Hotel brand Sonder goes bankrupt, architects express enthusiasm for the Zohran Mamdani administration, and applications for HD Expo + Conference’s 2026 Hosted Buyer Program open. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
Sonder shutters, leaves guests stranded
The former Sonder Atala location, near the Champs-Élysées in Paris; photo courtesy of Sonder
Guests at Sonder properties around the country awoke to startling news last Sunday morning—they had to vacate immediately. Marriott terminated what was supposed to be a 20-year licensing agreement with the hotel chain as a result of a “default,” and travelers suffered the consequences. CNN reports that the partnership was signed last year when Sonder was valued at $1 billion and seen as a mounting rival to Airbnb. Marriott’s booking platform was expected to provide a much-needed boon after a rough go in the public markets in 2022. Sonder issued its own statement the following day, on Monday, November 10th, that it was immediately “winding down operations” and entering a Chapter 7 liquidation of its business. The company also blamed their financial duress on Marriott, citing the hospitality giant’s “systems and booking arrangements” as an ongoing point of difficulty. As a result, development and management company Lark announced yesterday that it will assume operations at 907 Main—previously a Sonder by Marriott Bonvoy property—in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Lark plans to reopen the 67-room boutique hotel by early December.
Who’s excited about Zohran Mamdani? New York architects!
Zohran Mamdani, mayor-elect of New York City; photo by Madison Swart
Good faith is brewing among New York’s creative communities following the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor earlier this month. Just ask AIA New York executive director Jesse Lazar, one of many voices in New York’s design sphere championing the news. Dezeen cites Lazar’s statement expressing “tremendous enthusiasm within the architecture and design community for change and new opportunities in our city.” Locally based architect and Columbia University professor Laurie Hawkinson echoes praise for Mamdani’s infrastructure policies as well as his plans to accelerate the climate agenda put forth by Mayor Eric Adams. David Erdman, founding director of the Center of Climate Adaptation and associate professor at Pratt, concurs, noting that more self-sufficiency would work toward lowering energy expenses. WXY Studio founder and architect Claire Weisz also voices optimism given Governor Kathy Hochul’s endorsement to collaborate with the mayor-elect.
BIG unveils Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art
An aerial view of Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art; photo by Ye Jianyuan
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has completed the 646,000-square-foot Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art (Suzhou MoCA) in China. Spread across a village of 12 pavilions, the project is distinguished by poetic rooftops with gentle undulations that recall the silhouette of tiled eaves. Bridges and tunnels connect pavilions below and above ground, with rooms oriented into a sequence of gardens and courtyards—a modern reinterpretation of the garden elements that have defined the city’s urbanism and landscapes for centuries. “Weaving between the legs of the Ferris wheel, the museum branches out like a rhizome, connecting the city to the lake,” says BIG founder and creative director Bjarke Ingels. “The result is a manmade maze of plants and artworks to get lost within. Its nodular logic only becomes distinctly discernible when seen from the gondolas above. Against the open space of the lake, the gentle conical curvature of the roofs forms a graceful silhouette on the waterfront. From above, the stainless roof tiles form a true fifth facade.” Set to open its doors to the public in 2026, the museum will be inaugurated with the Materialism exhibition. Curated by BIG, the show will guide visitors along a material odyssey beginning with stone all the way up to recycling.
Let us now praise ugly things
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In the era of the doomscroll, memes may be the only merits social media has left. That is unless you are among the many thousands following PleaseHateTheseThings, Zillowtastrophies, or the innumerable other Instagram or TikTok accounts inviting us to gawk at mediocre, confounding, and garish design disasters. Social media actually even amplifies the bad and the ugly, according to a recent write-up from Dwell, in which writer Jon Stich highlights the platforms’ curious appeal to fans of whatever is the opposite of real estate porn. Speaking with moderators of several accounts including @whatthecrazyhouse, Stich illuminates the unique endurance of such profiles for their capacity to corral community around shared hatred. Whether it’s ridiculing the awful taste of the rich amid unprecedented economic scarcity or just scratching our heads at an ultra-luxe Zillow listing, we can’t underestimate the power of the hideous to bring us all a little closer.
Apply now to join HD Expo’s exclusive Hosted Buyer Program
Alice Bailey, Hospitality Design, leads the 2025 Hosted Buyers through the HD Expo + Conference show floor; photo by PWP Studio
We may be months away from HD Expo + Conference 2026, but the time is now to become part of next year’s Hosted Buyer Program. Applications for the exclusive program are now open, inviting you to unlock perks that include a flight stipend of up to $500 domestic (and $1,000 international). Hosted Buyers also receive a three-night stay within the HD hotel block, a complimentary experience pass with full conference access, curated booth tours, and more. Spots are limited—apply today! HD Expo + Conference will take place May 5-7th, 2026 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
