Sonder
Sonder was a tech-enabled hospitality company operating apartments and boutique hotels across 40+ cities in 10 countries via a mobile-first platform with keyless entry and digital concierge. The company served leisure, business, and extended-stay travelers before filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in November 2025.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
Sonder firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sonder
- Legal name
- Sonder Holdings Inc.
- Website
- https://sonder.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Sonder was a tech-enabled hospitality company operating apartments and boutique hotels across 40+ cities in 10 countries via a mobile-first platform with keyless entry and digital concierge. The company served leisure, business, and extended-stay travelers before filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in November 2025.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sonder industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tech-Enabled Hospitality / Short-Term Rentals
- NAICS
- Traveler Accommodation (7211)
- SIC
- Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Hotels & Motels (7011)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Vacation Rental & Short‑Term Stay Marketplaces (THALAFAC)
Keywords
Where Sonder is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices8 records
Markets served
Sonder business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Short-Term Accommodations (STA/Hotel Reservations): Nightly rental of apartments and boutique hotel rooms to individual travelers and tourists. Guests book through Sonder's platform or third-party channels for stays of varying lengths, with pricing based on nightly rates, location, and property type. Revenue is generated through accommodation fees charged to guests.
- Extended Stay Reservations: Intermediate and long-term rental arrangements for guests staying weeks or months at Sonder properties. These reservations are governed by Extended Stay Agreements with negotiated terms, often at discounted monthly rates compared to nightly STA bookings.
- Subscription Memberships: Membership-based reservation program where subscribers pay recurring fees for access to Sonder properties with specific benefits and pricing advantages. Subscription reservations are governed by Membership Agreements.
- Licensing Agreement with Marriott International: Long-term licensing agreement making Sonder properties available through Marriott's distribution channels, including Marriott Bonvoy. Sonder received key money and ongoing licensing fees from this partnership, with Marriott investing $15 million and adding 9,000+ rooms to its portfolio.
- Real Estate Lease Arrangements: Sonder signs multi-year fixed leases, mixed leases, or revenue shares as anchor or sole tenant in properties. This master-lease model involves leasing properties from landlords and subleasing to guests, generating revenue spread between lease costs and rental income.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Nightly hotel/apartment rates |
| Subscription | Monthly | Corporate/Business Travel Rates |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Group Travel Rates |
| Subscription | Monthly | Member Pricing |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Sonder product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sonder operated a tech-enabled hospitality platform providing short-term and extended-stay apartment and boutique hotel accommodations in 40+ cities globally. Guests booked through the Sonder website or mobile app and accessed units via mobile key, with 24/7 digital concierge support, keyless entry, and biometric identity verification. The company generated revenue through nightly accommodation fees, subscription memberships, extended-stay contracts, and B2B corporate/group travel bookings, operating as anchor or sole tenant under master-lease arrangements with property owners.
Product overview
Sonder is a technology-enabled hospitality company operating a unified platform that combines apartments and boutique hotels across 40+ cities in 10 countries. The platform offers three booking models: STA/Hotel Reservations for short-term stays, Extended Stay Reservations for longer-term accommodations, and Subscription Reservations for membership-based access. The proprietary Sonder app powers the guest experience with digital check-in, mobile keys, and 24/7 digital concierge. The business model includes a property partner program (Partner with Sonder) offering lease and revenue-share arrangements to property owners, and a dedicated business/group travel service for corporate bookings. The company previously operated under a Marriott Bonvoy licensing agreement (Sonder by Marriott), which was terminated in November 2025.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sonder Hospitality Platform (Apartments & Boutique Hotels) A technology-enabled hospitality platform offering apartments and boutique hotels in 40+ cities across 10 countries, accessible via a proprietary mobile app with digital check-in, mobile key access, and 24/7 concierge services for individual travelers, business travelers, and group bookings.
- Short-Term Accommodation (STA/Hotel Reservation) Nightly rental of apartments and boutique hotel rooms to individual travelers and tourists, with pricing based on nightly rates, location, and property type, booked through Sonder's platform or third-party channels.
- Extended Stay Reservation Intermediate and long-term accommodation booking at Sonder properties for extended business or personal stays (weeks to months), governed by Extended Stay Agreements with negotiated terms and discounted monthly rates.
- Sonder Subscription Reservation Membership-based booking program where subscribers pay recurring fees for access to Sonder properties with specific benefits and pricing advantages, governed by Membership Agreements.
- Business and Group Travel Corporate travel and group booking services providing dedicated corporate rates for business trips, with minimum 10-room requirements for group bookings suitable for corporate retreats, class reunions, and team events.
- Partner with Sonder (Property Leasing Program) Property owner partnership program where Sonder signs multi-year fixed leases, mixed leases, or revenue share agreements as anchor tenant, offering 100% occupancy, no vacancies, and de-risked cash flow for institutional property owners, hotel owners, private equity funds, REITs, and developers.
- Sonder Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android providing digital check-in, mobile key access, 24/7 chat concierge, and checkout management for Sonder guests across iOS and Android platforms.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1M+ guests served across 40+ cities
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Sonder
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Sonder technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature6 records
Sonder partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Marriott InternationalcoreLong-term licensing agreement making Sonder properties available through Marriott's distribution channels including Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program. Marriott invested $15 million and expected to add 9,000+ rooms to its portfolio. The partnership included $7.5 million in key money to Sonder tied to a 20-year agreement. The agreement was terminated by Marriott on November 9, 2025, due to Sonder's default, leading to Sonder's Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sonder competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Airbnb: Largest vacation rental/short-term stay marketplace offering apartments and unique stays globally with a mobile-first booking and host-management platform. Direct competitor to Sonder in the urban apartment-style accommodation category.
- Blueground: Tech-enabled furnished apartment provider for 30+ day stays in major cities globally, combining flexible leasing, design consistency, and a mobile app. Closest direct competitor to Sonder's extended-stay product.
- Kasa: Tech-enabled apartment-style hospitality operator in US cities offering professionally managed units with mobile check-in, keyless entry, and 24/7 support — same operational playbook as Sonder at smaller scale.
- Vacasa: Largest US vacation rental management company combining full-service property management with an online booking marketplace. Comparable professional-management-first approach versus DIY short-term rental hosts.
Broad incumbents
- Marriott International: Global hotel giant that licensed Sonder's inventory through Bonvoy (2024–2025). Comparable in target guest (urban business and leisure travelers), brand-led distribution, and loyalty integration; operates a much larger owned/managed/ franchised portfolio.
- Hilton: Global hotel chain with strong loyalty (Hilton Honors) and a growing extended-stay/apartment-style offering. Comparable target customers, distribution model, and technology investments (digital key, app-first booking).
- Hyatt: Major hotel group with a notable extended-stay portfolio and asset-light strategy pursuing tech-enabled urban accommodations; comparable in targeting business/leisure travelers in gateway cities.
- Booking Holdings: Parent of Booking.com, Priceline, and Agoda — global OTA and metasearch distribution that historically carried Sonder's inventory. Overlap in distribution of short-term accommodation supply and demand aggregation.
Emerging players
- OYO Rooms: SoftBank-backed tech-enabled budget hotel and apartment operator that acquired 10 former Sonder properties out of bankruptcy. Targets similar underserved urban traveler with technology-driven standardized stays.
- Plum Guide: Curated luxury vacation rental platform with strict design and quality vetting in major cities — adjacent overlap in urban, design-led apartment stays with consistent quality.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Sonder social profiles
Digital presenceSonder compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Sonder financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sonder leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Sonder subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Sonder funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds12 records
Investors36 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sonder M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sonder
What does Sonder do?
Sonder operated a tech-enabled hospitality platform providing short-term and extended-stay apartment and boutique hotel accommodations in 40+ cities globally. Guests booked through the Sonder website or mobile app and accessed units via mobile key, with 24/7 digital concierge support, keyless entry, and biometric identity verification. The company generated revenue through nightly accommodation fees, subscription memberships, extended-stay contracts, and B2B corporate/group travel bookings, operating as anchor or sole tenant under master-lease arrangements with property owners.
Is Sonder a public or private company?
Sonder is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently closed.
When was Sonder founded?
Sonder was founded in 2014. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Sonder based?
Sonder is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sonder make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Short-Term Accommodations (STA/Hotel Reservations) is the primary driver. The others are extended Stay Reservations, subscription Memberships, licensing Agreement with Marriott International and real Estate Lease Arrangements.
Who are Sonder's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Airbnb, Blueground, Kasa and Vacasa. Broad incumbents are Marriott International, Hilton, Hyatt and Booking Holdings. Emerging players are OYO Rooms and Plum Guide.
Does Sonder have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sonder.
What industry is Sonder in?
Sonder's product category is Tech-Enabled Hospitality / Short-Term Rentals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THALAFAC, Vacation Rental & Short‑Term Stay Marketplaces. Its NAICS code is 7211 and its SIC code is 7000.