We booked this hotel months in advance. When we got there they gave us the wrong room and were sold out so we had to find a new place to stay. (There are 4 of us, they gave us a 2 person room) It was actually a blessing in disguise. We ended up at a Hilton in Brookline. The staff at Sonder are horribly rude. The woman at the front desk, between eye rolls and sighs was very put out that she had to check to see if there was availability elsewhere. The check-in process was also needlessly complicated, having me scan my id and take a selfie before you can get into your room. I thought maybe they didn’t have staff at the desk.. but they do. Just nobody helpful :) The room was SO small. It fit the king sized bed only. Even our suitcases were squeezed in there. We ended up pretty happy that they messed up our reservation so we could find a better place to stay.
Soph B
I would give no stars if I could. Before we even checked in they tried to charge me almost $100 extra for a 'room fee' that I called, texted and emailed them regarding, which turned out to be a bogus mistake no one could explain to me. The next day I get a $150 charge for amenities fee-what amenities? There's nothing here, no breakfast, despite their two restaurants, no water in the room, nothing. The bed is awful, the sheets come off constantly, the mattress is a queen on a king frame and we hurt ourselves getting out of the bed almost every time. There's about six inches of empty space between the mattress and the end of the fram of each side. It's bizarre. The shower gets water everywhere and has no hot or cold water indicator. There is pretty much no hotel staff at all. This place is outrageous.
It is also unbearably loud. There is a restaurant on the ground floor, another on the roof and a busy street outside. There was a wedding until 12am last night and then loud live music started at 8:30 am this morning for a brunch. We can hear every conversation our neighbors have, in the rooms nearby and in the hallway. Stay at the Meridian if you can. I wish I could get my money back.
L Ladybug
Rooms were small but very cute and had a nice location with a great view of the streets.
Staff is extremely nice and willing to help; however, we had asked for blankets and pillows that never arrived and sheets that arrived 2 days later. Once asked, the staff immediately fulfilled our requests for towels.
The fitted sheets on the bed continuously came off throughout the night and left my family sleeping on the disgusting mattress pad.
The bathroom is fine and looks clean for the most part but the shower is small and water easily spills onto the floor outside because of the small shower curtain. The shower head has great water pressure but very inconsistently.
The 2 restaurants in the building, while having excellent food, are the loudest things imaginable. Up until 11 o clock at night and nonstop throughout the upstairs restaurant would be moving chairs or playing loud music.
The hotel is at a nice location about a 20 minute walk from Harvard with many restaurants, bus stops, and subway entrances nearby.
Bill O'Brien
There was no problem with the room per se, other than it wasn't the room I booked. I booked my reservation in April for a trip in June. I reserved a room with 2 queen sized beds for me and my 2 teenage sons. The day before our trip, they informed me my room was unavailable. They offered two rooms with a king size bed in each room instead, so we couldn't all share a room. Upon arrival, the clerk told me to book the second room, I'd need to cancel my reservation and re-book my room on the Expedia website, then I would be reimbursed for the second room. He couldn't guarantee that the rooms would be adjoining or even on the same floor. My boys are good boys but they're also teenagers. No way was I leaving them to their own devices in an unfamiliar city. The hotel staff was no help at all, so we all made due on one king sized bed. I'd go back to Boston in a heartbeat but I'd definitely stay somewhere else.
Tyler McCollum
Hot tip! Make sure to double check your reservation to make sure they don't cancel it on you. I arrived and had to rebook. Coincidentally, the room went up by $100 since making my reservation. The hotel is nice for a stale corporate shoebox and the location is good.
Jake Miller
I was exceptionally disappointed by Sonder. This was my first experience with this brand, and I will likely never try it again. The rooms were outfitted like a low-budget hotel, while the price was nearly double surrounding hotels.
I was surprised by the complicated check-in and guest registration process (all online). It’s supposed to be linked to Marriott, but there were many failures in the integration.
The entire property needed some work. Peeling wallpaper, leaky toilets, broken A/C. It’s clear there’s no one walking this property regularly.
I stayed just below the restaurant, which led to a noisy and late night just prior to a 5am flight, not exactly relaxing.
Overall, the Sonder brand appears to be trying for a high-end chic experience with an Air BnB check-in style. It hits the frustrations of Air BnB, and misses the chic target entirely.
I will not return to this brand.
Theresa Loewenstine
Small rooms at our last evening and there was on a Sunday night and we were underneath the back patio room 325 and they have a live band playing till after 11 PM. Very loud could not sleep would not stay here again.
Young-Il Jo
NEVER recommend this place due to noise from althea bar/restaurant and sonder’s poor management. It is Sunday 11:27pm the noise is quite unbearable. 2nd and 3rd floor toward the street won’t avoid the noise from the outside Front desk guys were not helpful and said “they shd stop it at midnight.” We requested to change the rooms to the customer service but they keep saying it’s fully booked. Well we stay here for 6 days and I am sure not everyone in this building stays 6 days like us. There must be some room that would be available in between check in and outs.
Very disappointed with the customer service here and will continue to escalate the situation to the management team until better accommodation is provided (also there are many review about the restaurant and bar, they shd be able to communicate with the owner there).
Mary Noh
Terrible, do not stay here. they double charged me for my reservation even though I prepaid through hotels.com. when i entered the room for the first time, the toilet was broken and there was no hot water from the sink. i asked concierge through text and they said they would send someone within 12 hours. they are hugely incompetent.
Felix Wong
Walls are paper thin. I can hear every single word of my neighbors phone call. Starting at 7 am. It’s now 10 am. Also, you are living in a shoebox. Beds are hard and sheets are uncomfortable. Save the money and get an Airbnb instead.
Great hotel until anything goes wrong then you are left completely on your own. Just wanted to cancel a reservation ... 35 minutes later still waiting on hold for a representative to get back to me.
Avoid
Katelyn L
I was nervous about my stay based on reviews, but I really enjoyed it overall though I do think the price is steep for the size of the rooms and the hotel amenities. I'd stay again if the price was lower.
Location is excellent and very close to transit lines, but also within walking distance to many major Cambridge attractions. Fantastic selection of restaurants and stores in the surrounding area. Rooms were very clean and comfortable though might be small for more than one person or if you have large luggage. Front desk does offer luggage storage until check-in despite the app saying that they do not, would love to see this info corrected. I was on the 4th floor and even on a Friday night there was minimal noise from the rooftop bar aside from a few chairs being moved. I really appreciated the microwave/water dispenser/extra cutlery/toiletries in the hallway! Worth noting that you were only allowed to take one of any item and that you were otherwise expected to purchase your own (toilet paper included) - this reads as cheap/stingy and the daily rate for this hotel isn't particularly low or affordable to warrant this. Room included shampoo/conditioner/soap/hair dryer and a fridge. Easy to connect the TV to your phone for entertainment. Rooms don't allow you to set the temperature below 20C. Shower curtain was flimsy and the plumbing sometimes squeaked loudly after using the sink or flushing the toilet. The app leaves a lot to be desired in terms of the available information about the hotel and the chat help option, it takes a long time for someone to respond and the agents don't always know what they're doing.
I'm not someone who cares for a lot of bells and whistles in my hotels, and this place suited my needs really well. I was here for work and did not cover the cost of my stay. I had a great experience but if I was paying out of pocket I'm not sure I'd choose to stay here again solely based on the price. If the rate was more reasonable based on the available amenities and level of service I'd be happy to stay again.
Richard Agee
Booked a room with two beds. We arrived and the room only had one bed leaving two travelers with nowhere to sleep. Was not offered another room or any refund. Awful experience.
Mark Clunes
Hotel clean, busy location with options on your doorstep, but was quiet in the rooms. Restraint in hotel was great for those rainy evenings! Live music on a few nights. All round very happy with the hotel and location.
Nora Högelsberger
Absolutely the worst hotel experience I’ve ever had. We were locked out of the building late at night with no staff on-site and only managed to get in by luck when someone else was leaving. Once inside we found ourself locked out of our room. No one was available to help, and the phone support was barely useful. We spent nearly an hour in the hallway trying random codes and searching for a “hidden key” by an ice cream machine, until we were eventually reassigned a new room — whose code also didn’t work at first. We finally got in at 2 a.m. after a long and exhausting ordeal, despite needing to work early the next day.
The explanation? A vague “lock system outage.” The resolution? A $50 voucher for our next stay at Sonders usable within a year we were promised (which honestly felt like a joke) but never received — and our follow-up was ignored entirely.
This level of disorganization, lack of accountability, and poor customer service is completely unacceptable. I would never stay with Sonder again.
We booked this hotel months in advance. When we got there they gave us the wrong room and were sold out so we had to find a new place to stay. (There are 4 of us, they gave us a 2 person room) It was actually a blessing in disguise. We ended up at a Hilton in Brookline. The staff at Sonder are horribly rude. The woman at the front desk, between eye rolls and sighs was very put out that she had to check to see if there was availability elsewhere. The check-in process was also needlessly complicated, having me scan my id and take a selfie before you can get into your room. I thought maybe they didn’t have staff at the desk.. but they do. Just nobody helpful :) The room was SO small. It fit the king sized bed only. Even our suitcases were squeezed in there. We ended up pretty happy that they messed up our reservation so we could find a better place to stay.
I would give no stars if I could. Before we even checked in they tried to charge me almost $100 extra for a 'room fee' that I called, texted and emailed them regarding, which turned out to be a bogus mistake no one could explain to me. The next day I get a $150 charge for amenities fee-what amenities? There's nothing here, no breakfast, despite their two restaurants, no water in the room, nothing. The bed is awful, the sheets come off constantly, the mattress is a queen on a king frame and we hurt ourselves getting out of the bed almost every time. There's about six inches of empty space between the mattress and the end of the fram of each side. It's bizarre. The shower gets water everywhere and has no hot or cold water indicator. There is pretty much no hotel staff at all. This place is outrageous.
It is also unbearably loud. There is a restaurant on the ground floor, another on the roof and a busy street outside. There was a wedding until 12am last night and then loud live music started at 8:30 am this morning for a brunch. We can hear every conversation our neighbors have, in the rooms nearby and in the hallway. Stay at the Meridian if you can. I wish I could get my money back.
Rooms were small but very cute and had a nice location with a great view of the streets.
Staff is extremely nice and willing to help; however, we had asked for blankets and pillows that never arrived and sheets that arrived 2 days later. Once asked, the staff immediately fulfilled our requests for towels.
The fitted sheets on the bed continuously came off throughout the night and left my family sleeping on the disgusting mattress pad.
The bathroom is fine and looks clean for the most part but the shower is small and water easily spills onto the floor outside because of the small shower curtain. The shower head has great water pressure but very inconsistently.
The 2 restaurants in the building, while having excellent food, are the loudest things imaginable. Up until 11 o clock at night and nonstop throughout the upstairs restaurant would be moving chairs or playing loud music.
The hotel is at a nice location about a 20 minute walk from Harvard with many restaurants, bus stops, and subway entrances nearby.
There was no problem with the room per se, other than it wasn't the room I booked. I booked my reservation in April for a trip in June. I reserved a room with 2 queen sized beds for me and my 2 teenage sons. The day before our trip, they informed me my room was unavailable. They offered two rooms with a king size bed in each room instead, so we couldn't all share a room. Upon arrival, the clerk told me to book the second room, I'd need to cancel my reservation and re-book my room on the Expedia website, then I would be reimbursed for the second room. He couldn't guarantee that the rooms would be adjoining or even on the same floor. My boys are good boys but they're also teenagers. No way was I leaving them to their own devices in an unfamiliar city. The hotel staff was no help at all, so we all made due on one king sized bed. I'd go back to Boston in a heartbeat but I'd definitely stay somewhere else.
Hot tip! Make sure to double check your reservation to make sure they don't cancel it on you. I arrived and had to rebook. Coincidentally, the room went up by $100 since making my reservation. The hotel is nice for a stale corporate shoebox and the location is good.
I was exceptionally disappointed by Sonder. This was my first experience with this brand, and I will likely never try it again. The rooms were outfitted like a low-budget hotel, while the price was nearly double surrounding hotels.
I was surprised by the complicated check-in and guest registration process (all online). It’s supposed to be linked to Marriott, but there were many failures in the integration.
The entire property needed some work. Peeling wallpaper, leaky toilets, broken A/C. It’s clear there’s no one walking this property regularly.
I stayed just below the restaurant, which led to a noisy and late night just prior to a 5am flight, not exactly relaxing.
Overall, the Sonder brand appears to be trying for a high-end chic experience with an Air BnB check-in style. It hits the frustrations of Air BnB, and misses the chic target entirely.
I will not return to this brand.
Small rooms at our last evening and there was on a Sunday night and we were underneath the back patio room 325 and they have a live band playing till after 11 PM. Very loud could not sleep would not stay here again.
NEVER recommend this place due to noise from althea bar/restaurant and sonder’s poor management. It is Sunday 11:27pm the noise is quite unbearable. 2nd and 3rd floor toward the street won’t avoid the noise from the outside Front desk guys were not helpful and said “they shd stop it at midnight.” We requested to change the rooms to the customer service but they keep saying it’s fully booked. Well we stay here for 6 days and I am sure not everyone in this building stays 6 days like us. There must be some room that would be available in between check in and outs.
Very disappointed with the customer service here and will continue to escalate the situation to the management team until better accommodation is provided (also there are many review about the restaurant and bar, they shd be able to communicate with the owner there).
Terrible, do not stay here. they double charged me for my reservation even though I prepaid through hotels.com. when i entered the room for the first time, the toilet was broken and there was no hot water from the sink. i asked concierge through text and they said they would send someone within 12 hours. they are hugely incompetent.
Walls are paper thin. I can hear every single word of my neighbors phone call. Starting at 7 am. It’s now 10 am. Also, you are living in a shoebox. Beds are hard and sheets are uncomfortable. Save the money and get an Airbnb instead.
Restaurantji Recommends
Great hotel until anything goes wrong then you are left completely on your own. Just wanted to cancel a reservation ... 35 minutes later still waiting on hold for a representative to get back to me.
Avoid
I was nervous about my stay based on reviews, but I really enjoyed it overall though I do think the price is steep for the size of the rooms and the hotel amenities. I'd stay again if the price was lower.
Location is excellent and very close to transit lines, but also within walking distance to many major Cambridge attractions. Fantastic selection of restaurants and stores in the surrounding area. Rooms were very clean and comfortable though might be small for more than one person or if you have large luggage. Front desk does offer luggage storage until check-in despite the app saying that they do not, would love to see this info corrected. I was on the 4th floor and even on a Friday night there was minimal noise from the rooftop bar aside from a few chairs being moved. I really appreciated the microwave/water dispenser/extra cutlery/toiletries in the hallway! Worth noting that you were only allowed to take one of any item and that you were otherwise expected to purchase your own (toilet paper included) - this reads as cheap/stingy and the daily rate for this hotel isn't particularly low or affordable to warrant this. Room included shampoo/conditioner/soap/hair dryer and a fridge. Easy to connect the TV to your phone for entertainment. Rooms don't allow you to set the temperature below 20C. Shower curtain was flimsy and the plumbing sometimes squeaked loudly after using the sink or flushing the toilet. The app leaves a lot to be desired in terms of the available information about the hotel and the chat help option, it takes a long time for someone to respond and the agents don't always know what they're doing.
I'm not someone who cares for a lot of bells and whistles in my hotels, and this place suited my needs really well. I was here for work and did not cover the cost of my stay. I had a great experience but if I was paying out of pocket I'm not sure I'd choose to stay here again solely based on the price. If the rate was more reasonable based on the available amenities and level of service I'd be happy to stay again.
Booked a room with two beds. We arrived and the room only had one bed leaving two travelers with nowhere to sleep. Was not offered another room or any refund. Awful experience.
Hotel clean, busy location with options on your doorstep, but was quiet in the rooms. Restraint in hotel was great for those rainy evenings! Live music on a few nights. All round very happy with the hotel and location.
Absolutely the worst hotel experience I’ve ever had. We were locked out of the building late at night with no staff on-site and only managed to get in by luck when someone else was leaving. Once inside we found ourself locked out of our room. No one was available to help, and the phone support was barely useful. We spent nearly an hour in the hallway trying random codes and searching for a “hidden key” by an ice cream machine, until we were eventually reassigned a new room — whose code also didn’t work at first. We finally got in at 2 a.m. after a long and exhausting ordeal, despite needing to work early the next day.
The explanation? A vague “lock system outage.” The resolution? A $50 voucher for our next stay at Sonders usable within a year we were promised (which honestly felt like a joke) but never received — and our follow-up was ignored entirely.
This level of disorganization, lack of accountability, and poor customer service is completely unacceptable. I would never stay with Sonder again.
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