Sonder Jewelers Row Apartments Millenium Park

This was one of my worst stays. I travel for work, touring, and paid for an extra night so I could check in early on my birthday. The room was cramped, the shower head was dirty, and the TV remote had no batteries. Someone who worked for Sonder cleaned the shower head and found batteries for me. Later, I noticed a tag and used contacts on the nightstand. It was disgusting and made me worry that the bed hadn’t been cleaned either. I contacted support through chat and got terrible service, with no urgency or care. I understand from working in a hotel that a room might not be available to switch to and housekeeping might be gone, but they should have offered to clean it first thing in the morning or move me then. Instead, they offered a $75 credit, which felt insulting because it just encourages me to book with them again. Why would I stay with Sonder after this? Luckily there was a washer in the room, so I had to wash my own sheets and clean the room to feel comfortable, which I should never have to do. Having this happen on my birthday made it even worse. I should be properly compensated. I was told a manager would contact me, but no one has.

Booking was extremely simple, and check-in and checkout were even easier. The place felt like a condo away from home, with plenty of space, a full kitchen, washer and dryer, and floor-to-ceiling windows that were the icing on the cake. I usually book rentals and had never tried Sonder before. After this past weekend, I hope they’re wherever I travel next. I’ll definitely book with Sonder again.

I’d describe this as a hybrid of an Airbnb and a hotel. There’s some customer service if you run into trouble, but enough privacy to feel like you have your own living space, with a bedroom and half kitchen. It isn’t a five-star hotel, and the building is quite old, but that shouldn’t put you off. It makes sense for a traveler staying more than a few days who wants a practical place and to save a few pennies. If you’re in Chicago, Illinois, I’d recommend it, and I’m confident I’d return. The place was clean, neat, and organized. The silverware, dishes, glasses, cooking utensils, pots and pans were pristine. The microwave and stovetop were very clean, the refrigerator spotless, and there wasn’t a crumb on the floor. I checked the bed linens for bed bugs, old hairs, or anything similar and found nothing. The room itself impressed me. The old building’s foyer was decent, and the elevator worked fine throughout my stay, even though I was on floor number 5. Outside the elevator there was a nice little sitting area and a long corridor leading to the room. I found the place through a third-party app. The first problem was the door code. I followed the instructions and tried countless times, but couldn’t unlock the room. I wondered if I had the wrong room or code. Later I learned I’d been given an earlier check-in than listed, and the people handling that hadn’t passed the information along. I probably wouldn’t have had the issue if I’d arrived at the original time. The other problem was the freezing room. I visited in late January/early February, on business for the week, doing auditions, so I don’t need to explain Chicago, Illinois winter weather. I kept adjusting the thermostat and called several times to get it fixed, without success at first. Eventually I managed to work a few mechanisms and got it going. Customer service were trying to get the super out, but it would take a day or two.

The room was really nice, and having a kitchen and microwave mattered a lot to me. There are plenty of public transportation options and restaurants and cafes nearby. It took me a while to figure out how the door and elevator codes worked, so finding the place was a bit hard.