I once stayed at a shared Airbnb in Brooklyn which was a bit, well, meh. Not serious or dangerous. The cat was cold. The bed was clean. It was just a little awkward when you stared at him for too long. I just shrugged – I only needed a place to sleep, after all, and I think that’s a prospect we bet on when we book Airbnbs. We’re here for convenience and affordability, and (unless we book this Vermont Airbnb with a sauna) we tend to settle for a room “close enough” to what we’ve seen online. And that’s almost always good. But damn it, if it wouldn’t have been nice to have a new shampoo bottle on hold, or a simpler check-in, right?
[Sonder enters the chat.]
Probe hopes to combine the personality, comfort and affordability of a home-sharing experience with all the professionalism of a hotel. The vacation home rental platform rents and manages their apartments, so you don’t have to try and text this host, Jeff to find out where the key cache is, or hijack the look from his bunk tile grout. “We thoroughly clean and disinfect each Sonder before and after each stay,” the company says on each ad. It also offers automatic check-in and 24/7 customer support through the Sonder app, so you can limit in-person interactions in its various apartments. This guy tested a Sonder (they use it as a name, roll with it) that even had its own elevator (reserved specifically for what we’d like to call Sonder Sluts) and worked separately from the permanent tenant elevator. There are also unique security precautions that seem trivial, but can make the difference in avoiding potential irregularities for hosts and guests (like checking IDs).
The startup started in 2014 when founder Francis Davidson, then a student, started a side business dealing with sublets of his friends’ apartments, and… well, we’ve all seen that movie. One thing led to another, and now Sonder has more than 5,000 listings worldwide, according to CNBC.
The TL; DR: Sonder aims to blend the best parts of Airbnbs and hotels.
So who could want to do a Sonder Stay (as they’re called) instead of booking an Airbnb? Sonder is ideal for business people on a mission (many Sonder stays come with HDMI cables, and almost all NYC listings are in Midtown / the Financial District, so the vibe is more practical than bohemian), people who are planning long term stays (peep that London apartment), or anyone on vacation who needs to find their nursery in the middle of the night, and knows the bathroom will be stocked, the kitchen will have coffee and WiFi will be fast. If you’re looking for dusty retro Joshua Tree stamps with an old-fashioned charm, Sonder probably isn’t for you. It’s the kind of stay that is less about bathing in a giant glass of champagne and other kitschy roadside hotel attractions, and more about the reliability of landing in a room that looks like the whole thing. a WeWork promo pack. It’s clean. He is stocked.
It’s like booking a spotlessly clean Airbnb and getting it daddy through a bunch of boutique hotels. And now that we’re vaxxed and ready to fly between new cities [spins spurs], we’ve narrowed down some of our favorite choices for Sonder stays in the US and beyond.
You go to atlanta
1BR single at 549 Peachtree; sleeps up to $ 4.11 / night at Sonder
You go to san diego
Cozy 2BR at Jackwill Flats; sleeps up to $ 6,199 / night at Sonder
You go to new orleans
Modern 1BR at Duncan Plaza; sleeps up to $ 2.90 / night at Sonder
You go to Mexico
Picturesque room at Casa Tonalá; sleeps up to 2 people, 947 MEX $ / night (47 $ USD) at Sonder
You go to Los Angeles
Double room on the Beverly terrace; sleeps up to $ 4,208 / night at Sonder
You go to london
Artistic 2BR at the Arts Council; sleeps up to £ 4, 295 / night at Sonder
You go to houston
Chic 1BR at Hogg Palace; sleeps up to $ 4.93 / night at Sonder
You go to miami
Lively 2BR at Grove 27; sleeps up to $ 6,195 / night at Sonder
You go to New York
Bright room in Flatiron; sleeps up to $ 2.225 / night at Sonder
You go to rome
Central 2BR in Campo Marzio; up to 6 people, 119 € / night at the Sonder
Have a nice trip, baby. Remember to keep up to date with travel guidelines.
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