The Marriott-Sonder meltdown became a textbook example of how not to handle a crisis. Guests forced to vacate with little notice, conflicting refund messaging, and outdated information from call centers created chaos.
Red Banyan CEO Evan Nierman told Business Insider that Marriott lost control the moment guests started describing themselves as “temporarily homeless” because of the brand.
Once customers feel abandoned, trust takes years to rebuild, if it can be rebuilt at all. A crisis doesn’t destroy a brand, but a poor response does.