I had a pleasant stay in San Diego for a few days. I reached out to Sonder when my train was delayed - although it says checkin is from 4-6pm, I could actually check in any time after 4, so there was no reason to worry. The team was pleasant when they got back to me about my change of plans! Keyless entry into the building worked like a charm.
I do have to mention the difficulty I had getting into my room. The keypad completely stopped working after I typed in my access code and wouldn’t let me in. I reached out via AirBNB’s messaging system and didn’t hear back, so I had to download the Sonder app to get in contact with someone. Eventually, a property manager arrived and told me the entire keypad was broken - the options were for him to either take time to book me in another room, or crawl through the outdoor window to let me in and replace the keypad. We opted for the latter, as it was “faster,” although I still missed the opening night of my conference due to the time delay on getting the situation resolved, which was disappointing.
That said, after the keypad was fixed, I had few issues with the room itself! It was described accurately - a bed, a coat rack, a TV, and a bathroom. I enjoyed the shower and appreciated having enough towels for each day. There is a common space downstairs with a small fridge and some other kitchen items, but I couldn’t find cutlery anywhere, so when my food delivery forgot my utensils, I was lucky I had some plastic ones packed away in my backpack.
Overall, my experience wouldn’t detract from me staying with Sonder again, especially as I frequently solo travel and remote work. While it is difficult to work in the room without a table or desk, the ease of contactless entry (when it works) is a big plus, and I felt safe in the hotel, even if at night the surrounding area was a bit less comfortable. I look forward to seeing what other Sonder stays are like in the future.