Sonder — The Esplanade

Poor
Traveller Type: family with young children

Wonderful
Traveller Type: family with young children

Very Poor
Traveller Type: young couple
  : We had a terrible experience, which we would like to warn others to steer well clear of. Sonder took our booking, knowing that the property was not available - long, ongoing construction on the site - and then changed our apartment to a completely different neighbourhood without any explanation. They simply sent confirmation with a different address - bait and switch.
  : It did not exist.

Wonderful
Traveller Type: young couple

Good
Traveller Type: young couple
  : We loved that we had so much space and that there was a washer and dryer in our unit.
  : No TV located in either bedroom. Couch was very uncomfortable for relaxing while watching tv/movies. There was something wrong with the door and it made this ridiculously loud scraping noise any time it was opened or closed.

Very Poor
Traveller Type: review category business travellers
  : The room inside was nice and clean
  : Dark at night, no staff or security onsite

Good
Traveller Type: family with young children
  : I loved the layout of the apartment and the number of bathrooms.
  : Parking. there’s no on-site parking which I did know ahead of time, but some guidance would have been nice. We were directed to a public parking app so that’s what I used (not knowing what areas to avoid I picked a very public lot by Jax Brewery) and got broken into…..twice! We spoke to a policeman near the Sonder as we were getting the first window replaced and he said absolutely not to park in the public lot behind the apartment or we would definitely be vandalized there. So we went back to another public lot and we’re broken into a second time.

Good
Traveller Type: young couple
  : Good location. Comfortable beds. Attractive property .
  : There is no staff on premises. Several nights, guests had loud, drunken, screaming fights. No staff to help. Dryer was broken so we had to hang wet laundry all over the apartment. Called staff but it was not fixed. Mildew in the bathrooms. A/c unit only worked in one room and made loud grinding noises when turned on. Called staff but this couldn’t be fixed either.

Good
Traveller Type: young couple
  : Let me start by saying that if it wasn’t for the exceptionally low price of our room we would not have been able to travel to New Orleans. Less than $400 for 5 nights was a bargain that pushed us to pull the trigger on our Louisiana getaway.Here are the positives: The room was clean, relatively quiet and we felt safe. Next door is a busy bar with an energetic nightlife. Once we were in our room we could only hear the hubbub a little. The location was perfect for what we wanted to experience in New Orleans. It’s near the French Market, right across the street from the Jazz Museum and within walking distance of Jackson Square, Preservation Hall and many of the other landmark places we wanted to see. There is food everywhere within walking distance too. Plenty of restaurants, bars, cafes and street food. The room is plenty big and has a small kitchen and living room. It’s a very nice space with a beautiful high ceiling. It even has a washer/drier (though we did not use them). We appreciated having this as our touch space for our visit. We could come back, decompress and have some quiet time. All and all, we enjoyed having this space to stay in during our visit to New Orleans.
  : On our “check-in” instructions under Amenities It read: “We’ve stocked your space with enough toiletries and kitchen items to get you started. If you need more supplies, download the sonder app for a nearby store or delivery recommendations. If you’re unable to get to the store right away, we’ll restock your Sonder once as a courtesy. Please reach out to our team to make a request.” We assumed at the very least we would have coffee and water. The fridge was empty and there was no coffee. There is a microwave, coffeemaker, dishwasher, sink, cups, plates, etc so they were right when they said they provided kitchen items. The “if you’re unable to get to the store right away, we’ll restock..” led us to believe there would be a small amount of groceries. In fairness, when we reached out to Sonder via the app some coffee was delivered later that day. Here are a few suggestions for Sonder to make the experience better for future visitors. Your check in instructions are very detailed about getting into the building and the room. However, It would have been very helpful to know that the rooms were behind a storefront called C’mere, which had the actual address - 427 Esplanade on it. It would have been helpful for us to know that the rooms were behind the store front. A sign along the front of the building saying SONDER and an arrow pointing towards the entrance would also be helpful for future travelers. Our thoughts for those wanting to stay at the Sonder Esplanade in the future: look at it as an Air BnB. There is no front desk, no staff and no one else around. That is a little disconcerting if you are thinking this is a hotel, but not so much if you are thinking of it as an Air BnB.Whenever we called or messaged Sonder we got a response, even though the person we talked to was in the UK, France or somewhere else in Europe. Each person we talked to was pleasant and helpful.

Poor
Traveller Type: group
  : Good location.
  : The photos were deceptive. While the loft generally resembled the photos, we were definitely expecting something nicer than what we got. There were marks on the walls where a towel rack had been ripped from the wall. The downstairs bedroom was comically tiny and there was nowhere to put anything except for a tiny, folding chair. You had to climb on top of the bed to get to the "closet". The floors were sticky and gross (we wore our shoes the entire time because the idea of putting our bare feet on the floor was horrifying). The smell in the loft was the worst part of all. It absolutely reeked of cigarettes even though it is allegedly non-smoking. Since the windows couldn't be opened there was no way for us to air the loft out so we had to deal with the smell of stale cigarettes our entire stay which was depressing and nauseating. The glasses in the kitchen hadn't been washed properly and the couch was covered in mysterious stains. Overall, we were all extremely uncomfortable during our stay and couldn't wait to leave. New Orleans is a great city but we dreaded having to return to the loft every single day. I would not recommend this accommodation to anyone and would never stay here again.