Sonder the Opal

It took more than ten sheets from a lint roller to clean the dirty, dusty couch, and the bathroom ceiling was falling apart. We weren't told about that. The next day, someone tried to come in to fix it. We said no because we weren't there, and no one had told us in advance so we could put our things away. Some amenities weren't working, and we were concerned about the overall cleanliness. We'd booked weeks ahead and couldn't check in until 4pm. After a long day of travel, we reached the hotel only to wait 45minutes because the room code didn't work. When I called, they questioned whether I'd paid, even though they had drafted more from my account than I'd been quoted. I then spent 45mins on the phone waiting for a new code. It was ridiculous.

We loved the space in our two-bedroom loft, especially the outdoor balcony and its beautiful views. The apartments were clean and the beds comfortable. The Sonder App was easy to use and made check-in simple. Whenever I sent a question through chat, I got an immediate answer. My family stayed at the Sonder Opal location in Chicago over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and we'll definitely choose Sonder again.

The rooms look as advertised, stylish and nice, but they're very basic. The location wasn't bad. They need more storage lockers downstairs, too. The main reasons for the lower score were the awful customer service and air conditioning. They failed to reply to three emails. The AC has only two settings, off or fighter jet plane mode, so the room was either hot and stuffy or really noisy. Check video.

There are lots of good places to eat and get coffee nearby, along with local shops for essentials and a Walgreens just around the corner. It's right by magnificent mile for anyone wanting to do some serious shopping. I come to Chicago for tattoos, so I really appreciate how clean and spacious the bathrooms are. Always a pleasure working with Sonder.