Sonder — Piety House

The neighborhood is a real plus, with good food nearby, easy street parking for several cars, and a short drive to the main attractions. It stayed quiet at night despite being across from a bar. The place is a bright, modern conversion of an older neighborhood building, but the nighttime roach problem, especially in the kitchen, was awful. We took out the trash daily and kept counters clean, yet big and small roaches kept appearing. We never saw evidence of pest control, and without Raid we couldn't keep up with them. We had other upkeep issues too: unstable or broken furniture, loose fixtures, a missing fan remote, and a tiny RV-style shower in the only upstairs bedroom bathroom. There are floor drains in the kitchen and bathrooms for plumbing or appliance overflows, but that didn't solve the pest issue. With no patio or outdoor space, window shades would have been nice for enjoying the neighborhood view from the living room seats. This is a Sonder rental listed through VRBO, so we had to contact Sonder a few times. App replies took around 15 minutes, and chats were closed if we didn't respond within a couple more minutes. On the last day they switched to text, but three different people messaged within 15 minutes, which made their communication seem disorganized. The TV power setup was awkward, so we left it unplugged; bring an HDMI cable if you don't have Chromecast or an Android phone, since we ended up using our laptops. Cable would also help guests follow local weather. If management, maintenance, and service improve, this could be a phenomenal place.

We had a group stay, and it worked out perfectly. The place felt very modern and clean, with a really nice shared area for hanging out.

I expected a house, but this is really a mini-hotel run by one of New Orleans’ most scummy companies.