Sonder — The Esplanade

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: 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.

Wonderful
Traveller Type: young couple
  : large modern spacious apartment and large comfortable bed
  : was charged an early check in fee despite note of this on booking.com upon booking

Pleasant
Traveller Type: family with young children
  : The location of Sonder Esplanade is great, ideal spot in Marigny at the end of the tram line for the French Market and afacing the Jazz Museum. Perfect for walking everywhere or public transport. Staff were receptive when contacted remotely regarding noise complaints and did act immediately on the issues they could deal with.
  : The front door to building and windows to apartments on this side open onto a car park which is next to a pub/ club. This can be noisy from car parks users but also windows do not have sufficient covering to provide privacy. There is an enormous amount of noise from neighbours, including banging doors and going outside the main door for a smoke- next to the window of the apartments on this side and with no regard for the noise caused to others.

Disappointing
Traveller Type: young couple
  : Location was convenient to activities, beds were comfortable with good pillows and linens.
  : Tall windows faced directly onto loud nightclub, with heavy beats into the morning hours. Very low water pressure in shower. Kitchen chair was broken and likely would have collapsed if sat on. No coffee filters were provided, and one of the cups in the cupboard was unwashed. The one curtain on each window was not wide enough to cover the whole window, compromising privacy with foot traffic going by to the adjacent pubic parking lot. The drier did not heat, which gave us great inconvenience when we were trying to pack up in the morning to check out. The Sonder rep who responded could not get it to work, so we put our clothes in the dryer of another unit, which did not work either! In a 3rd unit the dryer finally worked, but it gave us quite a late start on our day. Coincidentally, my son had stayed in the same unit 2 months previously, and he said the dryer did not heat then either. Conclusion: very poor management.

Pleasant
Traveller Type: with friends
  : Location was good. Close to transportation. Room was clean and well stocked up. Pretty secure location.
  : No TV service. Have to stream. Room sleeps 4, but the dining table was small and only seats 2. Not much seating in living area. No bedroom furniture in bedrooms to store clothes. Had to put on suit case and clothes on floor. Loft bedroom does not have any privacy.