Sonder Reviews

Don’t do it! You can likely find a good hotel WITH a staff on site for a cheaper/comparable rate. I booked a Sonder room in San Francisco, then changed my mind and cancelled the same day. It’s been almost 3 weeks and I still haven’t gotten my money back despite their 24-hour cancellation policy and customer service team’s repeat apologies. Unlike a hotel, Sonder instantly charges you the full amount of your stay upon booking. So you’d better be 100% sure you want to stay there. If this is “the future of hospitality,” then the future looks quite bleak.

I had booked with Sonder in the UK for a two day trip, attracted by the nice but no trills room and low prices. After booking, I was told to complete a profile before checking in. Unusual, but virtually everything requires an account these days, so sure. The first requirement was a scan of a government ID - a bit over the top, but not overly concerning. After this, I was told to enable webcam access on my device so that they can take a number of photos of my face, and to give some third party permission to analyse my biometric data. I struggle to communicate how insane this is without seeming hyperbolic.
This is a hotel. A HOTEL. Under what reasonable circumstances would a hotel want to be analysing my biometric data? Why in the world would I sign over my data to be analysed, just to sleep in a room which I've paid for?
A completely invasive and tone-deaf policy that lead to me instantly cancelling my reservation, and noting down Sonder as a company to never use again under any circumstances. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

Totally disappointing experience. I was supposed to stay at Sonder in New York and paid more than $3,000/month because it was advertised as doorman apartment, but they told me that they couldn't even receive any package so I need to go to close pick-up points to receive my packages. I even asked the reps that what does the doorman apartment mean then, but no answer. I felt like it's just a false advertisement. I wish I could give them a zero star. I was really disappointed because I was really looking forward to staying there as it seems pretty cool and nice, but realized that this was just super fancy expensive dorm without any good service. (even the reps I talked in the emails often changed what they were saying, which made me even feel very uncomfortable and frustrating. Please be careful.)

My family booked a larger unit for two months while our house was under construction. Sonder entered our unit and took surreptitious photos because they believed we had a nonexistent dog! I confronted them and they said they have the right to take surreptitious photos in units if they believe a house rules "violation" occurred. These people are insane! Watch out for invasions of privacy!!!!

I wish I would have read these reviews prior to booking with Sonder. We stayed at The Local in Tempe. We are a family of 4 and rented a two bedroom. The space was fine. Clean and spacious. Broken glass shower door was replaced by a cheap shower curtain and other short-cuts but nothing worth noting until the AC turned on. The AC unit was so loud. It sounded like a helicopter was landing in our apartment. We had to keep our unit at 75 degrees in order to keep our sanity.
Even that was manageable. What is unacceptable is their absolute lack of customer service and the issuing of a single key fob.
Our unit was only accessible with a key fob. Customer service did not respond to our request for a second fob. Imagine going on vacation with a family of four and only having a single key to your hotel room and without that key, you can’t leave your floor! This was us.
I sat in our apartment, literally locked on our floor with no way to get my baby and myself down 6 flights of stairs (the only alternative to the elevator). Who goes on vacation to get locked in their room with NO RESPONSE from customer service?!
I finally received a response when I was provided check out instructions. Sonder offered $250 credit for trapping us in our room and not responding to our outreaches.
Call me crazy but after spending a day of vacation locked in an apartment, I am not looking forward to spending more money with this company.
I wrote an email explaining the details and received no response. The lack of customer service is astounding. With so many lodging options, I would highly encourage people to consider anything other than Sonder.
Spend your money where people will care about your experience and respond to your requests. Sonder is the worst. As I wrote in one of my many outreaches to the company, I have exhausted all of the adjectives I can think of to describe this lodging experience.

One day before of the fly day they cancel because plumbing issues and they didn’t have any other apartment when you check the website with them now you can get apartment for $1800 in Miami worst experience with those fckrs

I cannot say more negative things about sonder. Two weeks before I spend a month at their property in Miami, flights booked, accommodations made--I get an email via VRBO the reservation is cancelled and Sonder did NOTHING to help. At all. I called and they were like "we don't have any other accommodations available for you". I've never been more upset in my life I will never use their service every again. Steer clear.

Horrible stay and even worse customer service. Sonder stole my money the same way as all the other people describe in their reviews here. Cannot expect a refund and the company is a scam. How about we join our forces in a lawsuit against Sonder? This company shouldn’t be able to be legal and running, they’re thieves.

DO NOT STAY WITH SONDER. For starters their communication is absolutely horrendous. I booked a 45+ day stay and after stressing and reaching out about an update they finally told me I would receive an email 3 days out (talk about cutting it close). Then at 3 days I reached out again, and again they told me I’d receive information soon. It wasn’t until less than 48 hours I received any notification (keep in mind at this point I’ve paid them $1900). I literally thought I was being scammed. Sonder doesn’t run the building itself so I won’t hold them accountable for the issues I ran into once I got keys, but there were many. Then my second payment was due and there was no way for me to make the payment I finally reached out and had to ask them if they would take my payment (another $1800). I asked if they were running my card to please send me a payment confirmation. I was told that they couldn’t provide me a payment confirmation because it wasn’t their department. Yet again I was questioning the scam I had fallen into. I have requested to speak to who ever is in the department that can help me for the multitude of issues and I’m always told I will receive a call and my phone hasn’t rang once in the 46 days I have been here so far. The way their customer assistance speaks is extremely rude so please heed my warning and avoid at all costs.

I am writing this because I feel people need to know the truth. I read these reviews and almost canceled my stay, but decided to try out this terrible experience myself since I've stayed in the worst hotels in manhattan before. My friend and I are staying in a 2 bedroom in NY. We have been extremely happy so far. Great wifi, comfortable beds, A/C units in each room which is AWESOME. Clean clean clean bathrooms (thank god), and great views. The price was amazing. I honestly am so glad I didn't change to a hotel. Please don't take the bad reviews to heart I think these people expect the plaza for a price cheaper than a small hotel in NY. If you aren't a needy person the Sonder will be an excellent choice for your stay!

Currently living in a sonder at Minneapolis MN. Initially i did have a little trouble to get hold of customer service as i was booking for more than 30 days. Once the team connected with me, i have nothing but good things to say about the service as well as the sonder unit im living in. It's top notch, clean and very very comfortable. Definetly recommend and might end up extending.

I rented Sonder unit #1134 on 2nd Street in Phoenix. It was the WORST rental experience I have ever had and would provide a no star rating if it was an option.
This was a 29-day rental that I chose based on the photos and statements about cleanliness in Sonder's marketing materials. Indeed, there were significantly less expensive options on Airbnb but I believed Sonder's marketing. Bad move.
What I found: a dead cockroach in the kitchen, badly stained shower curtain, dead bugs on the floors and windowsills, an area rug that was stained so badly that the original color could only be determined by turning the rug over, seat cushions on the two bar stool seats that were filthy, and pans and dishes that may or may not have been cleaned recently. In addition, there is construction of an apartment building right outside the door that begins by 6 a.m. every morning except Sunday and occasionally occurs in the middle of the night. And the trash dumpsters are 10 yards from the patio outside the unit, are full much of the time and, in the Phoenix sun, get ripe quickly.
I started the complaint process three days into the rental; despite repeated promises from various customer service reps to clean the unit, remove the rug, replace the shower curtain, etc., they dropped off a shower curtain 5 days later, sent an exterminator 6 days later, claimed they cleaned the rug (I was away for 24 hours visiting relatives during which time they claimed to have performed the cleaning; I found crumbs in the rug under the coffee table upon my return) and, after 2+ weeks of all of this, Sonder said it would not send a cleaning crew.
Based on my experience, I can say that the Sonder team in Phoenix misrepresents the cleanliness and overall quality of the units they deliver and the services they provide. In no circumstances are their units worth top-of-the-market rates and anyone renting from them should ask for proof of cleaning before renting.
After waiting two weeks to say they would not clean the unit and after reporting this matter to Amex and Airbnb, Sonder agreed to refund the portion of my rental fee attributable to nights I am not in the unit if I move out. The continuing promises to clean delayed my opportunity to accept an offer I would have gladly accepted after a week or less of Sonder's refusal to clean.