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The Marriott-Sonder breakup left guests scrambling for accommodations, and home rental companies are jumping into the fray.
On Sunday, Marriott announced that it ended its licensing agreement with Sonder. Guests needed to leave by Monday morning.
TrustedHousesitters, a rental service that allows subscribers to stay in other people’s homes while they’re away on vacation and take care of their pets, said it would offer a free standard membership during the holidays to affected Sonder customers.
“If your Sonder booking was canceled, we are here to help,” a notice on TrustedHousesitters’ website said.
TrustedHousesitters’ CEO, Mathew Prior, said in an emailed statement to Business Insider that he was saddened to hear about Sonder.
“Behind the headlines are travelers suddenly searching for alternative accommodation, and teams of people who worked hard to build something from the ground up,” Prior said.
TrustedHousesitter’s “Standard Sitter” plan costs $169 annually, which includes unlimited house sits within a year. It has more than 240,000 members in over 180 countries, the website said.
A representative of Landing, a housing subscription company that lets members rent furnished apartments across the US, told Business Insider it was offering affected Sonder guests a $500 discount for a minimum two-night stay at their residences.
Landing has 5,000 apartments in over 250 US cities, according to its website. It’s popular with digital nomads searching for short-term housing.
And then there are the promo codes.
Lastminute.com, an online travel bookings company, told Business Insider on Wednesday that it would be offering a £50, or about $65, discount in the UK and Europe, called “LMRESCUE50UK,” to help affected travelers find last-minute accommodations.
A representative for the company said the code would be valid from November 12 to November 19, and can only be used on bookings that start at £500.
On Sunday, Marriott emailed guests staying at Sonder properties, instructing them to vacate the hotels by 11 a.m. on Monday because it had terminated its licensing agreement with Sonder. Sonder said on Monday that it was planning to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and liquidate its US business.
Guests Business Insider spoke to said they were blindsided by the short notice, and they spent hundreds of dollars trying to find last-minute alternative accommodations.
Guests are also scrambling to get their money back after Marriott changed its refund guidelines. On Tuesday, the company told guests to contact their credit card companies to ask for a refund, instead of going through Marriott.
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