Sonder The Schaeffer Apartments French Quarter

The location was excellent, and we walked all over the French Quarter. We stayed in a three-bedroom, two-bath unit with five adults and a one-and-a-half-year-old. It had plenty of room to move around, even with a backpack, checked bag, and carry-on in each room. Each bedroom had a queen bed, two end tables, a ductless AC/heater, and lots of hangers. Two rooms also had luggage stands. One bathroom had a walk-in shower, while the other, by the front door, had a tub-shower. Water pressure and hot water were consistently good, and both bathrooms came with plenty of towels, toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion. The kitchen was fully equipped with a stove, oven, microwave, fridge, coffee machine, dishwasher, sink, cookware, utensils, dishes, cups, and cutlery. Coffee, sugar, filters, dishwasher pods, hand soap, sponges, and garbage bags for both kitchen and bathrooms were supplied. Laundry pods were provided for the washer-dryer, with laundry and dishwasher pods stored under the sink. More supplies were in a cabinet at the end of each floor’s hallway, and the Sonder app team replied quickly and brought anything missing to our room. When the TV Wi-Fi didn’t work, unplugging it and plugging it back in fixed it. It was a little tricky getting in: the cafe’s front door and the room door both needed the code entered carefully, with each number lighting up, or we had to start over. The mobile key in the Sonder app worked better for the room. To enter the building you pass through a small cafe that serves morning coffee and pastries, then closes and reopens as a bar at night. We found it quiet, low-key, and comfortable, with people keeping to themselves. It didn’t feel scary or awkward to walk through. We parked in a lot across the street, paid online for the week, and chose in-and-out access. We didn’t use the car much, but needed it for a few things. Parking was about $120 for five days; we left the car where we could keep an eye on it and had no problems. I’d read complaints about noise, and yes, the walls are thin. You can hear people above walking on the old wood floors, or someone in another room if they’re awake while you’re asleep. We occasionally heard a siren at night, but street noise wasn’t enough to keep us up. We had no rowdy neighbors. If someone in your own group snores, you’ll hear that too. Earplugs should help. After worrying from the reviews, I found the rooms a good size, the location terrific, and would definitely recommend the stay.

This was my first bad stay with Sonder, and it was a really rough one. There’s no front desk. The morning lobby cafe becomes a bar in the evening. When I arrived, my code hadn’t been activated even though I’d paid extra for 2 p.m. early check-in, so I had to call to get access. The “pool” was actually a large hot tub, too small to swim in, with warm, dirty-looking water and dirt visible throughout. I wasn’t planning to swim, but the pool was closed partway through our stay anyway. The walls are thin enough that we could hear the hallway, neighbors, the floor above, the elevator, and outside. The room was dirty, with dust on the kitchen shelves, large dust bunnies under the bed, and unpleasant stuff on the walls. The shower knob came right off when I tried to turn it on. We were short on towels and toiletries, and found a few things in the supply cabinet. I requested towels through the app, and they did arrive that day. Halfway through the stay, a very large cockroach appeared in our room. An agent said there were no other rooms to move us to and that someone would spray the next day. They sprayed only the kitchen, so I called again because there were bugs throughout the unit. The next agent was extremely rude. When I asked for a manager, I was told they couldn’t transfer me but someone would call within 24 hours. Nobody ever did. I didn’t get a picture of the roach in time, but attached screenshots of earlier reviews describing the same issue. The beds were comfortable, the AC worked well, and there were no odd smells despite the cafe and bar in the lobby. The three rooms, two bathrooms, and small kitchen were convenient for a girls’ weekend with three friends traveling from different states, and the location was great. Still, I’m appalled by the condition and service, won’t return, and wouldn’t recommend it. Stay at your own risk.

We stayed in 406 of The Schaeffer. The apartment was amazing and right in the French Quarter, but just beyond the party area, with public transit close by. Customer service was impeccable. I’ve already booked my next Sonder stay.

The pool and its lounge areas were nice to have, and towels were provided. Its 10 a.m.-6 p.m. hours weren’t ideal, though. Since we worked remotely, we sometimes went up at lunch for a quick swim, but would have liked an early morning option before it got too hot. The pool is an uncovered metal tub, and the pool attendant said it was the hottest temperature pool he services. Be careful getting in and out when it’s hot, as you can seriously burn yourself. He suggested triangle-shaped shade sails to make the temperature more comfortable. The water tends to look cloudy, which he said was from sunscreen mixing with direct sun, not lack of maintenance. The unit had three bedrooms but only one small bistro table with two chairs. The chairs didn’t match and were much too low for the table. We stayed nine days and ate at least two meals a day in the apartment, so better dining seating would have helped. The bedding was too warm for a New Orleans unit, especially during what was the hottest day in history, though the AC worked fine. Three laundry pods weren’t enough for the whole stay, and nearby guests’ parties could be heard. The location was great for walking to the French Quarter and streetcar, but it wasn’t close to Frenchman if that’s where you want to go. We used the downstairs cafe twice for coffee and pastries. The elevator issue on day two put us off using it much, but we were on the second floor, so we took the stairs.