Working with Sonder was anything but convenient. You have to download their app and go through a frustratingly long confirmation process. And, for me, part of their system wasn’t working so I had to go through their “chat” function with several people (mostly in the Philippines) to get it fixed. The people on the chat were Ill-equipped to deal with the problem. You can get a 30-minute early check-in if you go back through the awful chat function, but any more (even if the apartment is completely empty, ready and waiting) will cost you. We got to our place and the codes weren’t working. I quickly realized it was because we were 5 minutes early — so we had to wait outside the door until the lock worked. To me, the idea of Airbnb is that you should feel welcome, and maybe have a personal touch — this was anything but. Sad that companies are taking over short-term rentals instead of individuals. Sigh.
On the plus side — the place was newly remodeled and super clean. Thanks to the cleaner who prepared the place for us!! I have been to a few Airbnbs/VRBOs in Nola that were not nearly so clean.
And, the biggest plus was the location. Right on Magazine street with a hip coffee shop right next door — very friendly baristas. No need to make coffee in the morning. Tons of shops, restaurants, bars all within short walking distance. I recommend the Caribbean restaurant called Baru Bistro which is a few doors down the block.
As for the place itself. It is not well-appointed. The were 4 bar stools and 1 couch. There is a nice balcony with room for your group except that it only had 1 chair! And there were zero chairs in the apartment to move out onto the balcony. There were other amenities missing as well, Eg. no kitchen towels. And, nothing left for us as we often get when checking in to an Airbnb — no snacks, fruit, water, wine, etc. It was very bare bones and sterile.
Also, I am not sure if it explains this on the description, but the person in the 3rd bedroom has to walk through one of the other two bedrooms to access a bathroom.
After the check-in process, and the lack of appointments, I was ready to say I would never stay in this place again. However, the cleanliness and the location (and the coffee shop) made me decide that in fact, I would stay there again. I would just bring a few camp chairs for the balcony!