Quite possibly the worst experience I’ve ever had at a hotel. I travel a lot but have never been to a Sonder property.
Apparently it’s a condo building that rents hotel rooms. I had to provide a face scan and fill out several pages of forms just for one night. Normally you check in a hotel - hand them ID and a credit card. Not here. They won’t touch your ID or card. You must download their awful app and use it to scan your ID and credit card. But the scanning didn’t work. Several tries did not work. Finally the desk guy was able to type in the numbers into his terminal. But wait, there’s more!
You must submit a facial photo and agree to their biometrics terms of service. I tried to refuse, but was told then my reservation would be cancelled without a refund.
I finally submitted to this. I asked why this was necessary, and was told it was to make it easier for my next stay - but there will not be any next stay for me here or any other Sonder property.
You do not get a key, but a 6-digit code that you must punch in at the door and elevator - while everyone else is waiting. If you don’t get the code typed in promptly, you’ll be taken on a journey to all the other floors.
They say the app will make this easier, but it never worked.
The suite itself was very nice, but most of the light switches for the various rooms were not connected to any lights. The kitchen was not stocked with any flatware or plates.
Awful experience.