Anyone have experience with Sonder?

Submitted by ISOtrails t3_z13tpy in philadelphia

I’m in need of lodging for 3 nights, I live next to one of the “Boutique” hotels that have been erected by Sonder-so I figured why not I’ll give it a shot

Log on to their site- spend about a half hr creating an account researching buildings , verifying my identity etc only to get this arbitrary email 3 hours before check in

I’m sorry, we won’t be able to move forward with this stay. Here’s why and what we’ll do.

At Sonder, we take a very cautious and secure approach to the bookings we accept out of respect for all of our guests, employees, neighbors, and partners. Your booking was flagged and was reviewed extensively. We only accept reservations we’re confident won’t violate our house rules.

I’ve canceled your reservation and you’ll be refunded in full so you can book elsewhere.

Please note that this decision is final.

Best The Sonder Team

Call them- get put on hold for another half hr- contact them through the app- no one can give me a valid reason why.

Anyone ever experience this? Also does anyone have any short notice recs to crash the next few nights?

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Comments

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youngbuck215 t1_ix8zb98 wrote

They might deny you because you have a local address?

I know a lot of Airbnbs will reject locals, because it looks like you're renting it out for a party.

Maybe Sonder has a similar policy?

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ISOtrails OP t1_ix90ea0 wrote

I guess- seems arbitrary- that’s why they take a credit card and a security deposit.

I should be able to rent wherever I want as long as my money is green. eff it, Tropicana here I come

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allenrabinovich t1_ix93cqv wrote

It's not uncommon for hotels to deny folks with local addresses, especially budget hotels. It's very much due to repeated bad experiences with locals using hotels and motels to throw parties and trashing hotel rooms. And this isn't just Sonder, many Hampton Inns have that policy, Days Inns, Motel 6's, etc. Here's an article from a completely different area discussing this: https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2019/06/19/answer-man-local-hotels-wont-rent-local-residents/1485686001/

I agree with you though that they should have been clear about this policy from the get-go. You may want to reach out to the state Attorney General's office and Better Business Bureau with complains.

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ISOtrails OP t1_ix9amr1 wrote

I can appreciate the challenges budget friendly hotels face, i guess its a case of a few bad apples destroying the barrel.

​

I filed with the BBB already- i gave them a chance to explain themselves- they didn't. They should be explicit in their rules before they waste my time.

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On a positive note- a king size room at the Ocean Resort cost me $130 bucks for 2 nights. Even with resort fees, tolls, gas and parking- I am saving about $10.00.

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yogaballcactus t1_ixbchzf wrote

Sonder did this to me. So I called and told them my girlfriend and I needed a weekend away from our roommates. That seemed to work.

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Proper-Code7794 t1_ix8s729 wrote

Relationships should just work initially. You shouldn't have to chase down someone and jump through hoops just to make yourself happy. You're a good person and anyone would like you to sleep in their house there's a thousand fish in the sea!

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ISOtrails OP t1_ix9b1ej wrote

Thank you for your kind words- Trying not to couch surf so close to the holidays-

Even though i tested negative 4 times, i don't want to expose anyone unnecessarily.

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Proper-Code7794 t1_ixeylzx wrote

hollar from an old oxford circle refugee. (did i say that right?_)

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OfferImpressive t1_ix8xvec wrote

I stayed at the Sonder on Juniper for about 4 months over the summer. Not sure if this applies to you, but I do know they can run background checks in Philly and deny reservations based on what’s found.

They’re customer service sucks, but for what it’s worth, it’s always easier getting in contact with them via text.

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ISOtrails OP t1_ix903og wrote

I’m an educator with a spotless record-

Good enough for the fbi , PA state police and the school district of Philadelphia - not good enough for poorly constructed shitty customer service sonder I guess🤷‍♂️

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LFKhael t1_ix8sv5i wrote

Sonder caters primarily to an international/non-Anglophone European audience as far as I can tell.

Seriously, walk by the entrances to their CC locations enough and you'll pick up on it.

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ISOtrails OP t1_ix8t7ff wrote

When they opened the bldg next to me they’d rent to anyone- COVID parties , trash everywhere. I’ve had friends stay there for a week or two from California- they said it was okay- not the best - but serviceable…

My issue is don’t take my money then deny me with 3 hours before check in

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urbantravelsPHL t1_ixa5exx wrote

This is not useful advice in hindsight, but if you live right nearby, one thing to try is to walk right in, in person (during a non-busy time) and talk directly to the humans at the desk. Say you live nearby, you need to stay away from home a few night because of the exterminators or whatever the reason is, and you wonder if they accept bookings from local neighbors.

If they have a 100% inflexible policy about this, then they should be able to tell you up front - if they can put a note in your file with info about why you're booking or a manager can override something, then you'll know that on the spot.

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ISOtrails OP t1_ixa6tit wrote

Thank you for taking the time to suggest this. Sonder is all digital- through apps. There is no traditional ‘front desk’. They made me download an app after confirming my email, drivers license and blood type ( kidding about blood type).

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MrTommyJefferson t1_ixpur0t wrote

I haven't had a good experience. I stayed in a Sonder for 2 weeks, and at the end they charged me $100 for "pots and pans that went missing" (I didn't take anything). I had another friend stay in one and get bedbugs.

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