only saw the email informing us about the Marriott-Sonder breakup after the Sonder worker came and knocked on our door at 10 a.m. on Monday, telling us to leave in an hour.
Getting kicked out after their engagement
My girlfriend answered the door, and the guy said, “I’m very sorry, you guys need to leave. Your reservation is canceled.”
I was ready to tear him a new one. I told him we had another day to go on our reservation.
He replied, “I’m very sorry to be blunt with you, but I’m losing my job right now. My last task is to tell people that they need to leave.”
I thought, “OK, this guy’s probably having a worse day than I am.” So I dropped it.
I immediately called Marriott and attempted to rebook. Marriott was able to put us up in another hotel, about a mile from where we were. But it cost more than the original accommodation by about 30 Canadian dollars, or about $21, so it felt like a scam, like “Hey, your reservation’s canceled, but we can make you a new reservation for more money.”
Marriott offered me 500 points for the trouble, but I don’t want to book with the hotel again.
The scene in the lobby afterward was something to behold. Everybody was down in the lobby, and everybody was pissed. Many had several days left before their flights back home. Several told us that they will never book with Marriott again.
Part of me wants to really go in on Marriott and say, “Everything crashed, we’re ruined, our last day was a disaster.”
But my girlfriend and I are pretty adaptable people. We’ve had a fun day since then. I’ve had a great dinner and good drinks, so I’m in a good mood now.
I’ve put it out of my mind. We had fun, but it wasn’t because of Marriott; it was in spite of it.
Representatives for Marriott and Sonder did not respond to several requests for comment from Business Insider. On Sunday, Marriott told customers who had booked a Sonder property through Marriott’s channels that they would get a full refund. A few days later, the company told guests to contact their credit card companies to ask for a refund instead.
