CoStar Hotel News: Wall Street pressure for growth spurred Marriott to overlook visible risks in Sonder deal, experts say

December 5, 2025 – Jim Butler, Chair of the Global Hospitality Group® at Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP (JMBM), was recently quoted in the CoStar Hotel News article, “Wall Street pressure for growth spurred Marriott to overlook visible risks in Sonder deal, experts say.” The article discusses the termination of a license agreement between Marriott Hotels and Sonder Holdings in the wake of Sonder’s recent financial problems.

Many analysts feel there were warning signs. Butler told CoStar that a company that is experiencing repeated net losses each quarter, missing U.S. Securities and Exchange commission filing deadlines and having to rework annual reports because of admitted accounting errors are indications of a company struggling with its internal controls and accounting systems.

“There could be a number of explanations for it, but it is often a sign of trouble when you don’t have financial control over your company,” he said. “It should be a major warning signal.”

Read the full article: Wall Street pressure for growth spurred Marriott to overlook visible risks in Sonder deal, experts say